As we begin the season of Lent, we are reminded that this is a time of prayer, reflection and action. Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter. It invites us to pause, think about our choices and look for ways to grow closer to God. In our school and parish community, it is also a time to focus on kindness, forgiveness and supporting those in need.

It was wonderful to gather on Wednesday to celebrate Ash Wednesday together. Coming together as a faith community to receive ashes was a special way to mark the beginning of this important season.

Thank you for taking the time to read this weeks newsletter.

Open Morning

On Tuesday, we welcomed a wonderful group of families for the first of our Open Days with a new format. Prospective families were given a snapshot of our school by myself and Ev Whatmore, followed by a tour led by our Year 6 students. Guests then had the chance to ask questions and chat with some of our current parents about life at St Mary’s.

A big thank you to Amanda McBride, Belinda Frew, and Tim Arnold for giving their time as current parents to assist on the day.

Please remember to share details of our upcoming school tour sessions with prospective families.

Year 6 Leadership Positions

We are pleased to announce the Year 6 Leader Positions for 2026. The students were presented their badges at the Beginning of Year Mass. We have a terrific group of young leaders this year, the school is in great hands. We wish our Year 6s all the best for their Canberra trip next week.

School Captains

Amelia W & Levi N

Friendship Leaders

Lily G & Zac C

Sports Captains

Nagle - Claudia M, Dean G & Remzi C

Coakley - Edie B & Rosie H

Awburn - Elliot D, Evelyn I & William C

O’Brien - Freja B, Koby N & Rex R

Social Justice Leaders

Zara V & Gabrielle V

STEM and ICT Leaders

Amelie T, Charlotte D, Jackson S & Sebastian S

Arts Leaders

Indigo F, Lara M, Layla B, Mila B & Valencia P

SRC Members - Semester 1

Congratulations to our students who have been selected as SRC members for Semester 1. This is a very important role where these students will represent the student voice within our community.

Prep A. - Elsie A & Owen M

1L - Margot B & Tom R

2BH - Mary I & Griffin M

3CM - Honor S & Harvey M

3M - Aoibheann P & James G

4S - Ellie F & Van R

4DB - Felix N & Ariana T

5D - Scarlett S & Alexander C

5V - Elvina B & Jonathan K

Kaboom Sports Day

What a fantastic morning we had at St Mary’s as we officially relaunched our School House Teams with their brand-new colours! Kaboom Sports visited our school to help bring energy, excitement and team spirit to this special event and they certainly delivered.

Students participated in a range of fun, high-energy activities designed to build teamwork, resilience and house pride. It was wonderful to see students bonding across year levels, encouraging one another and stepping outside their comfort zones to give everything a go. The positive spirit and sportsmanship on display truly reflected the best of our St Mary’s community.

A huge thank you to our fabulous Year 6 students who supported the activities throughout the morning. Their leadership, enthusiasm and encouragement played a big role in making the event such a success.

Of course, a major student highlight was the highly anticipated teacher dance-off! Mr Anderson’s impressive Gangnam Style moves just managed to edge out Mr Simpson’s iconic water sprinkler, though we’re sure there will be calls for a rematch next year!

Thank you to Kaboom Sports for helping us relaunch our House Teams in such a memorable way. We look forward to seeing the house spirit continue to grow throughout the year!

(By Mr Simpson)

Coding Club

Coding Club has officially begun and is now in its second week. Students have been enthusiastically diving into the world of coding using the Scratch program.

Scratch is a beginner-friendly coding platform developed by the MIT Media Lab. It allows students to create interactive stories, games and animations using colourful drag-and-drop coding blocks. Rather than typing complex lines of code, students snap blocks together like digital Lego, helping them learn key coding concepts such as sequencing, loops, events and conditionals in a fun and engaging way.

It has also been a fantastic opportunity for our older students to mentor and guide our younger students who may be less familiar with technology. Watching them support one another, problem-solve together and build confidence has been a wonderful example of leadership and collaboration in action.

We look forward to seeing the creative projects that continue to emerge over the coming weeks!

Project Compassion

Thank you to our students and families for your generous gold coin donations in support of Project Compassion. Your kindness and willingness to give are already making a meaningful difference.

Project Compassion is an initiative of Caritas Australia that supports vulnerable communities both in Australia and around the world. Funds raised help provide access to clean water, education, healthcare, food security and sustainable livelihoods. Through Project Compassion, we are reminded that even small acts of generosity can create lasting change and bring hope to those most in need.

Donation boxes will remain in classrooms for the next few weeks, giving students continued opportunities to contribute throughout Lent. Each week, our wonderful Social Justice Leaders will collect and count the donations — thank you to them for their leadership and commitment to serving others. As an added incentive, the class that raises the most funds will be rewarded with a pizza party!

If you would like to contribute, you can do so by following the link below or scanning the QR code.

https://www.projectcompassion.org.au/fundraiser/stmarysprimaryschoolhampton

Together, as a faith community, we continue to live out our values of Respect, Inclusion, Compassion and Honesty by standing in solidarity with those who need it most.

School Advisory Council

Thank you to our School Advisory Council for 2026 for a strong and positive first meeting.

The team brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we are grateful for their willingness to serve our school community. In 2026, the Council will focus on strategic planning, particularly around capital improvements and strengthening community engagement.

We look forward to sharing more about this work with our community in the coming weeks.

SAC Member 2026

Rachel Imbesi (President)

Karina O'Brien (Secretary)

Hamish Mogan

Anna Marinelli

Tim Arnold

Katie Slade

Ev Whatmore

Thanks

Steele

Important Dates