YEAR 8 

 Building Strong  Connections

Clare Robertson 

Head of Year 8

crobertson1@cns.catholic.edu.au 

YEAR 8 KEY INFORMATION: WEEK 4

National Day of Action Against Bullying - Kindness Pledge Wall

The National Day of Action Against Bullying is recognised on Friday in Week 4. This week in Pastoral Group, Year 8 students will cut up pledge cards and create sentence starters to promote kind actions in our community that take a stance against bullying. These cards will be displayed on the concourse on Friday on a ‘kindness pledge wall’, led by our student leaders. I look forward to seeing the Year 8’s proudly promoting this important message throughout the week, which supports our College Guiding Principles of empathy and dialogue.

Connecting with Families

I look forward to meeting families at the upcoming Year 8 Parent Information Evening on Tuesday, 17 February from 5:30–6:30 pm. Key information around the aims and goals for the Year 8 cohort, as well as important dates and events for the year, will be shared. 

Reminder - Student Preparedness for Class

As our Year 8 students settle into the daily routine of school, it is important that they are arriving to class prepared - this includes having a charged laptop, writing book, diary and pencil case, as well as any relevant textbooks. Please discuss with your child the importance of being prepared for class, so that learning time can be maximised, and strong, work-ready habits can be developed. 

Extracurricular Spotlight - Chess Club

Chess Club - held every Tuesday at second lunch in the Library Create Room. Boost your brainpower, have some fun, make new friends, and stay cool in the air conditioning! 

Year 8 Information Evening

Tuesday, 17 February 2026 (Week 4), 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

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 ongoing; trial dates and paperwork links are below.

2026 TCS Sports Calendar

Peninsula School Sport Permission Booklet

WHOLE-OF-COLLEGE NOTICES

Introducing our Heads of Departments 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 the 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 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 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.

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) 

lmcbryde@cns.catholic.edu.au

On behalf of the College Leadership Team

College Leadership Team

College Pastoral Team