Principal Announcements

Principal’s Announcement

May – The Month of Mary

May holds a special place in the Catholic tradition as the Month of Mary, a time dedicated to honouring Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Throughout this month, we are invited to reflect on Mary’s example of faith, humility, and trust in God, and to seek her guidance in our own lives.

Mary is a model of discipleship. Her “yes” to God reminds us of the importance of being open to God’s call, even when the path ahead may be uncertain. During May, we encourage our students to learn more about Mary’s virtues and to follow her example by showing kindness, compassion, and respect to others.

As a school community, we will acknowledge the Month of Mary through prayer, classroom reflections, and special celebrations. Traditionally, this also includes the crowning of Mary, where flowers are offered as a sign of love and honour.

We invite families to join us in recognising this special time, perhaps by sharing a prayer together or creating a small space at home dedicated to Mary. May this month be a meaningful opportunity for us all to grow in faith and draw closer to God through the example of Mary.

Open Day

Our Open Day was filled with such a wonderful sense of joy and community as we welcomed new families, new students, and past alumni back into our school.

It was a pleasure to open our doors and share the vibrant learning, strong relationships, and welcoming spirit that make our school such a special place. Seeing familiar faces return alongside those joining us for the first time was truly heartwarming.

A special thank you to our Grade 6 leaders who did an outstanding job conducting school tours. They spoke with pride, confidence, and enthusiasm as they showcased our school and all that we offer.

Thank you to everyone who joined us today—we loved having you with us and hope you felt the warmth of our community. 

https://www.smmooroopna.catholic.edu.au/enrol-now

📢Enrolments for 2027 close 31st May – don’t miss this opportunity to secure your place!

Mother’s Day Stall

Our Mother’s Day Stall was a wonderful success last Wednesday, filled with excitement and joy as students carefully selected special gifts for their loved ones.

We extend our sincere thanks to our dedicated Parents + Friends for their organisation and hard work in preparing such a beautiful stall for our community. We are also incredibly grateful to all of the mothers and family members who generously donated items and supported the event.

Your time, effort and generosity helped create a memorable experience for our students. We hope all of our mothers and mother figures had a very happy Mother’s Day last weekend. 

Mother’s Day Breakfast and Mass

Our Mother’s Day Breakfast last week was a truly wonderful celebration of our school community. It was fantastic to see so many families in attendance, enjoying the warm and welcoming atmosphere together.

A highlight of the morning was the many fathers who generously gave their time to help serve the delicious selection of food. Their support and involvement added to the spirit of the occasion and was greatly appreciated.

We extend our sincere thanks to our Prep team and all staff who assisted in preparing and supporting this special St Mary’s event, helping us recognise and celebrate the important role of our mothers and mother figures.

A special thank you also to Ann-Margaret Carroll for leading such a beautiful and meaningful Mother’s Day Mass for us all.

St. Mary’s Bingo

We extend our sincere thanks to the St Mary’s Bingo Club for their recent generous donation of $2,000 in support of our school. This contribution is greatly appreciated and will assist us in continuing to provide valuable resources and opportunities for our students.

We would also like to acknowledge Maree Williams for her tireless work and ongoing commitment in this space. Her dedication and efforts play a significant role in supporting our school community, and we are very grateful.

Catholic School Parents Victoria – Supporting Families in Catholic Education

Catholic School Parents Victoria (CSPV) has been re-established to strengthen the voice of parents and carers in Catholic education across Victoria, recognising parents as the first educators and key partners in their child’s learning, wellbeing and faith journey.

CSPV is guided by a Council of parent representatives from across the state, ensuring that the diverse perspectives of families in Catholic schools are reflected in its work and advocacy.

We invite you to explore the CSPV website at www.cspv.catholic.edu.au where you will find a wealth of information and resources to support your parenting journey within Catholic education, including guidance on wellbeing, faith, learning and key issues impacting families. You can also subscribe via the website to join the CSPV community, receive the quarterly newsletter and be invited to upcoming events.

