Principal's News

Dear Families,

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), our governing body, has updated our attendance policy. We are now required to follow up unexplained absences more comprehensively than previously. We have always been legally required to collect reasons for student absences, on the day of the absence, hence we send a notification via SMS to parents for unexplained absences. We are now required to take further steps to follow up any unexplained absence. I will outline the steps below:

If a child is absent from school and no reason has been given - the school must attempt to find out the reason for the absence on the day of the absence by:

1. Sending an electronic message asking the parent to contact the school and provide the reason for the absence. If no reason is then communicated in a timely manner the school must then:
2. Phone the parents. If the school cannot get hold of the parents we must then:
3.  Phone the emergency contacts for that child. If we cannot get hold of the emergency contacts or the emergency contacts do not know why the child is absent we must then:
4. Contact the police and ask them to do a welfare check.

To streamline this process and certainly to avoid us having to contact the police, we would very much appreciate parents contacting the school when their child is going to be away. If your child is going to be away multiple days then we must be notified of the number of days the child will be away in the initial contact or be contacted each day the child is away. We are not permitted to assume that a child is sick on multiple days if we have not been explicitly informed that the child will be away for more than one day. e.g. If you phone the office and say "My child is sick today and will not be in". and then your child does not come to school the following day as well - you need to contact us again. If you phone and say "My child is sick and will not be at school for three days." then you only need to contact us once for the three day's absence.

To ensure that we have accurate and up to date information, we are altering the way we ask parents to notify us of any student absence. There will only be three ways that student absences can be recorded:

1. Via email to the office email: office@smdingley.catholic.edu.au
2. Via phone call to the office on 9262 2000
3. On the Nforma portal

Please do not send notification of absences to individual teacher emails or via SeeSaw.

Thanks for your support to ensure our absence process operates smoothly and that our child safe practices are fully implemented.

 Term 2 commences on Monday 20th April at 8.50 a.m.

We wish everyone a happy and holy Easter and a safe holiday.

Please see the RE section of the newsletter for the St Mark's Holy Week and Easter Liturgy times.

Staffing News:

I am writing to let you know that Mrs Natasha Marshall will be leaving St Mark's at the end of Week 2 in Term 2, 2026. We are very sad to be losing Tash, however she has secured a position at Endeavour Hills Special School - a role she has been considering for some time now, and one that has grown to be an area of passion for her over the years.

We will farewell Tash at a short assembly on Friday 24th April, immediately after our St Mark's Feast Day Mass. You would all be very welcome to come along to the Mass and assembly if you are available to help us farewell Tash and thank her for her many years of service to the St Mark's community.

PA News:

It is wonderful to be able to share with you some updates to our PA and the welcoming of new members to our PA committee in some key roles. We warmly welcome Melissa Harder as the new President of the PA, Christina Panayi as the Vice President and Kathy Costa as the Treasurer. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Lauren, and Roslyn in their roles on the exec committee for all the amazing work they do.

Current Committee:

President - Mel Harder

Vice President - Christina Panayi

Secretary - Lauren Williams (continuing)

Treasurer - Kathy Costa

Marketing - Roslyn Crosswell (continuing)

We also need to say an enormous THANK-YOU to our outgoing office bearers Frank, Cassie and Jo who have held the key roles of President, Vice President and Treasurer for many years and worked tirelessly to support and bring together our St Mark's community. The wonderful thing is that Cassie, Jo and Frank will continue to work with the PA to support Mel, Kathy and Christina in their new roles and ensure a smooth transition. 

I urge everyone in our community to support the work of the PA and engage in upcoming events that are planned to engage with the wider community and to continue the great work of this committee.

