YEAR 7
Starting Well
Narelle Brooke
Head of Year 7
YEAR 7 KEY INFORMATION: WEEK 4
Year 7 Welcome Evening
It was wonderful to see so many families in attendance at the Year 7 Welcome Evening on Thursday. The conversations and connections with pastoral mentors, subject teachers, and student support services are essential to fostering positive partnerships that ultimately lead to student success.
Please see the below link to the Pastoral Mentor presentation.
Big Night Out
Our Year 11 Mentors will host the Year 7 Big Night Out on Thursday, 26 February 2026 (Week 5), from 6.00 pm to 8.30 pm. A highlight of the Year 7 Pastoral Program, the evening will be filled with socialising, dancing, games, a BBQ dinner, and plenty of fun!
Students will be encouraged to dress to the ‘Country and Western’ theme!
Permission slips to register attendance will be sent via EdSmart.
We look forward to giving all our ‘cowgirls and cowboys’ a big ‘Yee-hah’ on the night!
Personal Belongings
Care and respect for our personal belongings is becoming an issue in the Year 7 lunch area and around the lockers. Students have been reminded of the following expectations to ensure respect for our environment and the safety of all students in the walkways.
- When not in use, school bags should be zipped up and stored on top or under lockers or on nearby port racks.
- Lunch bags and drink bottles should be either in school bags or lockers. Students should not leave lunch bags out on the tables between recess and lunch.
- Mobile phones must be secured in students' lockers, not kept in school bags.
Laptop bags should be secured in lockers during recess and lunch times.
Please have a conversation with your child about being responsible for their personal
belongings and ensure all equipment is clearly labelled with their name.
National Day of Action Against Bullying
The National Day of Action Against Bullying is recognised on Friday, Week 4. Students across all year levels will participate in targeted lessons during SEL lessons, and activities supporting the day will take place throughout the school on Friday. I look forward to seeing the Year 7 students participating in activities that promote this important message throughout the week, which supports our College Guiding Principles of empathy and dialogue.
UNIFORM SCHEDULE: WEEK B
Sport Information - Week 4
It’s been another exciting week in sport at St Mary’s College.
We always love to hear about students' sporting achievements throughout the year. If you are comfortable in sharing your students' outstanding achievements, please email the details to SMW.Sport@cns.catholic.edu.au.
This week, we congratulate Darcy O from Year 9 on his success at the Australian Open Water Championships in Bunbury, Western Australia. Darcy placed 3rd in the 18 & under 2.5km race and 19th in the 14 & 15 years 5km race. He is now ranked 17th nationally and 4th in the state. Congratulations, Darcy - we are very proud of your achievements!
TCS trials are continuing, trial dates and paperwork links can be found below.
Peninsula School Sport Permission Booklet
WHOLE-OF-COLLEGE NOTICES
Introducing our Heads of Department across the College!
Our Heads of Department are knowledgeable about curriculum and classroom learning for specific subjects. Parents are encouraged to contact the Heads of Department for all engagement, learning, and subject-related questions and concerns. The staff listed below are available via email and phone to the College and look forward to meeting you throughout the year.
Assessment Calendars
Students have been emailed a copy of the Term 1 Assessment Planners. These are available to parents via the Parent Portal.
Student Early Departure Reminder
If you need to collect your child/ren early from school, please note the following:
- Provide the office with adequate advance notice via the MyCE app, Parent Portal, email or phone.
- Advise your child's name, the date and time of collection, and reason for leaving.
- Students must present themselves to the front office to sign out before leaving.
- Parents/carers are required to collect their child from the Front Office to ensure we meet our duty of care obligations.
Thursday Early Finish Procedure
Students must remain in the Library until they are collected from the College on Thursdays, with a 1:45 pm finish time, if they cannot be collected before 3:00 pm. This ensures students are supervised appropriately. Students are not to leave the College and return at any time, or access other areas of the College.
Riding to School
We ask parents to support the College in reminding their child to meet the following College expectations when riding to and from the College:
- Wear a helmet (required by law)
- Walk bike/e-scooter in and out of the College grounds using the designated bike path
- Lock bike/e-scooter in the designated bike racks (unlocked bikes/e-scooters are parked at the student's risk)
- Only 1 student per bike/e-scooter
School Photos
Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 February 2026
Families are asked to ensure students wear their best formal uniforms for this event
The Uniform Shop
The new sports polos have arrived for students who were waiting. Parents are asked to bring their child's old St Mary's sports polo to change over at no additional expense.
The Uniform Shop will be closed on Monday, 16 February and Friday, 20 February 2026.
The Tuckshop
We have had a significant increase in online orders. We apologise to the students who experienced long wait times today. We will make adjustments before next Friday to ensure a smoother process. We are also continuing to work through some issues with My School Connect.
It would be extremely helpful if parents could clearly communicate with their child about what has been ordered and whether it is for first or second break. This will save a considerable amount of time trying to locate orders to ensure students receive their lunch on time.
Thank you for your understanding and support as we refine this process.
Commemoration Mass and Morning Tea
Sunday, March 8 2026, 10:00 am
We warmly invite you to join us for St Mary's Catholic College Commemoration Mass. This special occasion marks 40 years since the commemoration of the opening of the College. Following Mass, morning tea will be provided.
Please register via the following link: https://www.trybooking.com/DIYHJ
College Key Dates
Please note that all key dates are listed in the College Calendar. This can be accessed via the MyCE Parent App and synced with your personal calendar.
| Event | Date | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Ash Wednesday | Wednesday, 18 February | Term 1 |
| Swimming Carnival | Tuesday, 3 March | Term 1 |
| Commemoration Mass & Morning Tea | Sunday, 8 March | Term 1 |
| Cross Country | Wednesday, 1 April | Term 1 |
Parish Support - Our Lady Help of Christians
Dear Parents and Carers, your children attend school within our parish boundaries, and we warmly welcome your support. You can be a volunteer and/or contribute to the parish financially (one-off or regular donations).
Our banking details are provided below:
Earlville Parish Account
BSB: 084352
Account number: 000004441
Reference: Surname and initials of first name(s).
Please contact the parish office if you have any questions.
Thank you for your support, Fr. Nathan.
COLLEGE WEBSITE - For the latest information and guidance relevant to both staff and families, please refer regularly to our St Mary's Catholic College Website.
Leah McBryde
Assistant Principal
Junior Secondary (Years 7 to 9)
On behalf of the College Leadership Team
College Leadership Team
College Pastoral Team
