A message from Denis

Dear Parents and Carers,

A very warm welcome back to our wonderful students and community.  It has been a great start to Term 3; calm, smooth and productive.  It was lovely to see the smiling faces of our students as they returned for Semester 2 of 2025.

I hope you all enjoyed a restful holiday break with lots of quality family time.  The Johnstone’s had some great days out including Melbourne and Werribee Zoo.  The Elephant enclosure was as impressive, maybe more so, on our second visit.  We got to see up close the magnificence of an elephant family group who seemed quite interested in checking us out, not 5 meters from where we stood.  We also enjoyed Light Scape in the Botanical gardens, where our beautiful Melbourne Botanical Gardens was transformed by talented artists into a colourful and dreamlike wonderland.  I would recommend it if you have not been, and even if you have.  We will be back again next year.

All in all, it was great to try and stay off emails (mostly) and spend time with the family.  Hendrix and Zadie got put to good work in helping me organise St Mary’s after the build concluded at the end of term 3, moving furniture and helping me organise the new spaces.  Snickers got multiple walks a day, lucky dog, didn’t seem to calm him down much however, that will take time!

Administration Wing Open

If you have needed to visit the school office you would have experienced our beautiful new entrance and reception space.  The admin team are loving being in the new space and it has provided a welcoming space for our community and visitors alike, showcasing St Mary, our patron saint as one enters our school.

I am (as are our teachers) grateful to have a school that is free from construction, and I am loving being back amongst our students and staff, not stuck in the broom closet at the end of the hall!

We will have an official opening and blessing by Father Desmond on Tuesday 12th August at 10:30 am that we will live stream via Google Meet.  We invite you to join us online as our SRC and Student Leaders accompany Father Desmond in officially opening and blessing our Roseberry Street buildings.

Coaching @ St Mary’s

On the first day of Term 3 our team of educators was engaged in a terrific day of Professional Learning on Coaching as a way of being and practice to improve our capacity as educators.  The day was led by Katrina Bourke and our own SMAV Coaching Team who been honing their practice in the background.  It was a day filled with reflection, goal setting and action planning on how we can grow as educators in St Mary’s.

I look forward to the positive impact this initiative can have on our students and school community, continuing to drive improvement at our school.

St Bernard’s and St Columbas Musical - Newsies

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the St Bernard's and St Columba's musical for 2025 - Newsies.  I was blown away by the level of talent and dedication of the young performers.  It was truly impressive to see the production come to life and the staff and students of the two schools are to be commended for their efforts.  

This year I witnessed 5 past students from other local Catholic primary schools that I have worked at shine on stage, including two of our own, Olivia and Sophia Knox from St Mary’s last year.

SRC 2025 

A big thank you to our outgoing SRC representatives for Semester 1 2025, we hope you have enjoyed your journey into leadership.  Today, at assembly we welcomed our 2025 Semester 2 SRC representatives, we look forward to working with you over the next half year and bringing your improvement ideas to life at St Mary’s.

Be The Light

My Be the Light example from this week comes from the staff of St Mary’s.  They are incredibly dedicated, hard working and passionate about teaching the students of St Mary’s.  They are the light for your children when things get tricky and illuminate the way toward new learning and growth each day.  I thank our staff for their willingness to give new initiatives a go, always, and for their dedication to making our school the best place for our students to learn and grow.  Keep shining your light.

Stay safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected,

Denis Johnstone

Principal