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ANZAC Day

Last week, we held an ANZAC Day reflection.  Thank you to Michelle for preparing such a solemn, reflective service.  The students and staff came together to honour the sacrifices made by Australian and New Zealand soldiers.  The service included readings, a moment of silence, and the reading of special prayers.  The ceremony was both meaningful and respectful.  It was a great reminder of the importance of remembering and appreciating the freedoms we have today.

Rock Posters - Spreading the Word – St Mary’s Enrolments

You may have noticed our eye-catching enrolment rock posters appearing around Thornbury.  

This wonderful initiative has been led by our School Advisory Council (SAC), with members generously committing to personally fund and display a series of posters promoting enrolments at St Mary’s. Their dedication and belief in our school are truly appreciated.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such an active and committed SAC, led by Ryan Fort. Our sincere thanks and gratitude go to Ryan and all SAC members for their ongoing efforts to build enrolments and spread the word about what makes St Mary’s such a great place to learn and grow.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the posters around Thornbury—and help us share the message far and wide!  This is a brilliant way to share the story of St Mary’s with the wider community!

Mother's/Special Friends Day Celebrations 

The P&F warmly invite all mothers and special caregivers to join us at school as we celebrate Mother’s Day together on the morning of May 8.

Spend some special time with your child as you complete a fun art activity, creating something special to take home and treasure. Afterward, enjoy the opportunity to take part in a gentle Pilates session in the hall, a perfect way to unwind and recharge.

To round out the morning, stay for a cuppa and a chat with other families and staff. It’s a lovely chance to connect, relax, and celebrate the important role you play in our community.

We look forward to sharing this special morning with you.

Book Fair Coming to St Mary’s

We’re excited to announce that the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to St Mary’s! This is a wonderful opportunity for students and families to explore a fantastic range of books, discover new authors, and spark a love of reading.

Whether your child is an avid reader or just beginning their reading journey, there will be something for everyone—picture books, chapter books, activity books, and more. It’s the perfect chance to encourage reading at home and let children choose books that interest and inspire them.

The Book Fair also supports our school, with a portion of all sales going towards new resources for our library and classrooms.

We encourage families to come along, browse together, and enjoy the excitement of choosing a new book.

Middles Learning Expo – Health Unit Showcase

Our recent Middles' Learning Expo was a wonderful celebration of student learning, with a strong focus on their Health Unit. The event showcased a fabulous display of work, highlighting the knowledge, creativity, and effort our students have put into their learning.

It was fantastic to see so many parents and families in attendance. Your ongoing support is always overwhelming and deeply appreciated—events like this are made even more special by the strong sense of community we share at St Mary’s.  A heartfelt thank you to our parents for taking the time to come along and engage with the students’ work. 

Special thanks to our children—well done on your enthusiasm, confidence, and pride in sharing your learning. You represented yourselves and your school beautifully.

We are so proud of all that was achieved and look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate learning together.

Thank you to Cassandra and Michael for their thoughtful preparation of the students and for modelling such rich, engaging learning experiences. Your dedication ensured the children were confident, well-prepared, and able to showcase their understanding so effectively.

Please see the Middle's Class News section of this newsletter for a student reflection and more expo snaps!

Community Call-out: Grassroots Children's Charity... Big Hug Group

Our St Mary’s community has been invited to get involved in a donation drive supporting the wonderful grassroots children’s charity, Big Group Hug. 

This is a cause truly worthy of our support, and a meaningful way for us to come together to assist families in need. Please see the flyer f details, and you can also visit their website for further information and resources, including social media content. 

A donation box will be available at reception for easy drop-off of items, and all contributions will be delivered at the end of the collection period. 

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.

School Sports Polo Update

I would like to clarify some confusion regarding the use of old school sports polos in the lead-up to Sports Day.  

Families are welcome to keep their child’s old school sports polo for use on Sports Day if so desired. The P&F organised an option for old polos to be recycled; however, participation was entirely optional.

Families who prefer to keep their child’s sports polo for Sports Day are very welcome to do so.

For Sports Day, all children are required to wear their house colour. This can be:

• Their old school sports polo, or
• A plain coloured t-shirt in their allocated house colour

I hope this clarifies any confusion.

New Leadership Roles Introduced in 2026

As mentioned earlier this year, two new leadership roles have been introduced in 2026, further strengthening our commitment to staff development and student wellbeing, while also supporting the growth of our middle management team.  

Following feedback from the School Advisory Council (SAC), we are pleased to share more information about these roles with the wider school community.

Coaching and Mentoring Leader – Riley Graydon

This role focuses on building a strong culture of professional growth across our team. Riley will work closely with staff to support instructional practice, facilitate mentoring opportunities, and promote collaborative learning.

The role will include:

1. Staff Mentoring and Coaching

• Attend Learning and Teachihng Network and provide one-to-one and group coaching for teachers regarding the implementation of curriculu initiatives and resources in collaboration with the Learning and Teaching Team.
• Support Early Career Teachers (ECTs) and new staff with induction, professional routines, and classroom practice.
• Facilitate reflective conversations that help staff identify strengths, set goals, and develop effective strategies in order to progress from Provisional Registration to Full Registration.
• Model high-quality teaching and learning approaches when appropriate for graduate and early career teachers.
• Promote research-informed practices and encourage continuous professional growth.

2. Collaboration and Communication

• Work closely with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to align mentoring and coaching with school improvement priorities.
• Support the development and implementation of whole-school strategies that improve teaching quality and pupil outcomes.

3. Professional Development

• Support the Learning and Teaching Team to plan and deliver training sessions, workshops, or professional learning communities (PLCs) - focusing on current pedagogical intiatives.

4. Monitoring and Evaluation

• Keep accurate records of mentoring programmes.
• Evaluate the impact of mentoring and coaching interventions and report findings to SLT.
• Adjust the mentoring/coaching approach in response to emerging needs.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHIPS) – Louise Alonso

Louise takes on the important role of leading our Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHIPS) initiative. She will work with Tania, Wellbeing and Learning Diversity Leader, to support students by promoting positive mental health, coordinating wellbeing programs, and ensuring access to appropriate resources.

We look forward to the positive impact these roles will have across our school community.

The role will include:

• working in collaboration with the Wellbeing/Learning Diversity Leader and Senior Leadership Team to plan strategically and implement whole-school wellbeing systems and initiatives that strengthen connectedness, resilience and positive learning behaviours
• building the capacity of school staff to identify and support students with mental health concerns
• supporting the school in creating clear care pathways and connecting students identified as needing further assessment and intervention to local services
• coordinating targeted mental health support for students by working with school staff, school community members and external agencies
• implementing effective mental health strategies aligned with social and emotional learning and adopting a whole-school approach to wellbeing and learning initiatives.
• advocating for value and student voice.
• identifying and implementing evidence-based approaches aligned to student needs.

Community Call-out: Grassroots Children's Charity... Big Hug Group

Our St Mary’s community has been invited to get involved in a donation drive supporting the wonderful grassroots children’s charity, Big Group Hug. 

This is a cause truly worthy of our support, and a meaningful way for us to come together to assist families in need. Please see the attachee flyer below with more details, and you can also visit their website for further information and resources, including social media content. 

A donation box will be available at reception for easy drop-off of items, and all contributions will be delivered at the end of the collection period. 

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.