Principal

Dear Parent and Carers

Child Safe Standard 2

The MACS Child Safe Focus for March is Child Safe Standard 2 - Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture. When a school’s leadership provides strong leadership, the environment of child safe culture becomes part of everyday thinking and actions.

Child Safe Standard 2 ensures child safety and wellbeing are not just the responsibility of a few individuals, it becomes part of our St Mary’s culture. When safety is embedded in leadership, governance, and culture, it sends a strong message that protecting children is a shared priority. For our staff this means working in an environment where everyone is accountable for safer practices and respectful behaviours. Standard 2 empowers staff to speak up, act on concerns, and contribute to a culture where children feel safe, heard, and valued every day.

Rights and Responsibilities

Pastoral Care at St Mary’s include many parts to make up the whole. Two of these parts are learning responsibility and developing resilience. – rights and responsibilities are integral. Mistakes are an opportunity to grow and take positive steps forward. Thank you for the support you give to staff. When students know that home and school are on the same page, it reinforces sensible student relationships.

One way of mitigating teenage conflicts is to set high expectations for online interactions.  At the College if students misuse IT, they forfeit the right to have access – with rights there are equal responsibilities. When there are issues between teenagers, so often it begins with gossip. Gossip is given legs and bystanders at that age love to hear the goss! There is an old saying that never ages, “those who gossip to you will gossip about you.”

Farewell Miss Aldous

After today Courtney is officially on 12 months leave to move with her partner Lachie to England for 12 months. Courtney will be taking up a position in a UK school to experience the English education system and travel.

Mrs Grace Morganti will take over the Sports Coordinator’s role during Courtney’s leave and after working being alongside Courtney has a good understanding of the processes for primary and secondary. Grace was a Sports Coordinator in a previous College and has a good understanding of the role. We wish Courtney and Lachie a wonderful sojourn to the UK, and with safe travels, filled with many adventures.

Life is always busy and active at St Mary’s. Today, we have our secondary swimming team competing up at Albury and our Primary Swimming team at Benalla. Olivia and Sienna Cleave and Morgan Pace represented St Mary’s in the Interschool Equestrian held at Albury. The Athletics Carnival is always a good day at the magnificent Kings Park, and we wait for the winning House to be announced. Time to shine Padua!

There are three tipping competitions happening at St Mary’s for this AFL season.

· Secondary students – weekly tipping

· Primary – tip the 8

· Staff – weekly tipping

1st prize for the secondary and primary tipping is a signed AFL jumper. 

2nd and 3rd receive gift vouchers.

Farewell summer as Autumn takes hold.

Best wishes

Wayne Smith

Principal

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