Remembrance Day

On Tuesday last week, we gathered as a school community to commemorate Remembrance Day and we extend our sincere thanks to 5/6M for leading the ceremony with such dignity and care. Their thoughtful readings, reflections and respectful leadership helped us pause and honour those who have served and sacrificed. The students carried the responsibility beautifully, creating a solemn and meaningful moment for our whole school. Thank you to the Year 5/6 families who sent in fresh rosemary to create our school wreath.

End of Year Concert

Yesterday we once again had the joy of celebrating our young musicians who learn an instrument with Ian from Music Corp. Students showcased a wonderful range of pieces and instruments, highlighting the steady growth in their skills. It was especially inspiring to see everyone from those just starting out to those who have recently completed formal music assessments perform with such confidence. Our audience, as always, showed outstanding respect and encouragement, creating a warm and supportive atmosphere for all.

Family Fun Day

What a great day we had last Saturday at the St Mary's Family Fun Day. The weather was kind to us while we gathered as a community. I loved seeing the smiles on all the faces and the cooperative and generous spirit of the St. Mary's families.

Reminder: Swimming begins on Monday 1st December

This year, instruction is provided by Swimable at the St Mary's College pool, where each student will receive 8 lessons over a fortnight period. As it is part of the curriculum, all students are expected to participate in the swimming program.

- Term 4, Week 9: All week from Mon 1st December through Fri 5th December

- Term 4, Week 10: Mon 8th, (no lesson on Tuesday),Wed 10th, Thu 11th (Water Safety Day)

The program will finish with a swimming carnival at the College pool on Friday 12th December (organised and run by the team at St Mary's Primary School)

For the swimming program, students are required to bring the following to school:

- Bathers (to be worn to school under school uniform)

- A swimming cap (swimming caps must be worn to participate in lessons)

- Underwear to change into after the lesson

- A towel

- Thongs / flip flops

- Goggles (recommended)

- A carry bag for all items, separate to school bag

The detailed timetable for each class will be communicated through Seesaw early next week.

Register for Vision for Instruction Parent Workshops

We invite all parents to join us for our latest Vision for Instruction workshops, building on the conversations from our Parent Information Evenings held in August. These workshops offer a chance to dive deeper into how learning comes to life at St Mary’s. Parents will revisit the key learning principles that guide our teaching and then have the opportunity to observe these practices in action within our classrooms.

Monday 24 November, 9:00–11:00am (Literacy)

Thursday 27 November, 11:30am–1:30pm (Mathematics)

We look forward to continuing this shared journey of understanding how our vision for instruction supports every child to grow as an engaged, confident and capable learner.

Please note that these sessions are planned for parents only - we would love to be able to provide childcare but it is not practical for these sessions.

Please register for the sessions (one or both) at the following google form.

Student Reports and nForma

As per the recent Seesaw message, starting from our next reporting period, all student reports will be available exclusively through the Nforma Parent App. To ensure you can access your child’s report, please download the Nforma Parent App from the App Store or Google Play and log in using the email address registered with the school.

If you experience any issues with downloading or accessing the app, please contact myself or Mrs Borgese for assistance. Thank you for your cooperation as we move towards a more efficient and environmentally friendly reporting process.

2026 Technology Program – 1-to-1 Devices for Years 3 to 6

We are pleased to continue our 1-to-1 Chromebook Program in 2026 for students in Years 3–6, ensuring every learner has access to their own device to support learning across the curriculum.

For families of students entering Year 3 in 2026 please note that a new Chromebook should be ordered through the school portal by Friday 21st November.

Orders can now be made via: https://smstkildaeast.orderportal.com.au/

Students moving into Years 4, 5 or 6 in 2026 who already have a Chromebook from the program will continue using their current device.

Assembly Timetable for Term 4

Please find the assembly sharing roster for term 4 below.

Week	Date	Class sharing
Week 7	Friday 21st November	St Mary’s Family Day Reflection
Week 8	Friday 28th November	No Assembly (School Closure Day)
Week 9	Friday 5th December	Year 2
Week 10	Friday 12th December	No Assembly (Swimming Carnival)

Recent Student of the Week Awards

Rory	4M	For always being kind and respectful to class friends and listening carefully to instructions before starting learning tasks.
Spencer	Prep	For using the Zen Zone equipment safely so that everyone can enjoy play time. You have build some awesome structures together with your friends.
Sarah	Prep	For using classroom equipment responsibly, moving carefully around the room and making thoughtful choices to keep yourself and others safe.
Emily	2J	For modelling consideration and safety for others, by moving safely in the classroom, corridors and playground. As well as always being ready to offer a helping hand to others.
Arabella	3T	For being a positive role model by showing care for the safety and learning of others. You consistently move around the school safely and responsibly, always demonstrating excellent self-control. Well done, Arabella!
Francesca	4M	For always following our school norms and demonstrating safe, respectful and responsible choices. Well done Francesca!
April	4M	For showing care around the school and playground and moving safely between classes.
Orion	5/6M	For ensuring his classmates feel safe when presenting to the whole group by actively listening and asking relevant, well thought out questions.
Amy	5/6L	For Amy who is consistently demonstrating how to be safe at all times. This was especially evident during our recent school camp. Wel done, Amy.
Bela	5/6L	For Bela, who consistently demonstrates safe behaviours. This was especially noticed at camp whereby she waited until she felt safe and confident before she completed 'The Leap of Faith' jump activity. Well done, Bela.
Archie	Prep	For consistently making safe choices at school and following classroom and playground expectations.
Hana-Rose	Prep	For making smart, safe choices at school. You take care of yourself, look out for others, and use equipment the right way.

Community Calendar

The 2025 community calendar can be found on the Calendar page but we encourage all families to connect to the School’s Google Community Calendar.

Please also see link to our Google Calendar.

If you wish to add this calendar to your personal device, you can use the following ical link:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/c_c8el163bek1cvane44i0pm23eo%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

Newsletter

Issue 20 · 20 Nov 2025

In this issue