Principal Report

Sacraments

Over the past week, we have had the privilege of celebrating two very special moments in the faith life of our students and school community.

Last Thursday evening, our Year 6 students celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation. On Tuesday, our Year 3 students celebrated the Sacrament of First Reconciliation. Both were wonderful celebrations of faith, prayer and community, and important milestones for our students and their families.

A sincere thank you to our Year 6 and Year 3 teaching teams for preparing the students so well. Thank you also to Father Martin for guiding us in faith, to Ed Simpson, our Religious Education Leader, and to the many staff and families who supported these celebrations.

A real highlight of the Confirmation Mass was the beautiful homily from Father Andrew. He reminded the candidates to make good use of the gifts they have been given through the Holy Spirit. He spoke about how faith is not just about the beginning or the end, but about what we do in between. He encouraged our students to be the people who step up for others, choose kindness, include those who may feel left out, and use their gifts to make a positive difference.

We are very proud of our students and congratulate them on these important steps in their faith journey.

Lightning Premiership - Soccer

Congratulations to our students who represented St Mary’s at the Lightning Premiership Soccer tournament.

This is a representative level competition for our school, and both our girls and boys teams competed with great effort, teamwork and pride throughout the day.

A special congratulations to our boys team, who took out the championship with a win over St Joan of Arc in the Grand Final. This was a fantastic achievement and a great reward for the way they played across the tournament.

We are very proud of all students who represented our school so well.

Thank you to Mr Douglas, Mrs O’Sullivan and Mr Trower for supporting the students on the day.

School Closure Days - Staff Retreat

A reminder that the school will be closed this Thursday 5th June and Friday 6th June, as staff will be attending our Staff Retreat.

The retreat is an important time for staff professional development, reflection and connection. This year, our focus will be on wellbeing and faith development, giving staff the opportunity to pause, reflect and spend meaningful time together as a team.

We look forward to returning refreshed and ready for the remainder of the term.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Teaching & Learning Update

I encourage all families to head over to the Teaching & Learning page for this week’s update.

Each week, we will be sharing different parts of our teaching and learning program to give parents a clearer insight into what we do in the classroom and why we do it.

Teaching and learning is our core purpose as a school, and it is something we are very proud of at St Mary’s. These updates will help families better understand the programs, routines and approaches that support student learning across the school. Over the coming weeks we will be sharing some data that supports the great things we are doing in this space. 

P&F Annual Fundraiser

A big thank you to all the parents and friends who attended our P&F Trivia Night. It was a fantastic evening and a great chance for our families to come together, connect socially and enjoy a fun night as a school community.

A special thank you to Sarah K for coordinating the event, with the support of many others, including our amazing Prep P&F reps, Rushani, Lauren and Amanda. A lot of work goes into making these events happen, and we are very grateful for the time, energy and effort given by so many people.

Congratulations to Team Prep for taking out the title on the night!

Funds raised from the night will go directly back to supporting the students at school.

Thank you again to everyone who came along and supported the evening.

Garden Maintainance

On the weekend, a group of parents generously gave up their time to help with some gardening and maintenance around the school.

A big thank you to John M, Alex M, Peter F, Milla and Tim A for coming in to trim trees, tidy garden areas and help care for our school spaces.

The school is looking fantastic, and their work has made a huge difference.

We are very grateful for the time, effort and care they have given to our school community.

Hampton Rotary & Melbourne University

On Saturday, we were pleased to support Hampton Rotary with their Preschool Screening Project by hosting the program here at St Mary’s.

The day provided valuable hearing and physiotherapy screening for young children in the Bayside area, while also giving Melbourne University students an important opportunity to learn and work with young children.

In total, 46 children were screened on the day.

We are very grateful to Hampton Rotary for the work they do in our local community and were pleased to be able to support such a worthwhile project.

Teeth of Wheels

Information about Teeth of Wheels will be coming home today. This is an optional service for families to access. 

After School Golf