Principal's Message

Welcome back to Term 2!  

We hope you all enjoyed a restful Easter break with family and friends. We have been blessed with a beautiful start to the term, crisp autumn mornings followed by warm, sunny afternoons and it has been wonderful to see the students and teachers back at school filled with energy and excitement.

We have certainly hit the ground running. Over the past two weeks, our students have been involved in a range of rich learning experiences: incursions for our Prep – Year 4 students, Eucharist preparation for our Year Fours, a reflective Holy Week liturgy led by our Year Twos and of course, our whole‑school Athletics Carnival.

SMDP Athletics Carnival

On Tuesday, our entire school community came together at the Newport Athletics Track for our annual Athletics Carnival. It was a fantastic day filled with colour, teamwork and plenty of cheering from the sidelines.

For many students, the highlight was simply the thrill of running down the red track in front of their house teams, classmates and families, moments that will stay with them for years to come. Our Prep students, experiencing their very first Athletics Day, ran with huge smiles, tackled hurdles with determination and showed incredible resilience. We saw students fall, get back up and finish their race with pride. Many teachers and parents commented on how brave, resilient and willing our students were to give everything a go, truly living out our 2026 school theme of Dreaming Big.

A huge thank you to all families who joined us on the day. Your presence and encouragement made the event even more special.

A special shout‑out to Nick and the entire Athletics team for organising such a fabulous carnival. Your hard work and dedication created a day full of energy, sportsmanship and joy.

Congratulations to this year’s winning house,  Yellow! What an achievement.

We also extend a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers. Your support helped the day run smoothly and ensured it was an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

School Closure - Staff Professional Development 

On Monday, our staff completed Team Teach training, a recognised program that helps schools support positive behaviour and respond safely to challenging situations. The day focused on understanding why behaviours occur, using preventative strategies and ensuring we maintain a safe and respectful environment for all students. This learning strengthens our shared commitment to creating a calm, predictable and supportive school community.

Staff Updates

This term, we are delighted to welcome Lana back from maternity leave. We are so excited to have her return to SMDP and she will be working across various year levels each Friday.

We would also like to share an update regarding Caoimhe as she prepares for maternity leave. Caoimhe will finish up on Friday, 15th May and we know our whole community joins us in wishing her every happiness for this next chapter.

Over the holidays, we completed the recruitment process for her role and are pleased to welcome Siqi Yang to our staff team. Siqi brings warmth, commitment and a strong focus on student wellbeing and learning. Over the next three weeks Siqi will work closely with Caoimhe to ensure a smooth and supportive transition for our students. 

We thank you for your ongoing partnership as we welcome both Lana and Siqi into our community.

Warm regards, 

Elise Coghlan

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. 

 2026 - School Closure Days

Listed below are our school closure days for 2026. These are student-free days. Staff use these days to develop their learning further and keep informed with current practices and procedures. 

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