Dear Parents and Carers,

It continues to be a busy and productive start to the 2026 school year at St Mary’s. This year it has been a joy to go on my yard walks during the breaks and see our students playing together so well. This was exemplified to me when I was filling in for a yard duty and a large group of boys who were about to start their game of soccer spontaneously separated into their teams, faced each other and heartily sang the Australian national anthem together before wishing each other good luck and starting their game. It was a beautiful display of the positive culture we share with our students at St Mary’s.

Though we have had a great start on the whole, I wish to thank our staff who are supporting those students who are still working on transitioning back or into school life at St Mary’s. There are lots of efforts that go on around bell time to assist our students to ease into the school day.

SMAV Parents & Friends

We had a wonderful turnout, a full large staff table, at our first P&F meeting for the 2026 school year. It was great to see many new faces from Foundation parents, and other parents who have not previously attended a P&F meeting.

Many hands make light work and as usual, we have a busy calendar to support across the school year. If you are interested in supporting our P&F we have a sign up form and we meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every Term.

P&F Expression of Interest

Staff Closure Day

On Monday our staff participated in a whole school Spelling Professional Learning day. This is to target our School Improvement Plan goal of improving spelling results across the school. The day was filled with great learning, dialogue and planning.

We look forward to seeing the impact of this initiative with our students.

The Power Routines and Predictability

As the term progresses, routines become increasingly important for children’s wellbeing and learning. In an ever‑changing world, predictable structures provide children with a sense of safety and control.

Clear routines — both at school and at home — help children regulate their emotions, manage transitions and focus their attention. Morning routines, consistent bedtimes and clear expectations around homework and screen use all contribute to a child’s readiness to learn.

At school, our teachers explicitly teach routines and expectations so that children know what is required of them. This reduces anxiety and allows them to direct their energy toward learning rather than uncertainty.

I encourage families to reflect on the rhythms of your home life. Small, consistent routines often have a far greater impact than we realise. Children thrive when they know what to expect and feel supported within clear boundaries.

School Advisory Council

A reminder that today is the final day to nominate to join our School Advisory Council.

The School Advisory Council forms an important part of our school operations and is one that is a valued sounding board and advisory mechanism for our school’s Senior Leadership.

The following are some examples of the many ways the School Advisory Council may support the school and the principal:

articulating and enacting the school’s vision and mission
promoting the school’s Catholic ethos and culture
promoting faith formation and development
supporting school policies as required
giving advice to the principal on issues such as school improvement plans and enrolment trends
engaging in discussion with the principal about the annual school budget and other financial matters
giving advice to the principal about the school master plan
providing capital resource planning and maintenance support to the principal.

The composition of the MACS School Advisory Council calls for:

Parish Priest (Ex-officio)
Deputy Principal
2 or more parents of the school, including 1 who is an active parishioner of St Mary’s church

School Advisory Council members must commit to attending a minimum of 4 meetings (1 a term) annually.

If you are interested in joining the St Mary’s Advisory Council, please use the below link to express your interest.

SAC Expression of Interest

Expressions of interest will close today, 20/02/26.

Thank you for your ongoing support of St Mary’s, please reach out if you have any questions regarding the SAC.

Never See a Need Without Trying to do Something About it

This week’s example comes from a conversation I had with a parent earlier this week. They recalled a story of their child at a busy water park over the weekend and the crowd of children heading up the ladder with their tubes to get another go. This child noticed a little boy struggling to keep up, and made it all the way up the long trek to the top of the slide with their tube. So the child, seeing a need, decided to do something about it and grabbed her tube in one hand, and the other child’s tube in the other and hiked up to the top. Ensuring the little boy could enjoy the ride and get his turn.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected,

Denis Johnstone

Principal

Camps, Sports, & Excursion Fund (CSEF)