Principal's Message

On Monday, our wonderful Prep students reached a very special milestone, 100 days of school. Reaching a century is a remarkable achievement in any context, in sporting accomplishments, in age and now in the learning journey of our youngest students. It marks determination, growth and the accumulation of effort over time. Our Preps have embraced every one of those 100 days with curiosity, joy and courage.

At Assembly, they confidently sang Let My Light Shine, capturing the heart of our celebration theme, 100 Days Brighter. Their performance reflected not only how much they have grown, but how brightly they are already shining as learners and as members of our school community.

We want to extend a huge congratulations to our Prep students and to Ally and Nell, for the way they’ve embraced learning, created a warm and nurturing classroom environment and built such a strong sense of community. If this is what they’ve achieved in just 100 days, we can only imagine what the rest of the year will bring. By the time they reach 1,000 days of learning, their confidence, independence and love of learning will be shining even brighter.

As I’ve been conducting school tours, prospective parents consistently comment on how calm, settled, focused and eager our Prep students are. They are growing into capable and confident learners who are kind, thoughtful and ready to take on new challenges. Their classrooms are places of curiosity, joy and learning, a testament to the strong foundations being built each day.

Welcoming Our 2027 Preps

We have now completed interviews and enrolments for our 2027 Prep intake and we are thrilled to be welcoming 50 new Prep students to our community next year. Meeting these young learners and their families has been a joy and we look forward to guiding them through their own first 100 days and far beyond.

Last week we also celebrated Grandparents Day, welcoming more than 80 grandparents into our school. The presence of grandparents brings a unique kind of warmth to our community, a mix of love, pride and wisdom. They care from near or afar, they support, they guide and they delight in the growth of their grandchildren. Although my own grandparents are no longer with me, the memories and influence they had on my life remain deeply treasured. From everyone at SMDP, we extend our heartfelt thanks for all you do for your grandchildren and for the important role you play in their lives.

Moments like these, from celebrating 100 Days of Prep to welcoming future families and honouring the generations who support our students, remind us of the strength and vibrancy of our community. They highlight the shared commitment that underpins our work, nurturing confident, capable and compassionate learners who shine brightly in all they do. 

Supporting our staff while planning for the future

Currently, all Catholic schools are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes looking at how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff.

We recognise the significant financial pressures many households are facing and we are making a conscious effort to ensure these costs are not passed on through significant fee increases.

We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining strong school communities and continuing to deliver a high-quality Catholic education for every student.

The Australian Government Department of Education has advised that all non‑government schools are required to provide staff and student information as part of the annual census and special circumstance applications. For more details about what information is collected, please read the linked letter.

Warm regards, 

Elise Coghlan

Principal

St Martin de Porres Primary School is committed to creating an environment where the safety, well-being, and participation of all children within our care is paramount. 

 2026 - School Closure Days

Listed below are our school closure days for 2026. These are student-free days. Staff use these days to develop their learning further and keep informed with current practices and procedures. 

NOTE: These dates may be subject to change that may be outside of our control.