Principal's News

Week 5, Term 4

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and managed to take some time to rest and recharge. It was the perfect opportunity for a quick reset before we dive into the busy final stretch of Term 4! I know it is an unusual day for a newsletter- but there are some things I would like to share with the community before the next newsletter is due. 

Staffing Update 

We are delighted to announce that our final teaching position for 2026 has been filled. Naomi and I recently interviewed and appointed James Gibson, a highly experienced teacher from St Macartan’s in Mornington. James brings over 24 years of experience across many year levels (Years 1–6) and has also served in various leadership roles including IT Leader and Sports Coordinator and sports teacher.

He is passionate about sport, particularly basketball, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the St Mary’s community. His experience and enthusiasm will be a great asset to our school.

Prep Teacher 2026

With staffing now complete, I am excited to share that Mikayla Leyonhjelm will be our Prep teacher in 2026. 

Saskia Kalkbrenner will begin her maternity leave in March but will be here at the start of the year to help our new Preps settle in smoothly. Mikayla will be a wonderful Prep teacher, and we can’t wait to see our new Preppies flourish and thrive under her care in 2026 and beyond!

Class Structures for 2026

Our class structure and teachers for 2026 will be as follows:

• Prep         Mikayla Leyonhjelm
• Year 1        Emma Geary
• Year 2.       Kayla Burden (pronounced Keela)
• Year 3/4     Lisa Galvin
• Year 3/4    Khris May (4 days), Ange Aldag (1 day)
• Year 5        Daniella Polites
• Year 5/6    James Gibson

We are currently finalising class placements for 2026. As we are a small school, this process is naturally limited, but if you have any information or requests you’d like considered, please email me directly at principal@smhastings.catholic.edu.au. While we can’t accommodate every request, we always aim to ensure that each child is placed where they will learn, grow, and feel comfortable among their peers.

Our junior classes are almost at capacity for 2026, with several new families joining our St Mary’s community. We are now beginning to welcome Prep 2027 enrolments. If you have a younger child or know someone interested in joining St Mary’s in 2027, please contact Nicole Fletcher for enrolment information. Early enquiries help us plan effectively for future years.

Leadership Structure for 2026

The below diagram shows what the Leadership Structure will look like in 2026. You will notice there is a new role called the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL). After opening applications from staff internally and interviewing for this new role, we are excited to share that Angela Aldag will be taking on this new position. I have shared information about this government led initiative below. Ange will undergo training days at Melbourne University over the year as we learn more about what this means for our community.

Ange will also be taking on the role of NCCD partner, which will support Naomi Corfield in Learning Diversity. She will be taking on most of the running of PSGs and suppoting staff with the writing and evaluating of goals, as well as collecting and preparing data for our NCCD submissions. 

MHWL Leader

As part of our ongoing commitment to student wellbeing, we are excited to introduce the MHiPS Model (Mental Health in Primary Schools) into our school. This research-led initiative is designed to build capacity within primary schools to promote and support children’s mental health and wellbeing. Below you will find a summary of what MHiPS is, why we are adopting it, and how it will benefit students, staff and families. This website,  https://www.mhips.org.au/the-mhips-model/, has a short video outlining the program. 

What is MHiPS?

The MHiPS Model has been developed by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and the University of Melbourne Faculty of Education, in partnership with educators, psychologists, paediatricians and schools. 

Its focus is on empowering primary schools to support student mental health by:

• Training experienced teachers to become Mental Health & Wellbeing Leaders (MHWL) within the school. 
• Embedding a whole-school approach where wellbeing is integrated into daily practices, not simply an add-on.
• Focusing on early support, health-promoting practices and building strong pathways for students who need more help.

Why we are adopting MHiPS

Some key reasons we believe MHiPS aligns with our school’s priorities:

• Research tells us that many children experience challenges in mental health and wellbeing: for example, 20 % of children are estimated to have difficulties affecting daily living. 
• The earlier schools help children build resilience, self‐regulation and emotional literacy, the better outcomes we expect for learning, behaviour and life.
• MHiPS has already been implemented in more than 1,000 Victorian primary schools, with strong feedback that the model increases school‐wide capacity to support student wellbeing. 
• At St Mary’s we are committed to evidence-based practices (for example, our focus on explicit instruction, formative assessment, professional learning etc.), and MHiPS adds a powerful framework for mental health and wellbeing.

What will this look like at St Mary’s? 

Over the coming months we will begin rolling out the MHiPS Model in the following ways:

• A teacher from our staff will undertake training to become our school’s designated Mental Health & Wellbeing Leader (MHWL). At St Mary's this will be Angela Aldag. 
• The MHWL will lead professional learning for staff around topics such as emotional literacy, wellbeing strategies, classroom practices for mental health, and supporting transitions and change.
• We will work to embed wellbeing practices across the school: e.g., integrating emotional check-ins, building a continuum of support (from universal to targeted), and strengthening the partnership between home and school.
• Families will be included: we will provide information and resources so that you can partner with us in supporting your child-ren’s mental health and wellbeing.
• As the program develops, we will monitor impact and share updates—how students are responding, what’s working well and where we are growing further.

What does this mean for your child?

Thanks to MHiPS, your child is more likely to experience:

• A classroom culture where wellbeing is explicitly taught and supported (just like literacy and numeracy).
• A teacher who is trained specifically in how to recognise early signs of mental health difficulty and know when to refer on.
• More opportunities to build skills in self-regulation, emotional awareness, resilience and collaborative problem‐solving.
• A clearer pathway of support if your child begins to struggle—with help coming sooner and more systematically.

How you can support this initiative at home

Your partnership is vital. Here are some ways you can help:

• Talk with your child about how they are feeling, check in on their emotional world, not just their academic progress.
• Reinforce self-regulation, problem‐solving and emotional vocabulary at home (e.g., “What might help when you feel frustrated?”).
• Stay connected with the school’s wellbeing communications: we’ll share resources, tips and updates on the MHiPS journey.
• If you notice your child struggling emotionally or socially, please reach out to us early. Strong home‐school partnership is foundational to success.

Operoo Ceasing Services in Australia

We have been informed that Operoo will no longer be operating in Australia. As a result, many schools across the country, including St Mary’s, will be transitioning to an alternative platform by the end of this year.

The Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) has recommended that schools use NForma, which we already use for attendance rolls and school reports. We are currently working with the company to determine what this change will look like for our community.

Once we have more information, we will share details with families and provide full support to help parents and carers set up and become familiar with the new system.

Thank you for your understanding as we make this transition as smooth as possible.