PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Mid-Term One

It’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through Term One, and what a positive start it has been. Our classrooms are well and truly settled into the routines of learning, and strong relationships between teachers and students are clearly established. Our new staff members, Silvia Torner-Bertacco (LSO), Nadia Hobart (Prep H) and Jess Mair (3M), have settled seamlessly into St Agnes’, and we could not have asked for three more invested and passionate additions to our team. Beginning in a new school can be challenging, and it is vital that staff are supported to understand how things are done here and the high expectations we hold for our students. In this regard, I am deeply grateful to our leadership team, Mrs Baker, Mrs Gorski, Mrs Phyland, Mr Otto, Mrs Law and Mrs Barton, who have ensured clear transition processes and provided thoughtful guidance to help our new staff embrace the St Agnes’ way with confidence.

While welcoming new staff is important, it is equally worth celebrating the exceptional start our Prep students have made. Each morning I enjoy walking through Mrs Barton’s and Mrs Hobart’s classrooms and sitting in on part of their reading fluency sessions or Maths learning. Under their care and guidance, our youngest learners are already flourishing academically and socially. This week marks the final Prep rest day, and we look forward to welcoming them every day, including Wednesdays, from next week. Thank you to our Prep parents for supporting this transition. The rest days not only benefit the children’s wellbeing, but also provide invaluable time for staff to complete early Literacy and Mathematics assessments.

Beginning of Lent

This fortnight marked the beginning of Lent in the Catholic tradition. We began with Shrove Tuesday, where our wonderful Parent & Friends Association cooked pancakes for our very grateful students. A heartfelt thank you to Lauren, Jenny, Pietta, Kelly, Mel, Kate and Tenille  who generously gave their time to cook and prepare pancakes on the day.

The following day we gathered for a beautiful Ash Wednesday liturgy in the church. It was a privilege to witness our Social Justice Leaders lead the service for students and families. Well done to Zara, Eddie, Ivy and Alice for the reverent and confident way they led the celebration. Thank you also to Mrs Gorski, our Religious Education Leader, for guiding the leaders and supported our whole Lent celebration last week. Our students participated with reverence and respect, making it a meaningful way to begin Lent as a faith community.

Enrolments and School Tours

Our first Open Day took place on Tuesday, and it was wonderful to welcome so many new families into our school. Our Year Six leaders did an exceptional job guiding tours, proudly sharing their experiences and the learning that takes place at St Agnes’. Families consistently commented on our students’ confidence, pride and ability to articulate what makes St Agnes’ such a special place to learn. One parent even shared how emotional she felt after the tour, reflecting on the possibility that her own child might one day grow into a student as impressive, confident and articulate as the Year Six leaders who guided her around the school.

Applications for 2027 are filling quickly, and based on the number of applications already submitted, we are extremely confident that we will have another two Prep classes in 2027, our third consecutive year. What a fantastic outcome for our community. Thank you to our families for your support and advocacy. The word of mouth of our parent community has a huge role to play in the ongoing success of our enrolments. 

If you have a child due to start Prep with us next year, please ensure your enrolment application has been submitted. Our office team is always happy to help with any questions.

Inform and Empower

Over the past fortnight, our students participated in the Inform & Empower cybersafety program, an evidence-based initiative developed by the Carly Ryan Foundation. These sessions provided age-appropriate guidance on safe online behaviour, privacy, digital footprints and recognising potential risks. Students were encouraged to think critically about their online choices and were given practical strategies to help them stay safe and act responsibly in digital environments.

Students will participate in four sessions across 2026. We also invite parents to markthe  29th July in their diaries, when the Inform & Empower team will return to deliver a parent session. In today’s increasingly connected world, building families’ knowledge and confidence in cybersafety is an essential part of supporting the wellbeing of our community.

Student Leadership in Action

Our Sports Leaders made an impressive start to their leadership journey. The day after appointments were announced, one of our leaders approached me at the gate to request a meeting. The group had prepared a proposal to run lunchtime sports activities for younger students, a wonderful initiative. They launched the program on Tuesday with junior games and activities. Well done to Charlotte, Nat, Will, Jack, Noah and Estelle. We look forward to seeing their leadership continue to grow.

Over the past two weeks, we have also awarded and celebrated our Year One to Five SRC and Mini-Vinnies leaders at assembly. It is wonderful that we can provide meaningful leadership opportunities for our younger students, helping them to develop confidence, responsibility and a spirit of service. We know Mrs Gorski and Mrs Phyland have exciting plans for these teams throughout the year. Congratulations to these students we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in 2026. We will acknowledge our Prep leaders at next week's assembly.

