Dear Parents and Carers,

We have been blessed with sunshine the last few days, and hasn’t it been wonderful? I’ve been getting back into my morning run/dog walk routine since returning from Japan and those extra rays of sunshine as I get going make for a lovely start to the day.

We have our Christmas tree and decorations up in the Johnstone household (those that Snickers hasn’t pulled off the tree) and we are all moving full steam ahead towards the end of the school/work year and the joyous time of Christmas with our family.

This is always a busy time of year for everyone, “life admin” can feel endless, presents to buy, celebrations to organise, the afterschool/work events keep on coming. While it is busy, it is also a time of joy, of family, of love and soon of Advent and awaiting Christmas time where we celebrate the birth of Jesus. A very special time in our yearly calendars and one for us to remember to slow down and savour those special moments.

Thank you to our outgoing SMAV P&F President, Sarah Connolly

I wish to extend my heartfelt thank you to Sarah Connolly who is stepping down as President of our SMAV P&F Group. Sarah has been a tremendous advocate, support and leader for the group which does such integral work in building community connection at St Mary’s and fundraising for key projects at our school. Sarah’s calm, respectful and inclusive leadership has been a great asset to St Mary’s over her time in the role and she will be sorely missed. We hope you enjoy the time you get back with your family and look forward to working with you on smaller projects for the P&F in the years to come.

With Sarah stepping down, we warmly welcome Karen Schulze into the role of P&F president. Karen has worked closely with Sarah over the past few years and has played a key role in leading the P&F during this time. We look forward to Karen’s leadership and encourage all parents at our school to step up and get involved with our P&F to support the wonderful and important work the group undertakes for our community.

Farewell and Welcome 2026 Staff

At the end of the year we will farewell a number of staff from the St Mary’s team.

Nicola Toney who has served St Mary’s admirably in the role of Mathematics Leader will be stepping down from the role and away from St Mary’s. Nicola has had a huge impact on our students’ Mathematics performance in her time in the role and leaves St Mary’s Mathematics practice in a great place for current and future students alike. I would like to personally thank Nicola for her support of me in my role and her contribution to the Leadership Team over the last 3 years. We wish Nicola all the best for whatever might be next on her journey.

We farewell Nikolina Scardamaglia and Vanessa Berryman who are both taking time off for maternity leave next year. We thank you for your commitment and contribution to the students of our school. We wish St Mary’s blessings on the arrival of the new babies and pray that Mary will watch over them as they grow.

We also farewell Alicia Walker and Louise Bloomfield who are leaving our classroom teaching team next year. We thank them for their contributions as classroom teachers and wish them well in their future endeavours.

With the departing staff we welcome Joel Magnabosco who joins us as Mathematics Leader, Shannon Ziebell, Lisa Aspros and Scott Polycarpou who join our teaching team. We also welcome back Sinead Fahey from maternity leave.

St Mary’s Music Recital

Over the last few weeks we have had an impressive amount of students perform in front of our school community and showcase their musical talents. As principal of St Mary’s, this fills me with joy and pride. It is nothing short of impressive for young people to have the courage, skill and composure to get up on stage and perform a piece that they have been working hard on.

Thank you to Belinda Sun, Hung Phan and Maddie Apostolopoulos for your instrumental teaching of our students and for organising the special showcasing of the students' talents. Thank you to Faye Nardella for her excellent MC skills on the night.

Advent Celebrations and Carols in the Yard

Next week, we begin our Advent litrugies and Christmas Carol performances in the yard. Each grade will serenade our community in the mornings from 8:50 am in the school yard, spreading Christmas cheer as we arrive for the school day. Details are in our Parent Google calendar and below. We hope you can join us.

No animals on School Grounds

A firm reminder that animals, including dogs, are not allowed on school grounds please. This is to ensure the health and safety of all members of our community. Thank you for your cooperation.

Be The Light

My example of Be The Light for this week is our Grade 5 students. This week, they became “buddies” for our incoming 2026 Foundation students. Starting school can be a worrying time, going from the small groups and yard in kindergarten to the big yard, big kids and big expectations of school. Well, our grade 5 students stepped up and connected with the 2026 Foundation students, easing nerves, bringing smiles and comfort and making it a little bit easier to transition across to St Mary’s. They shone their light for their new buddies and will continue to light the path of school success for them all the way through 2026.

Stay safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected,

Denis Johnstone

Principal

Positive Behaviour Learning (PBL)