Mrs Ryan's Fortnightly Reflections

Catholic Education Week – wow, wow, wow! This week is one of my favourite times on the school calendar. It allows me to reflect on how and why I love my job and to look back on the lifelong impacts Catholic education has had on my journey. This week, I am so grateful for the community I work within and privileged by the trust placed in us. The learners and staff this week have truly shone, allowing us to showcase and share our school with the wider community.   

Thank you to everyone in the St. Mary’s community who has supported us this week in preparation and in showcasing our amazing school to the community. From our Year 5/6 Hub Leadership Conference that celebrated inclusion and diversity, to dressing up as our hopes for the future, and our impressive open day and evening yesterday! Our Catholic Education Week mass with Father Novie was, as always, creative, and today we finish off with our mothers and special women receiving some well-deserved recognition. It has definitely been a wow factor week, celebrating who we are and what we do!   

This is our first newsletter for the term, and I want to thank you all for the alternative plans families made early on to accommodate the phenomenal professional learning offered to the Sandhurst Catholic Diocese. The three days of learning focused on the Science of Learning and how the brain functions best for learning. Our staff are already applying their learning by using language, preparing resources and learning spaces to support optimal cognitive load, as well as using processes of retrieval, questioning, and chunking to ensure our neurons are active and our synapses are embedding new knowledge. We look forward to growing our community’s understanding of this over the coming years.   

Last week, our Year 6 learners went on Canberra camp. I was there to support the overnight stay, which did not allow me to see many children. However, when I did, they shared how great the experience was and how much fun they were all having. By all accounts, it was a huge success and supported by our school community. In the coming days, the staff will seek feedback from our learners to assess whether this is an experience we should keep on the St. Mary’s calendar.   

In a fortnight, our school will support the St. Mary’s Parish in hosting a Mass of celebration for 150 years of service in the Echuca-Moama region. On Sunday, 25th May, at St. Mary’s School, Mass will be hosted by Bishop Shane, and we are expecting a great turnout. It would be fantastic to have as many St. Mary’s families attend as possible. The mass will be followed by food, music, and entertainment at our school.   

As we come to the end of another memorable Catholic Education Week, I would like to share a podcast recently recorded by our CESL Executive Director, Kate Fogarty, exploring the lifelong impacts of Catholic education over a lifetime. The research brings great celebration and faith in the choices we have all made to live and grow in a Catholic school community. I urge you all to have a listen - Life Long Benefits of Catholic schooling VCEA 

I would like to wish all our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, older sisters, and any special women who positively impact your child’s life a wonderful Mother’s Day this Sunday. I know the support, love, and guidance you give the children of St. Mary’s are truly magical. I hope you are all spoilt and thanked this Sunday. 

Take care and God Bless. 

Jasmine Ryan  

Principal