Principal Announcements

Welcoming Spring

As we welcome the arrival of spring this week, there is a wonderful sense of new beginnings all around us. The days are becoming brighter, our gardens are beginning to bloom, and there is a renewed energy and optimism in our school community.

Spring reminds us that growth takes time. Just as a small seed needs care, patience and the right conditions to flourish, so too do our children. Each day at St Mary’s, our students are learning, growing in confidence, building friendships and discovering their own unique gifts and talents.

As we enter this new season, may we take a moment to notice and appreciate the growth happening around us—not only in our gardens, but in each of our students. Let us continue to nurture, encourage and celebrate them as they grow and Let Their Light Shine.

May spring bring our families a season filled with hope, joy, fresh opportunities and many moments to celebrate.

Exciting Staff News

It is with great pleasure and excitement that we announce that Mrs Tayla Broadbent is expecting her first child! This is such a wonderful time for Tayla and her family, and we are delighted to share in their excitement. Tayla will be taking maternity leave in 2027, and we look forward to supporting her as she prepares for this very special new chapter in her life.

Staffing Update

I wish to advise that Georgia Hick’s leave has been extended until 18 September 2026, and she has subsequently tendered her resignation from St Mary’s, effective 4 October 2026.

We sincerely thank Georgia for her contribution to St Mary’s over the past few years and wish her all the very best for her future endeavours. We are now actively working through the process of securing a replacement teacher for the Prep class and will provide further information as arrangements are confirmed.

We thank the Prep families for their trust, patience, understanding and support over the past few weeks. We remain committed to providing the best learning outcomes for our students.

NAIDOC Week Medal of Excellence

We are incredibly proud of Riya Donga and her wonderful achievement in receiving a NAIDOC Week Medal of Excellence. Riya entered an outstanding story into the competition, demonstrating creativity, thoughtfulness and a strong connection to the spirit of NAIDOC Week. Her achievement is particularly special as she was one of only 48 recipients across the state to receive an Excellence Award. Congratulations, Riya—we are so proud of you!

Supporting Charlotte’s Fundraising

We would also like to acknowledge the wonderful efforts of Charlotte Ryan, who is raising money to support cancer research while also donating her hair to Wigs for Kids. This is an incredibly generous act that demonstrates compassion and a desire to make a difference to others. If you are able to support Charlotte’s fundraising efforts, please use the QR code provided in the newsletter to make a donation. We are very proud of Charlotte for using her actions to help others.

Grade 3/4 Camp

Our Grade 3/4 students have had a fantastic time at camp in Alexandra. It was wonderful to see the students embracing new experiences, challenging themselves, supporting one another and demonstrating independence throughout their time away. We were incredibly impressed by their positive attitude, behaviour and willingness to participate in all that camp had to offer. Congratulations to our Grade 3/4 students—we are very proud of you! A very big thank you also goes to all of the staff who attended and supported the students. Your time, care and commitment helped make the camp such a memorable experience.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Congratulations to Eddie Weis, who recently received the Sacrament of Reconciliation during a special class Mass. This is an important milestone in Eddie’s faith journey, and we congratulate him on this significant occasion. We continue to be blessed by the opportunities our students have to grow in their faith and deepen their relationship with God.

Athletics Day

Congratulations to all of our students for their wonderful participation in this week’s Athletics Day. It was fantastic to see students encouraging one another, having a go, demonstrating resilience and enjoying the opportunity to participate. A huge thank you to Mr Watts for his excellent organisation and preparation, which ensured the day ran so smoothly. We also extend our thanks to our P+F for organising this year’s sausage sizzle and making sure everyone was well fed throughout the day. It was a terrific day of participation, fun and community spirit!

Father’s Day Celebrations

As we prepare to celebrate Father’s Day, we extend our sincere thanks to our P+F for organising and running this year’s Father’s Day Stall. The students have loved having the opportunity to choose something special for their dads and special people in their lives.

We are also looking forward to welcoming our fathers, grandfathers and special people to our Father’s Day Breakfast this Friday morning. A very special thank you to our Advisory Council for their preparation, organisation and, of course, their wonderful cooking skills! We look forward to sharing a lovely morning together and celebrating the important men and role models in the lives of our students.

New Website

Visit our new online home!

We're excited to launch our new school website, designed to make it easier than ever to access important information, stay up to date with news and events, and connect with our school community.

Explore the new site and enjoy a more streamlined, user-friendly experience for families, students and visitors.

Find information faster. Stay connected longer.

Visit Home - St Mary's Primary School, Mooroopna

Empowering Our Future Leaders – Student Leadership 2027

At St Mary’s, we are committed to nurturing leadership in all students. In 2026, we introduced a refreshed student leadership structure that provides meaningful opportunities for senior students to lead with confidence, compassion and responsibility.

