From the Director of Junior School 

"The beauty of a new beginning is that it gives you a fresh start, a clean slate, and a chance to chase your dreams."

It has been wonderful over the past week to see our Junior School students settle into their new classes for 2025. The resilience shown not only by our new students but by all our students has been extremely inspirational.

The beginning of a school year brings a new set of opportunities to try new things and put our best foot forward to achieve success in all we do. 

As we approach the next fortnight, here in the St Mary’s Junior School we will be focusing on how we can enhance our relationships with each other. With many new faces joining our community, our teachers and staff will be looking out for students who are going out of their way to build connections with others and include them in all facets of school life. We will be acknowledging those students who are recognised with a certificate at our weekly lineups and our Early Years gatherings.

This week, we acknowledged the following students who received awards for modelling one of the four R’s that underpin our Whole School Positive Behaviour Support: Respect, Responsibility, Relationships and Resilience.

Junior School Swimming Carnival (Year 3–6)

Last Wednesday 12 February, our Year 3–6 students participated in our annual Junior School Swimming Carnival held at the Clarence Aquatic Centre. From the moment the students arrived there was a buzz of nerves and excitement as the races commenced. Our new House Captains and Deputy Captains moved around the pool drumming up support for those within their Houses and making all students who participated feel supported, no matter how they placed.

A special thank you goes to Miss Kate Jordan and Mrs Fiona Rhodes for their organisation and coordination of this event. We also thank those families who were able to be there on the day. It is always so wonderful to see our community coming together to see our children shine. 

Results from the day will be shared in next fortnight's edition of The Fountain newsletter.

Junior School Leaders' Commissioning Liturgy

It was a privilege last Friday to witness the commissioning of our Year 6 students as they officially became the leaders of our Junior School. We especially congratulate those who have been elected to key roles of responsibility for 2025. These students are: 

Our students were encouraged by both the words of Father Bernard and Mr Damian Messer to be leaders who do not strive to lift themselves to greatness but rather look at how they can lift others. This is especially important as we embark on our focus of hospitality this year. We will be encouraging all our Year 6 students to look at how they can be welcoming and collaborate with others so they are inspiring them to be the best they can be.

Spotlight on Prep 

The Preps have commenced their year actively engaged in a variety of enriching activities. They have been creating vibrant shape art, fostering teamwork through puzzles and exploring the delightful world of gardening with Mr Phil Shanny – allowing them to get their hands dirty while uncovering the beauty and wonder of nature's colourful creations.