Staff News
Professional Learning and Development
Staff Professional Learning Day – Thursday 30 April 2026
Throughout the year, we commit to providing time for our staff to come together and undertake professional learning to further develop their skills as well as fostering collaboration and relationships across the staff cohort. On Thursday, staff will be coming together with a focus on student wellbeing and positive behaviour support.
We are lucky to have The MacKillop Institute leading us for the first 2 sessions.
The topics are:
Student relationships and essential educator dispositions
Student Dysregulation Support
The MacKillop Institute is a part of MacKillop Family Services, and was established to share the experience, expertise, and evidence-based programs of MacKillop Family Services with the wider community. The Institute empowers other organisations with evidence-informed programs and services that promote school and organisational wellbeing and strengthen child safety. They work with others to share their collective knowledge so, together, they can create practical solutions tailored to the culture, strengths and needs of an organisation.
The afternoon session involves a series of workshops that staff have signed up to led by colleagues on various elements of student wellbeing.
A big thank you to Gabrielle Catania, Director of Professional Learning and Development for supporting the organisation of the day and to all the staff who are leading workshops for their colleagues.
Staffing and Recruitment
Staffing Updates
We welcome the following new staff to Marist-Sion College.
New Staff
Ms Monica Planko – Subject Teacher – Humanities and Mathematics
Ms Becky Bamber – Student Councillor
Staff Spotlight
This is an opportunity for our staff and community to get to know each other by way of asking each staff member to answer a few questions about themselves. I would like to share these with our community as I believe the partnership we have with our parents/guardians/carers is a valued and respected one and I am sure you would like to get to know the staff of your child’s school as a way of building these positive relationships and partnerships.
This month I would like to introduce to you Ms Carley Smith – Subject Teacher
Where was I born and where did I grow up?
Born at St John of God in Berwick and grew up in Officer.
What is a unique/interesting part of my childhood?
My family is super competitive, so when I was younger, we held our own survivor that went over days, voting people off after challenges and ending in one winner (I was close to winning).
My favourite food combo is ……
Lamb chop curry with rice and lentils.
What I love most about my career is ……
I love building relationships with my students. Being able to support them, cheer them on, and watch them grow makes teaching meaningful.
If I was stranded on a desert island, the 2 people I would want with me are ……
My partner, Ciaran – he would be good at problem solving and keeping us alive.
My best friend, Alana – purely for entertainment.
When I want to unwind and do some self-care I …..
Go for a walk, read a book, be around friends and family.
I am most inspired by ……..
My parents because they work hard but always make time for myself and my sister. Their dedication and kindness influence how I approach life and work.
Professional Culture and Growth
Staff Wellbeing in Focus
Marist-Sion College is fortunate to have six dedicated staff who volunteer their time to be part of the College’s Staff Wellbeing Champions. This group was formed at the commencement of the 2025 school year to support the wellbeing of staff.
The objectives of the groups are to:
Provide more staff resources to be equipped with strategies for staff wellbeing
Support the embedding of the Thrive At Work Framework as outlined in the Staff Wellbeing Strategy
Support embedding a culture of wellbeing within the staff
Design structures and practices that enable staff to thrive personally and professionally.
Provide initiatives for staff to support their wellbeing toolkits.
In Term 1, we identified that Psychosocial Hazards proves to be a very current and relevant element of the workplace and during Term 2, the team will be supporting staff to develop their knowledge and skill around what psychosocial hazards are and how to identify them and seek support when needed.
Work Safe Victoria has identified the following psychosocial hazards in workplaces:
Excessive or sustained workload
Time pressure or competing priorities
Unclear expectations or frequent changes
Limited control over how work is done
Exposure to challenging student behaviour or distressing situations
Parent or community conflict
Bullying, harassment or disrespectful behaviour
Low support, feedback or recognition
Role overload or role confusion
Isolation or working alone with high-needs students
Compassion Fatigue (Empathy fatigue)
As parents/carer’s, you play a vital role in ensuring that our staff feel psychologically safe when interacting with you, whether that is via phone, in person or via email. We also expect that our students will support the safe environment for their peers and their teachers by ensuring that they are always following our School Wide Expectations:
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe
If you get the opportunity, talk with your child about what psychosocial hazards are and how they can support everyone feeling safe in the workplace.
In the next edition of Emmaus, I will delve deeper into one element of psychosocial hazards – compassion fatigue.
Parent Teacher Student Interviews
Over the next 2 weeks we have two evenings of Parent Teacher Student Interviews – Wednesday 29 April and Tuesday 5 May 2026.
These interviews are important to have positive and productive conversations with your child’s teacher about their learning progress, work habits and engagement with their learning. All teachers have been preparing to ensure that these meetings are student focused and to provide your child with tangible actions to support their improvement in their learning. With that in mind, having your child present in interviews is imperative. It is about them, so therefore they need to have a voice in their learning.
A reminder that as a courtesy to our teachers, if you are no longer able to attend your interview, please contact College reception so that the teachers can be informed.
College Photos
All students have now received their unique order code for college photos. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Arthur Reed Photos directly https://www.arphotos.com.au/
Have your contact details or family circumstances changed?
If you have had any changes to your contact details or had family circumstances change it is important to contact the college to update your details. This also includes any changes to other family members or friends you have listed as a contact for your child. Ensuring your details are up to date means that we can make contact when needed.
Please call or email College reception to update your details.
Mrs Georgie Beekhof
Deputy Principal – Professional Culture and Growth