Principals News

Dear Parents,

This will be the final newsletter for 2024. It is hard to comprehend that we only have 7 days left of the school year. This year has flown by! For me, the highlight of the year has been the community events where the students, families and staff have come together such as the School Production, our gatherings for Mother’s and Father’s Day, Swimming Sports and Grandparent’s Day. 

Next week the school will be showcased again with the School Carols on Monday night, commencing at 6:00 pm. Children are invited to  wear Christmas colours on the evening to get into the festive spirit. The Carols will start with the Prep children performing a Nativity reenactment, followed by each year level contributing to the event with some of our favourite carols. On Monday, all children should be in their classrooms by 5:45 pm for a 6:00 pm show start. Parents are welcome to bring a chair or rug to sit on. Former St Mary’s student Charlie Clarkson and his friend Paige will provide us with some pre-show entertainment from 5:30 pm.

Our final event for the year will be the End of Year and Graduation Liturgy on Friday 13th December at 6:00pm. All children are expected to attend this event as many of the year levels have a part in the liturgy. All children are to wear their full summer uniform. This liturgy will see our year 6 children graduate from St Mary’s as well the school community coming together to celebrate the 2024 school year.

I must say that I really enjoyed my time here at St Mary’s this year. It has been great to get to know the children, parents and staff. I must say how impressed I have been by the dedication of the staff and their care for the children and families. The staff have welcomed me and have been a great support throughout the year. I know the school will be in great hands next year and beyond with Steele Anderson taking over the principalship of St Mary’s. He has already been so impressed with the leadership team and the skill set they bring to the school. Having worked with them this year I know that the school has a tremendous leadership team who will do great things going forward supported by the school community. 

I would like to thank all the families who have assisted in the school this year. We are very lucky to have such a committed group of parents who work tirelessly around the school to improve the conditions for the children here at St. Mary’s. I am truly amazed at the amount of support the school has received each year from the parent community. 

This year will be the last year at St. Mary’s for many of our Year 6 families. Some families have been here a short while and others have been part of our school community for many years. Over the years, many of the departing families have made significant contributions to the school. For all the families who are leaving, I would like to thank them for their contribution and hope that they are able to leave with positive memories of their time here at St. Mary’s. We wish you all the best in the future.

I extend my personal wishes to all, this Christmas time. May it be a time of renewal and regeneration, as we pause for a moment to focus on the true meaning of the holiday season. I hope that it is a time of deep personal and spiritual reflection and energising, as we ponder the Advent of Jesus some two thousand years ago. In today’s busy world, we can sometimes forget why we celebrate Christmas.

As we enter the last week of the school year, I would also like to acknowledge the magnificent efforts of our staff this year. Our teachers hold the key to our children's growing self-esteem and visions of future possibilities for learning through their commitment, knowledge and skills. I commend them for translating the passion they have into action. Their level of professionalism is amazing and they deserve a well-earned holiday.

Staffing for 2025

Below is the list of staff for 2025. There will be a number of changes for 2025. The following are the changes:

Departures:

• Kelly Moxon: Kelly has accepted a classroom position at St John Vinany’s Mulgrave. Kelly has been employed for 19 years at St Mary’s in a range of classroom and leadership roles making a significant impact on the children she has taught and also in her many leadership roles which have had an impact on the teaching and learning in the school. We wish Kelly all the best in her new role and thank her for her contribution to St Mary’s.
• Catherine Wensley: Catherine has accepted the new leadership role of Literacy Leader at St Paul’s Bentleigh. Catherine has been employed at St Mary’s since 2016 as both a classroom teacher and in recent years as Literacy Leader. Catherine has been instrumental in implementing changes in the English program. We wish Catherine all the best with her new role. 
• Max Reid: Max has been employed at St Mary’s since 2018 teaching mainly in the senior school and in recent times being the ICT leader. Max and his wife are expecting their second baby in the school holidays so have made the decision to relocate to Geelong where his wife’s family live so they have a support network for their expanding family. We wish Max all the best with his new teaching position closer to his new home. 
• Grace Santoro: Grace has been employed at St Mary’s in 2024 and will next year travel and undertake some emergency teaching. I thank Grace for her contribution to her Year 4 class in 2024. We wish Grace all the best with her travels. 
• Shellby Dale: Shellby will be leaving St Mary's after completing her graduate year of teaching in 2024. Shellby will be also travelling and undertaking some emergency teaching until she heads overseas. We wish Shellby all the best with her travel and her teaching career.
• Claire Robinson: Claire Robinson has been employed as a Learning Support Officer at St Mary’s for the past three years working with a range of children throughout the school. Claire has accepted a position at Kilbreda College for 2025. Claire has had wonderful relationships with the children she has worked with and we wish her all the best at Kilbreda. 
• Tayla Kent: Tayla has been employed for the past four years at St Mary’s as a Learning Support Officer working with a number of children throughout the school.  Tayla has decided to travel next year with the possibility of working at Camp America or a similar organization overseas. We wish Tayla all the best with her travels. 

New Arrivals:

• Daniella Cortese: Daniella has been teaching at St John Vianney, Parkdale over the past three years teaching both in the junior and senior school. Daniella will teach Year 5 in 2025 and I know our school community will welcome her to St Mary’s. 
• Fergal McGeough: Fergal is an experienced teacher from Ireland teaching different levels over his time as a teacher. Fergel will be employed to teach Year 3 in 2025. Fergal will bring a positive energy to the school and classroom and once again I know that our school community will make Fergal feel at home even though he is so far from home.

Welcome Back:

• Anna Rose Semmel (formerly Mannion) and Vanessa Gooden will return to St Mary’s after being on Family Leave. Both Anna and Vanessa will work three days a week in job-share positions.

Many of the classrooms will be supported by Learning Support Officers and these positions will be finalised before the end of the school year.

2025 Staffing 

The children will find out their classroom teacher on Monday 16th December when they have an orientation session with their new teacher and class from 9:00-11:00 am.

The same extra-curricular programs in 2024 will continue in 2025 - Physical Education, Visual Arts, Mandarin and Performing Arts. The children will also be able to have instrumental music lessons through ABC Music.

School Lapathon

Congratulations to all the children who took part in the school lapathon. The event raised approximately $10 000 which was a great result and I thank Sam Sullivan and all the parents who assisted on the day. The following are the prize winners:

• The class that raised the most money - 1CW
• Year Prep – 2 students who raised the most money - William R and Meave C Year 1 
• Year 3 – 6 student who raised the most money- Jack C and Ellie B Year 3

School Camps

The Year 4 children are have had a wonderful time away at Camp Campaspe Downs experiencing great camp weather. The Year 4 children spent two nights away and returned to school today. The Year 3 children will head off to Sovereign Hill next Wednesday and return on Thursday afternoon. Hopefully the weather is as kind to the Year 3 children. Thank you to the staff who have given up time with their loved ones to accompany the children on camp.

Returning of Library Books and Class Readers

All school books including class readers and library books should be returned to school this week. Could all parents please check for any school books still at home and return them to school as soon as possible.

Tony McMahon

Principal