Mrs Ryan's Fortnightly Reflections

There is a palpable energy throughout St Mary’s at the moment, with smiles, high energy, and pure joy! From the time our staff and learners walk in the door, there is an infectious atmosphere of love and learning. Leading into Catholic Education Week, this is a wonderful feeling to have around the place. We do hope that all of our parents may be able to join us for one element of the week ahead. 

Catholic Education Week 2026 for St Mary’s will start tomorrow, 2nd May, when we open our doors to our community for the first time on the weekend. This less formal tour and exploration opportunity hopes to allow working parents to come in, meet some staff, look around, and engage in some activities! Maybe even enjoy a sausage sizzle! 

On Monday, we have continued tours in the morning and our prospective and existing parent evening on Monday night! We always welcome our existing families, and of course appreciate any parent recommending or encouraging new parents to explore St Mary’s as a future educational option. The staff and learners are proudly ready to show off our school, what we do, and who we are! 

On Tuesday, we all get to dress up as who we would like to be when we grow up! It is always a great conversation starter, visionary day that of course includes lots of laughs! 

On Wednesday, we engage in our diocesan theme of ‘Seek Peace and Pursue It.’ Leading up to this day, each year level has been striving to commit to an act of peace, where we are giving to others. This day will see guest speakers in, donations shared, and service to others celebrated. 

On Thursday, we have our whole school mass at 9:15 am, and we hope to see many family members there. We have a re-enactment from our founding sisters and some long-standing alumni speaking during our homily! It will be beautiful to celebrate our Catholic education mass in such a way. 

On Friday, we will conclude our week with our famous Mother’s Day celebration. We will celebrate in families and communities, recognising the love and unconditional sacrifice our mothers make. Our mothers, grandmothers, and special women will then join us in the Brigidine Centre for high tea, some catch-up with friends, and a few lucky door prizes to be shared! If you have yet to RSVP, I encourage you to do so! 

A few reminders for our drop-off and pick-up times. These are our busiest periods of the day, and our priority is to deliver your children to you safely at the end of every school day. I recognise that St Mary’s is a high traffic zone before and after school, but I ask that parents and adults doing the pick-up please use the signed crossings available to us at all times. For parents dropping learners off in the car drop-off zone in the morning, please know that school is open from 8:20am only. Children should not be dropped off any earlier. No parents, families, or learners are to enter the main school area before 8:30 am, when the school day officially starts. The 8:20am drop-off is for early bus travellers, and these learners are required to sit and wait in the Brigidine Centre under supervision until the main play area is supervised by our staff. I thank all parents who work cooperatively with us every day to ensure the safety of all. 

In the coming weeks, I will be seeking interest from parents to take part in ‘Parent Consultation Groups.’ These groups will include a brief school tour to see, hear, and feel what happens at various times at St Mary’s. The group will then share in open dialogue about the strengths and opportunities for St Mary’s. We are hopeful that collaborative dialogue will only strengthen the understanding of who we are, what we offer, prioritise, and value collectively at St Mary’s. I hope this is of interest to many! 

I look forward to seeing many of you over Catholic Education Week. 

In faith, trust, and love. 

Jasmine Ryan  

Principal