Before School - Child Safety Routines:

At St Mark's we have many routines in place that help us to ensure our children are safe. Many of our routines rely on our parents and family members working with us to ensure the safety of all children. Please remember that our school does not open until 8.30 a.m. each morning. Children should not be left at the gates prior to 8.30 a.m. unattended or come onto the school grounds. Once staff members come out to the Dimar Court and church gates to do before school duty at 8.30 a.m., children are then permitted to come into the school grounds and wait near their own classroom door where they can chat to their classmates prior to the doors opening. Year 5/6 students are asked to wait in the undercover area outside the 5/6 building. We need to be very clear that this is not a playing time. Children cannot play ball games or chasing games anywhere in the school at this time or be anywhere on any of the playgrounds. The time between 8.30 a.m. and 8.40 a.m. (when the class doors open), is a time for children to chat with their classmates without using play as the basis for the interaction. It is a different way of connecting and helps to ensure child safety whilst encouraging children to interact with classmates they may not have played with before, thus allowing new connections to grow and flourish, whilst being safe. We ask for the support of all parents/carers to implement our morning safety routines.

MACS Survey:

Families are invited to participate in a survey focused on school choice and their experience as a MACS family. It explores what influences families’ decisions, what they value most, and what supports satisfaction, belonging and confidence at different stages of schooling.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MACSFAMILY 

School Advisory Council

We are still looking for some new members for our School Advisory Council for 2026. The group will meet 6 more times this year on a Tuesday evening at 7.30 p.m. The role of the School Advisory Council, in keeping with the objectives of the MACS Constitution, is to provide a crucial point of connection between the wider school community, the parish and our school leaders. If you are interested in joining the group please contact Frances on 9262 2000 or email: principal@smdingley.catholic.edu.au 

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday 19th May at 7.30 p.m. in the staffroom. This meeting will be our AGM.

2027 Enrolments and School Tour Dates:

If you have a child starting school in 2027 please do not delay in submitting your enrolment via our online system, accessible on our website. We have enrolments coming in thick and fast for 2027 and want to ensure we are well aware of all our current families who have children starting next year, before we offer places to new families.

Our school tour dates for 2026 have already been very popular and many of our school tour dates are almost full. Please share these dates with anyone you know who has a child starting prep in 2027 and invite them to book in for a tour by visiting our website.

28th April 9.15 a.m.

4th May 9.15 a.m.

14th May 9.15 a.m.

The Orange Door

Our school cares about the safety and wellbeing of our students and their families.  

Sometimes things at home or in a relationship are not OK or families can be worried about the wellbeing of their children or young people. 

The Orange Door can help you to get the support you need, quickly and easily. It’s free and you don’t need a referral. 

The Orange Door can help families. They provide support for concerns with parenting, relationships, and family violence. 

The Orange Door is a free intake and assessment service for: 

•  families requiring support for their child or young person’s wellbeing or development 

•  families needing parenting support 

•  young, isolated, or unsupported families 

•  individuals and families experiencing family violence

•  adults using family violence

•  young people using violence in the home. 

If you contact The Orange Door, they can help by: 

•  working with you to identify the help and support you need 

•  supporting you with the wellbeing and development of your child or young person 

•  helping you make a safety plan if someone is making you feel unsafe 

•  connecting you to services that can help like counselling, accommodation, mental    health and drug and alcohol services, parenting support groups, services for children,  financial help, or legal assistance 

•  supporting you to access funding for basic living expenses and some other costs 

•  supporting you to change abusive or controlling behaviour.

Each Orange Door location across Victoria has their own phone number and email. Students and their families can also visit their local Orange Door in person for support, Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm for support. No appointment is needed. 

To find your local service, see: Support near you | orangedoor.vic.gov.au 

How schools connect with The Orange Door

Our school might talk to a student and/or their family about The Orange Door.  We might encourage them to contact their local Orange Door to get advice and help if needed. 

Ideally, a student and/or their family will get in touch with The Orange Door to seek advice and support. 

Sometimes, schools might make a referral to The Orange Door without the student or their family’s knowledge or consent.  Schools will do this if: 

•  informing a student and/or family increases the risk to their safety or wellbeing 

•  not linking a student to support increases the risk of their safety and wellbeing.