Student leadership plays a vital role in building a strong and positive school culture. When students are given opportunities to lead, they develop confidence, responsibility and a deeper sense of belonging within the community. Leadership roles encourage students to contribute meaningfully to school life and understand the importance of service and collaboration. We're proud of all of the leadership opportunities across the school we're able to provide to our students.

NAPLAN

In Week Seven, students in Years Three and Five will participate in the annual NAPLAN assessments. The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy provides a snapshot of student progress in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy, and helps schools understand achievement against national benchmarks. NAPLAN is only one measure of learning and is used alongside teacher judgement and classroom assessment to support each child’s growth. In recent weeks, teachers have familiarised students with the assessment format to help reduce anxiety and build confidence.

Fete Countdown

The countdown to our school fete is officially on, with just a fortnight to go! An extraordinary amount of work has already taken place behind the scenes, thanks to the dedication of our fete and stall committees. I cannot thank the fete committee enough for the countless hours they have invested. We are fortunate to have such a generous and capable group of parents leading this effort.

Please help spread the word far and wide, the more successful the day, the sooner we can move forward with our new playground. We look forward to our community coming together for what promises to be a fantastic day.

Staff Professional Learning

Thank you to parents for your support and understanding regarding our upcoming school closure days on March 5 and 6. Staff greatly value this time to work collaboratively and deepen their understanding of best practice. Our focus will be revisiting key elements of the science of learning before beginning work on developing a St Agnes’ Learner Profile, which will be introduced later this year. We look forward to sharing this journey in future newsletters.

For families requiring care, Extend will operate on March 5, and Kelly Sports will run programs on both days. Please refer to the flyer below for details. 

Leadership Mentoring

During classroom visits, I am so impressed by the visible presence of leadership coaching and mentoring our classroom teachers. A significant aspect of the roles of Mrs Baker (Deputy Principal: Teaching & Learning and English Leader), Mrs Gorski (Learning Enhancement Leader) and Mr Otto (Mathematics Leader) is guiding and refining classroom practice. Our formal coaching program, led by Amanda, commenced last week and will focus on strengthening engagement and participation norms during Reading lessons. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and present leadership team supporting staff in classrooms each day.

Playgroup

Our playgroup for kindergarten-aged children began a few weeks ago, with our second session held today. These sessions are led by our Deputy Principal, Amanda Baker. We encourage families with children starting school next year to attend, as the program greatly supports a smooth transition to school. Upcoming dates are available on our website.

Container Deposit Scheme

At this week’s assembly we announced that St Agnes’ will be taking part in the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme. This is a wonderful initiative that allows us to raise money for our school, with 10 cents donated to St Agnes’ for every eligible container returned using our school’s code. Not only will this support future school projects and resources, it also promotes environmental responsibility and sustainability within our community. We hope the bins will be delivered on Monday and we will have two clearly labelled bins at the Lucinda and Peterson Street entrances. We encourage all families to get involved by collecting and returning eligible containers to help make a real difference. Every container counts! A massive thank you to Gemma Wieloch for organising this wonderful initiative.

Welcome Picnic

Our annual Welcome Picnic took place this evening at Thomas Street Park, and it was wonderful to see so many families connecting in a relaxed setting. The beautiful weather was a welcome bonus — hopefully a sign of good things to come for our fete! Thank you to our amazing P&F Presidents, Sarah and Bree, for their organisation and coordination of the evening. The strong sense of community at St Agnes’ is one of our greatest strengths, and events like this, supported by our dedicated P&F volunteers, help it continue to flourish.

Bunnings BBQ

We would love to see as many of our families as possible pop down to Bunnings Moorabbin this Saturday. Our wonderful P&F will be running the BBQ to raise funds for our school, and every sausage helps. If you’re out and about, please drop in to say hello and show your support, we look forward to seeing you there.

Shining Stars

What a big week it has been for our Year Three students, highlighted by their wonderful assembly performance on Wednesday afternoon. It has also been fantastic to see the continued improvement in their writing. As shared in our last newsletter, we are using the Elastik platform to monitor growth and track student progress, and each week the data shows strong gains across the cohort. We are incredibly proud of their efforts. Miss Mair even showcased this progress at Tuesday’s staff meeting, and the students themselves are thrilled to see how much they are improving. Keep up the amazing work, Year Three!

Thank you for another wonderful fortnight at St Agnes’. Please note that our next newsletter was scheduled for release the day before the school fete. To allow us to properly celebrate what promises to be a fantastic day, we will now publish the next edition on Sunday 15 March.

Enjoy the shorter week and the longer weekend.

Tom.