Principal's Message

As we head into Week 5 of our last term, it feels like a steam train heading to its final station. There’s still so much to see and do. My advice to everybody is don’t forget to enjoy the ride.

At SMDP we work together as a learning community because we love seeing students succeed, grow, and connect with others. They also make us laugh. They sometimes disappoint. They also inspire us to do better. When we all believe that students can feel success, it motivates us to do our best and that little bit more. 

On my return from long service leave, I’ve looked at our school calendar with that initial feeling of being overwhelmed with what has to be done. However, if we stop, reflect and slow things down it’s important to remind ourselves to enjoy this wonderful school community that we are all part of. 

2025 Annual Tuition Fee

Next year you will see an increase in tuition fee. 

Any decision to adjust tuition fees is never made lightly, nor without careful and thorough consideration of our students’ needs and our school’s capacity to provide an education experience that supports every student to flourish. We are also cognisant of the financial pressures that many families have experienced this year.  

St Martin de Porres, too, is facing increasing costs in multiple areas of school operations, including WorkCover premiums, Child Safety compliance, risk management, teacher resources and professional learning, and higher central system costs. 

Our tuition fees at SMDP are also influenced by the Commonwealth Department of Education's Calculation of our community’s ability to financially contribute to the operating costs of our school, known as the Capacity to Contribute, or CTC, which is reviewed annually.

School funding is complex, so I have included with this letter a simple school funding “explainer” which I hope will support your understanding of how government funds Catholic (and other non-government) schools and how tuition fees support our school. 

School Funding Guide for Parents

To ensure that we can continue to deliver a personalised, high-quality education that is responsive to the diverse interests and academic, social and emotional needs of our students, it is necessary to adjust our fees and levies in 2025.

One of the significant increases is in our Capital Building Family fee. The reason being that as a growing school we need more space and classrooms. 

We are growing from 11 grades to 12 grades in 2025. 

Over the Christmas period a fancy new double portable is being delivered. It will be located where the music room is now and the music room will be moved closer to the hall. Through careful financial management we will be using school funds as well as taking out a loan through the Capital Development Fund (CDF) to pay for this.

Exciting times ahead. 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the fee increase, or wish to discuss your individual circumstances, please do not hesitate to contact me. We remain committed to keeping tuition fees as low and affordable as possible, and to working closely with our community to make this transition as smooth as possible. 

Thank you for your understanding. I am grateful for your ongoing support and trust in our school. 

Let’s enjoy the steam train journey together. 

God bless.

Dan Ryan

Principal

St Martin de Porres Primary School is committed to creating an environment where the safety, well-being, and participation of all children within our care is paramount. 

2024 - School Closure Days

Listed below are our school closure days for 2024. These are student-free days. Staff use these days to develop their learning further and keep informed with current practices and procedures. 

NOTE: These dates may be subject to change that may be outside of our control.