Assistant Principal 

A Message from the Assistant Principal

At St Margaret Mary’s, we deeply value the strong partnership we share with families in supporting each child’s growth and wellbeing. Listening to your child and acknowledging their experiences is important. 

When children come home from school, it’s natural for them to share their experiences from the day. These stories can give parents valuable insight into their child's feelings, what they are learning, and the friendships they are building. Listening closely is important as children need to feel that their voice is heard and that their experiences matter.

At the same time, it is important to remember that a child’s perspective, while genuine and heartfelt, may not always capture the full story. Just as adults see events differently depending on their viewpoint, children may recount situations in ways that reflect their feelings in the moment and sometimes not all viewpoints and all details are communicated. This does not make their account any less important; rather, it reminds us that there are often multiple perspectives to consider.

As part of Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese, our school follows clear processes to ensure procedural fairness, privacy and transparency in the ways concerns are addressed.

If your child raises a concern, we encourage you to listen carefully and then seek clarity from the school with honesty, dignity and respect. Often, more than one stakeholder is involved and our role is to uphold policy and procedures that ensure procedural fairness and privacy.

For concerns related to learning, homework, behaviour, wellbeing, uniform or learning support, the process is:

Step 1: speak first with your child’s teacher 

Step 2: if unresolved, raise the matter with your child’s grade coordinator 

Step 3: if still unresolved, direct the concern to the Assistant Principal

Together, we aim to:

• assure the safety and well-being of all students
• maintain positive and respectful relationships between families and the school
• address concerns promptly and fairly before they escalate
• ensure transparent and consistent communication

By approaching challenges in this way, we strengthen the trust between home and school, creating the best conditions for every child to thrive.

With gratitude,

Anthony Matthews

Assistant Principal