Principal's Update

Dear Families,

As we head toward the final weeks of term, our school calendar is full of moments that highlight what makes St Margaret’s such a vibrant place to learn and grow. The energy around the classrooms and school remains high as our students throw themselves into every opportunity, whether on camp, celebrating literature, or welcoming our newest community members. It is a wonderful time to reflect on how much our students have achieved over the past few weeks as we look forward to finishing the term on a high note.

St Margaret’s Church Update: The school and wider St Margaret’s community are continuing to come to terms with the impending closure of our church. For our school, one of the most significant changes will be the loss of our Friday morning whole school Mass. These celebrations have been such an important part of our Catholic identity and are one of the many things that make St Margaret’s such a special school community. As we look towards the future, we are working closely with Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) to identify meaningful opportunities for our students to continue to experience, celebrate and deepen their connection with our Catholic faith tradition. While the closure of the church represents a significant change for our community, we remain committed to ensuring that faith continues to be at the heart of the life of St Margaret’s.

We continue to work constructively with Fr Desmond and the Parish. Key updates include:

• Final Mass & Closure: A tentative date of Sunday, 25 October 2026 has been set for the final Mass. Following this service, the building will close and the site will be fenced.

• Honouring Our History: We are collaboratively planning the final Mass to celebrate the generations of families who built this community. Discussions are also underway to respectfully preserve and potentially integrate sacred objects into the school and Parish's future.

• Land & Future Planning: As confirmed by the Parish, the land will not be sold. Its future use will align with both the School and Parish Masterplans within the Parish's Mission of Faith, supported by broad community consultation before decisions are finalised.

Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding as we navigate this transition together.

Book Week Celebrations: It was wonderful to celebrate Book Week across the school last week. There were many great parts of the week planned to celebrate reading and develop a love of literature in our students. Two great highlights of the week were our Book Character dress up parade and a special visit from author Tony Flowers which were two really amazing opportunities for our students. It was great to see so many families come down to support this event. Another highlight for me were other events such as our buddy reading activity and teachers sharing their favourite books with classes.

Prep Grandparents Day: Our Preps were excited to welcome some very special visitors into their classrooms on Monday as we celebrated our amazing Grandparents and special people. It was wonderful to see so many being able to attend, I know how special days like this are for our community. After a special morning together our Preps sang a beautiful song together as a way of celebrating and saying thanks! A huge thank you to all of our Grandparents and special people who were able to attend. I know how much it meant to all of our children.

Meeting our 2027 Prep Students: Over the past week it has been great to welcome next year's 2027 Prep students as they came into St Margaret’s to meet some of our teachers and leaders for some initial assessments and to start to become familiar with our school. It is hard to believe that we are already thinking about 2027 but it is also an exciting time to meet the next generation of St Margaret’s students!

MACSSIS Family Surveys: This week, families will receive a link and unique code to complete our annual Family MACSSIS Survey. These surveys provide us with valuable information about our school and, importantly, give us an opportunity to understand the perspectives and experiences of our families.

We would love to see as many families as possible participate this year. The survey closes on Friday 18 September, and last year we had only around 30 families complete the survey from our 328 families across the school. Your feedback is incredibly valuable and helps us identify what we are doing well and where we can continue to improve. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey when you receive your invitation. Your feedback helps us to become an even better school for all of our students and families.

Grade 5 Camp Experience: Grade 5 Camp was a  huge success and  I would particularly like to acknowledge our Year 5 team for the fantastic job they did at camp. A special thank you also to Ms Parker, who did a significant amount of the organisation and preparation behind the scenes. Despite the cold and wet weather, it was a great camp and I really appreciated how well organised everything was. This is a real credit to everyone involved. I would also like to acknowledge our Year 5 students, who were one of the best behaved groups of students I have ever been on camp with. They represented St Margaret's exceptionally well and should be very proud of themselves. The camp is a great opportunity for growth for our students who participate in adventure activities that stretch our children and sometimes push them out of their comfort zones.

Road Safety Audit: Earlier this term, Maribyrnong City Council conducted a Road Safety Audit focusing specifically on traffic, road safety and pedestrian safety in the areas surrounding St Margaret’s, with particular attention given to drop off and pick up times. I received a copy of the report last week and have since met with members of the Council’s team to discuss the findings and their implications for our school community. The report has identified a number of areas of concern that have the potential to impact the safety of our children.

Some of these concerns will be addressed through future changes to road signage and infrastructure. However, there are also measures that require every member of our school community to play their part by being careful, patient and vigilant, particularly during our busy drop off and pick up periods. The safety of our students is my number one priority. I strongly encourage all families to follow road rules and signage at all times, avoid illegal U-turns and double parking, and take particular care when children are getting in and out of vehicles.

I will continue to work closely with Maribyrnong City Council and our School Advisory Council to ensure proactive measures are put in place to improve the safety of everyone around our school. Thank you for your patience, care and support in helping us keep our children and wider community safe.

Fathers Day: I would like to acknowledge all of our Dads and other special male role models in our community as we celebrate Father’s Day this weekend. Whether you are sharing a special meal, enjoying a day out, or simply catching up on some well-deserved quiet time with family, I hope you feel truly appreciated for the guidance, patience, and love you bring to our students' lives every day. This brings us to the end of another busy and rewarding fortnight at school. From active classroom learning to vibrant extracurricular activities, our students continue to show fantastic dedication and spirit. 

Wishing all of our father figures a wonderful, relaxing day on Sunday!

John