Principal News
Welcome to Term 4
Welcome back to Term 4! It’s hard to believe we’re already in the final stretch of the year! This term is always a special one, filled with celebrations, learning, and community events. We start off with the school disco tonight, followed by the Art Show and the P&F Fundraiser, three great opportunities to come together as a school community.
Today we had four students represent St Mary’s and the Dendy District at the Beachside Athletics Carnival. We are very proud of Zac, Koby and Mila (Year 5) and Lachie D (Year 4) for their efforts in advancing this far. We will update the community in next week’s newsletter with their results.
Our Year 5/6 students have begun their sailing program down at Sandringham, and the Year 4s are getting ready for their PGL Campaspe Downs camp, which is always a highlight. We’ll also be welcoming our 2026 Prep students for their orientation sessions, an exciting milestone as they take their first steps into school life.
At the same time, we begin to farewell our wonderful Year 6s as they prepare to move on to secondary school — a bittersweet moment for everyone. In between all of this, there will be lots of great learning, teamwork, and fun happening across every classroom. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic finish to the year!
WE NEED YOU..... Art Show Helpers!
We are seeking some volunteers next Monday or Tuesday to help display items around the school for the Art Show! Any help would be greatly appreciated at the times below - coffee included!
Please use the form link to sign up for one of the following times:
Art Show
We’re looking forward to our Art Show next Thursday, 16th October, always one of the highlights of the school year! This year’s theme is “Belonging,” celebrating the connections, friendships, and sense of community that make St Mary’s such a special place.
Tickets can be purchased HERE.
A huge thank you to Mrs Daliah McLoughney for the exceptional amount of work she has put into bringing this event together — it’s going to be a fantastic evening! There will be an ice cream van onsite, and our wonderful staff will be cooking up a BBQ. You can also enjoy auctions, games, and plenty of fun activities throughout the night.
Please bring cash to support the different stalls and activities. If you’re grabbing something to eat, Square payments will also be available.
BBQ Prices:
Sausages – $3
Hamburgers – $5
Drinks – $2
P&F Fundrasier
Don’t miss out — our Annual P&F Fundraiser is just around the corner! For full details and to book your tickets, head to this TryBooking page:
https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1470986.
It’s going to be a wonderful evening of community spirit, fun, food, auctions and games — a perfect chance to support our school and enjoy time together.
Grandparents & Grandfriends Day
We’re excited to celebrate Grandparents and Grandfriends Day on Friday 17th October. The morning will begin with Mass at 9:00am, followed by classroom visits and activities. It’s always a wonderful opportunity to share the joy of learning and show appreciation for the special people in our students’ lives.
For visitors of our Year 5/6 students, we encourage families to head over to Dendy Park after Mass to cheer them on at the Cricket Gala Day. Grandparents are also invited to enjoy the Art Show displays, which will remain up from the evening before.
Fun Fit Fridays!
Fun Fit Fridays (Running club) will commence in Week 3;. All parents are welcome to attend. Meet at Blue basketball court for 8am departure to the beach.
Welcome Mrs Bec Hampton
We’re very pleased to welcome Bec Hampton to St Mary’s! Bec will be teaching Performing Arts this term and in Term 1, 2026, while Veronica del Castillo is on leave. We’re very lucky to have someone with Bec’s experience and enthusiasm joining our team, and we know our students will love working with her.
New Students
This week we’re excited to welcome Amira (Year 3) and Alexander (Year 4), along with their families, to the St Mary’s community. We hope you’ve had a wonderful start and are already feeling at home. It’s great to have you with us!
Farewell
Today we say farewell to Ashton, who is moving overseas to London with his family. We will miss Ashton and his family dearly — they have been a special part of our St Mary’s community. We wish them all the very best for this exciting new adventure and hope they stay in touch!
Exciting Staff News!
We have some very exciting news to share from the St Mary’s staffroom! 💫
Firstly, Mrs Anna Mannion is expecting her second child, due to arrive in early 2026. We’re thrilled for Anna, Jake and her family — be sure to give her lots of love and congratulations over the coming weeks!
We’re also delighted to share that two of our staff members got engaged over the school holidays — congratulations to Ed Simpson and his partner Em, and to Annie Walker and her partner Nick. Such wonderful news all round — we couldn’t be happier for them!
Thanks
Steele