You can also connect with CSPV on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook to access valuable insights, updates and practical resources.

Together, we can continue to strengthen the partnership between families, schools and the wider Catholic community.

School Haircut Service Update

Unfortunately, due to child health and safety requirements, we are unable to provide haircuts at school anymore. We appreciate the understanding and support of our parents and guardians regarding this matter.

School Uniform

A reminder to all families about the importance of students wearing the correct school uniform each day, particularly in relation to footwear. Students are expected to wear black school shoes or plain black sneakers as part of their daily uniform.

We understand that many students enjoy wearing more colourful sneakers; these are welcome to be worn on designated PE days or special sports days.

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation and support in helping us maintain a consistent and respectful school uniform across the community.

Student Birthdays

We remind families of the importance of regular school attendance in supporting every child’s learning and wellbeing. Each day at school provides valuable opportunities for students to build their knowledge, develop routines and strengthen their connections with others.

While birthdays are a very special occasion, they should not automatically mean a day off from school. We love celebrating our students’ birthdays as a community and enjoy acknowledging these special milestones together throughout the school day.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us maximise learning time for all students.

Shelter In Place Emergency Drill

We wish to inform families that on Friday 15th May, all students and staff will be participating in an Emergency Drill for Sheltering in Place. This practice drill will take place at 1:00pm in the Marian Centre.

Emergency drills are an important part of our commitment to maintaining a safe school environment, ensuring that students and staff are familiar with procedures and can respond calmly and effectively if required.

Thank you for your support as we continue to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all members of our school community.

Education Support Officer Day

On Friday 15th May, we will be proudly celebrating World Education Support Officers (ESO) Day, recognising the incredible contribution of our Education Support and Learning Support Officers within our school community.

Our ESOs play a vital role in supporting student learning, wellbeing and inclusion each and every day. Their care, dedication and commitment make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students and staff.

We thank our ESOs for the invaluable work they do and look forward to celebrating and acknowledging them on this special day.

St. Mary’s 90 Years Production – From Humble Beginnings – Let Your Light Shine

PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE

This year we are having a School Production on Wednesday 25th November. 

**We have had to make this change as the Sandhurst Awards are now being held on Thursday 26th November in Bendigo.

Please read the parent/guardian letter sent at the end of term 1 for all the exciting details to celebrate our 90 years. 

St. Mary’s Alumni

As part of our celebrations for this year, we would love to hear from St. Mary’s Alumni – past staff, community members and students. We would love to hear about your past experiences of St. Mary’s. If you are willing to be involved, please contact the school office on 5825 2858 or email at office@smmooroopna.catholic.edu.au

Before School Supervision

Please note that all students that arrive at school prior to 8:30am must fill out an application via the link below. 

Before School Supervision

For new and casual before school arrivals, please complete prior to 4:00pm each day to enable student lists to be updated for the following morning. Before school supervision is for early bus travellers and parents/guardians who must attend work earlier than 8:30am. 

A reminder that students are not to arrive or be at school before 8:00am as they are not actively supervised. 

I appreciate everyone's understanding and cooperation regarding this.

Principal’s Awards

4th May – Hailie-Jade Booker Sing 

This week’s Principal’s award goes to Hailie-Jade who already knows The Golden Rule. She is extremely patient, respects and cares for others and always encourages others to do their best, just as she does – letting her light shine.

Well done Hailie-Jade!

11th May – Anesha Bhatti (photo)

Anesha has been showing great leadership skills – assisting at masses, assemblies and showing her best effort when working in her classes. 

Well done Anesha!

Reminder's

Attendance matters!

Every minute matters. This is a simple statement, but a true one. For every minute a child is at school they learn. For every minute they are absent they not only miss out on they not only miss out on learning, but they also lose some previous learning.

Ms V’s Inspirations

“Respect yourself and others will respect you.” — Confucius

“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” — Bryant H. McGill

“Let your light shine before others.” – Matthew 5:16