Leadership positions include School Captains, Vice Captains, Faith and Justice Captains, and House Captains. These roles are designed to reflect our school values and give students a voice in shaping school life, from faith and service to house spirit and school representation. Our existing leadership groups will also continue to run.

All grade 5 students have been briefed on the new leadership opportunities and provided with a detailed information package for them to consider applying for these positions. We look forward to seeing our future leaders grow and shine in 2027!

All applications are due on Friday 11th September. 

Good luck to all!

Honouring Our Past, Inspiring Our Present and Building Our Future

Celebrating Our St. Mary’s Alumni

Our Alumni Visits have continued this term at each assembly, providing students with a wonderful opportunity to hear from former St. Mary’s students who have gone on to achieve success in a variety of fields.

A heartfelt thank you to Ester Janke for sharing her wonderful St. Mary’s story as part of our 90 Years of St. Mary’s celebrations. Ester took us back to the early days of our school, when the first classes were held in the church and students wrote using ink wells! She also shared fond memories of Athletics Days on the oval and learning the much-loved song “I’m a Little Teapot.”

These personal memories provide a beautiful glimpse into the history of St. Mary’s and remind us of the many traditions, experiences and special moments that have connected generations of our school community. We are very grateful to Ester for helping us Let Our Light Shine through these treasured memories.

St. Mary’s School Advisory Council

Our St. Mary’s School Advisory Council provides a wonderful opportunity for parents and carers to become actively involved in the life of our school and contribute to the ongoing growth and development of our community. The Council works in partnership with school leadership to support the vision, values and future direction of St. Mary’s.

Meetings are held once or twice each term, usually on a Tuesday evening at 7:30pm, and generally run for approximately one hour.

Our next Annual General Meeting (AGM) to vote in new Council members and roles will be held on Tuesday 8th December at 6:00pm. We warmly encourage any parents or carers who are interested in becoming involved to consider joining the Advisory Council.

If you would like more information, please speak with myself, Catherine Dyke, or our current Advisory Council President, Michael De Maria. We would be delighted to discuss what is involved and how you can contribute to supporting our wonderful St. Mary’s community.

2027 Family Intentions

A reminder to families to please complete the 2027 Family Intentions Form recently sent by the Office. The information provided is important in helping us plan our 2027 class structures, staffing and overall school planning.

We kindly ask all families to complete and return the form as soon as possible. Thank you for your assistance in helping us prepare for another successful year at St Mary’s.

2027 Enrolments

📢 For 2027 Enrolments or enquiries, please contact the school office for further assistance. Phone 58252858 or email office@smmooroopna.catholic.edu.au

St. Mary’s Bingo

We are currently seeking support for St. Mary’s Bingo, which generally involves attending on a Saturday evening once a term. With numbers being quite short again at the moment, your help would be invaluable!

Bingo is a wonderful way to connect with our school community while raising funds that directly support student learning and school initiatives. We are incredibly grateful for the regular donations from Bingo which make a significant contribution to the learning, opportunities and growth of our St. Mary’s community.

If you are able to volunteer your time and be part of this valued community group, we would love to hear from you. For more information on how you can get involved, please contact Maree Williams on 0438 084 364.

Thank you for your consideration and ongoing support — every contribution makes a big difference!

St. Mary’s 90 Years Production – From Humble Beginnings – Let Your Light Shine

PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE

This year we are having a School Production on Wednesday 25th November. 

Seat bookings are now open and can be made at no cost via the link below. Families can book up to 3 tickets at one timeslot, any unallocated seats will be opened to all families 2 weeks prior to the production. 

https://www.trybooking.com/DLWKO

Gold coin is encouraged upon entry at the event.

Please read the parent/guardian letter sent at the end of term 1 for all the exciting details to celebrate our 90 years. 

Before School Supervision

Please note - all students who arrive at school prior to 8:30am must fill out an application via the link below. 

Before School Supervision

For new and casual before school arrivals, please complete prior to 4:00pm each day to enable student lists to be updated for the following morning. 

Before school supervision is for early bus travellers and parents/guardians who must attend work earlier than 8:30am. 

A reminder that students are not to arrive or be at school before 8:00am as they are not actively supervised. 

I appreciate everyone's understanding and cooperation regarding this.

Principal’s Awards

24th August – Mia Atkinson

Congratulations to Mia, this week’s Principal’s Award recipient! Mia has settled back into St Mary’s beautifully, showing care and kindness towards younger students as a wonderful buddy. She is also a respectful, quiet and polite learner who consistently helps make our school a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for everyone. Well done, Mia!

31st August – no awards due to Athletics Day

Attendance matters!

Every minute matters. This is a simple statement, but a true one. For every minute a child is at school they learn. For every minute they are absent they not only miss out on learning, but they also lose some previous learning.

Ms V’s Inspirations

“Spring is the time of plans and projects.”— Leo Tolstoy

“Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.”— Anne Frank

“Let your light shine before others.” – Matthew 5:16