This is the final newsletter for 2023 and I hope that you are finding some peace and quiet amid the rush to sit with your Advent thoughts. We need to make time for ourselves as we move towards Christmas to think about the real reason why we have this wonderful festival.

What is the meaning of the Christmas story?

For me it is a story about generosity and giving.

As the end of the year gets closer I would like to thank various people and groups for the generosity that they have given throughout 2023.

Firstly, thank you to our school community. Thank you to all who have supported the school this year. Many of you volunteer your time and energy but all of you support us by sending your children here each day, ready to learn in so many ways. Your support is what makes this a great place to be. Our thanks for every action, big or small, you have all helped to build our community.

We wish all our wonderful staff a very happy Christmas and thank them for their generosity in their roles every day. I am so proud to be part of a staff that puts your children first each day. Sadly, we say goodbye to Jess and we wish her luck with the arrival of her new baby.

Farewell to all our Yr 6 students and for those who have no siblings following them, we wish their families all the very best for the future. We hope you always hold a special place in your hearts for St. Martin de Porres. They have been an outstanding group of leaders this year. They have brought ‘joy’ into our school with their enthusiasm, innovation and role modeling the SMDP way each day.

To the students who are not in Yr 6, but are moving schools, we also send our good wishes.

Finally, a genuine thank you to all our students, as they are the reason we are here. We thank them for making St. Martin de Porres a special place and ask God to bless them and keep them safe over these holidays. We look forward to seeing them refreshed and re-energized for the start of 2024.

Introducing our 2024 Staff Structures

Next year we only have a few staff changes.

Stella is moving into a Teacher Enhancement and mentoring role, supporting the 3/4 area. She will be working Monday to Thursday.

We welcome Ally Dillon who will be our new Prep Teacher as Lauren moves to the 3/4 level.

Andrea J has moved back to the 1/2 year level who will job share with Andrea F.

Finally, we welcome Chris Braithwaite as a new Learning Support Officer.

CLASS	STAFF
PA	Ally Dillon
PN	Nell Denny
1/2C	Caoimhe O'Neill
1/2S	Sarah Dolan
1/2A	Andrea Jensen (Mon - Wed) Andrea Fernandes (Thurs - Fri)
Classroom Support 1/2 Teacher	Emily Wong
3/4S	Shaun Lenaghan
3/4O	Olivia Davis
3/4L	Lauren Middlebrook
Learning Enhancement 3/4 Teacher	Stella Lentini
5/6K	Kathryn Evans
5/6N	Nicole Bosman
5/6S	Simone Whitehead (Mon - Thurs) Nick Woodgate (Fri)
Learning Enhancement 5/6 Teacher	Julie Barbey

Our 2023 Specialist Programs

ROLE	STAFF
Visual Arts	Jan-Maree Farrugia
Physical Education	Nick Woodgate
LOTE (Japanese) & Music	Jane Padden
Sustainability	Julie Barbey
STEM	Lucas Mangani
Literacy Intervention	Marlene van der Merwe
Learning Support Officers	Alison Fisher Kerrie Hartman Fenina Reataza Rebecca Ketsakidis Chris Braithwaite
Library Officer	Fenina Reataza
Business Manager	Debbie Di Genova
Admin Officer	Rexi Ninan

Next year our Leadership positions will be made up of:

ROLE	STAFF
Principal	Dan Ryan
Deputy Principal / Learning & Teaching Leader	Denise Kelly
Deputy Principal / Literacy & Numeracy Leader	Elise Coghlan
Learning Diversity Leader	Chiara Genovese
Religious Education / Digital Technology Leader	Lucas Mangani
Student Wellbeing Leader	Kathy Blythe
Family Engagement Leader	Simone Whitehead

Have a safe and peaceful Christmas. Once again thank you for your generosity, I hope time with friends and families brings joy and your homes are full of love and laughter.

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.

IMPORTANT 2024 CHANGE OF END OF DAY TIME

During mid 2023, the new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) was introduced into all Catholic Schools in Victoria.

One of the outcomes was addressing teacher work hours, face to face teaching, and class focus time in the 38 hour week. To make this work at SMDP and manage these time changes we have to change the time our school day finishes.

In 2024, our students will be dismissed at 3:15 instead of 3:20.

Our end of day system will be in place. Parents will collect their children at 3:15 from the yard or our pick up drive through area.

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.

DATE	FOCUS
Friday 2nd February	Staff Professional Learning Day
Tuesday 12th March	Literacy Professional Learning
Friday 26th April	Staff Professional Practice Day
Friday 28th June	Learning Conversation
Monday 4th November	Report Preparation and Writing Day

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

Good Bye to YR 6