Principal's Report

Last week, I had a front-row seat to witness the Sandhurst Arts on Show performance for Western Deanery schools. The ASPA (Australian School of Performing Arts) led students as they sang, danced and performed drama routines. Students were encouraged to consider auditioning for solo roles in the performances. It was terrific to see the children engaging so positively with the songs and dances. Sandhurst Arts on Show provided an outlet for students to showcase their leadership skills and build resilience through the performance of Art. Many adults from different schools, along with staff from the Catholic Education Sandhurst office, commended our students for their participation, behaviour and performances. The pupils and staff really do represent our school proudly, and it shows on days like these. Thank you to Mrs Bannan for all your preparation this term to make this a huge success. 

I want to thank everyone for the high number of families who completed the School Satisfactory Survey this year. This survey was designed to assist our school in gaining an understanding of your perceptions,  as parents,  of your child’s experience at St. Mary’s. The feedback from this survey is very valuable in providing us with ways to improve our school. Once again, thank you all for your support with this.  

Work is underway to renovate the flooring of the engine room, formally known as the EBT room. We look forward to this completion by the end of  October. This will be the last of the works covered by our insurance claim from 2022. With the Nano Nagle Centre up and running, we are looking forward to completing the final stage of the refurbishment project and creating a space that will help maximise our student engagement. In addition, the builders will install greater ventilation under the flooring of the Nano Nagle Centre to reduce the risk of water damage in the future. 

With the end of term three, our sights now turn to term four and further on towards 2025. We are currently in the process of looking at staffing, budgets and school priorities for the 2025 school year. Parents with any requests or changes in family circumstances are asked to contact me. This is also a good time to remind friends and community members that we’re still taking enrolments for the 2025 school year. If fees are a concern, I urge any parents or prospective families to contact me, as we can cater to all families in our community. Feel free to share our website or YouTube video below with your friends and colleagues. 

www.sminglewood.catholic.edu.au

This will be the last you hear from me for a couple of months as I begin my leave. As stated last week, Mr Ben Fitzpatrick will be the Acting Principal in my absence. You can contact him via the principal email at principal@sminglewood.catholic.edu.au

Thank you for the well wishes.