Principal's Update
Dear Parents and Carers,
This Sunday 30th November we begin the season of Advent, the beginning of a new year in the Church calendar. Advent is a reminder to us of our own waiting and preparation for Christ’s coming.
What is Advent about?
Have you ever sat completely still by the water’s edge? By a river, creek or ocean at dawn? Watching and listening? In this time, you may have noticed sounds, movements, flora and fauna, or changes in the light. Sitting there in peace, you may have noticed numerous things that happen each and every day, unnoticed, year in and year out. Extraordinary beauty, an exquisite scene before you. This is the unfolding story of creation each day. In the stillness we notice, we are aware. Advent is an invitation for Christians to be still and notice, to be still and to be aware. In this time of noticing there may be an opportunity to see God moments unfold before our very eyes. Possibility for the Emmanuel, “God with us” being revealed. Moments of when God is consistently being birthed. Advent is an opportunity for Christians to experience a dawn time like the scene by the water’s edge in the early morning.
Prep orientation sessions for 2026
Prep orientation sessions for our 2026 students were held after school hours on Monday 17th November, Tuesday 18th November and Wednesday 19th November, and again yesterday for the morning block. It was a really positive experience for the children and it was a great opportunity for the leadership team and Prep staff to meet up with parents. The children will be back on Tuesday 9th December when they will meet their Gr 6 buddies.
Learning Conversations
Learning Conversations will take place on the 2nd and 3rd of December. Bookings have been set up on the PAM. As it is an important part of our reporting process, it is an expectation that all families attend. This is a great opportunity to celebrate your child’s achievements this year and discuss areas to focus on in 2026.
Move Up Morning
On Tuesday 9th December, we welcome new staff and students to the St. Mary’s community in 2026. Prep students, new students entering other grades throughout the school and newly appointed teachers will spend the morning becoming familiar with our school environment. They will spend the morning, along with all other students, in their new class. We wish them well and look forward to having them on board in 2026.
We also wish our Grade 6 students well on their orientation day at their chosen secondary school.
We are still finalising classroom teacher positions for 2026. The children will find out who their classroom teacher is on move up morning and this information will be released in the next newsletter, which will be the last for the year.
At this time of the year there can often be some anxiety around which class children are in next year, which friends they will be with and which teacher they will have. Sometimes children might not get exactly what they hoped for, and this can initially be upsetting. However, this is part of life and learning to be resilient and accepting certain situations that may not be exactly what we wanted. We ask that you, as parents, reinforce this with your children. A lot of time and thought goes into class lists and much is considered. Once they are finalised, we expect that children and parents accept our professional judgement and look forward to a great 2026.
St. Vinnies Food Hamper Appeal
Thank you to all families who have donated non-perishable food items for our St. Vinnies Christmas Appeal. We are still, however hopeful for more donations, which can be dropped off at the school office.
Fun Food Day / Carols
On Wednesday 17th December the children will enjoy their Fun Food Day followed by ‘Carols on the Courts’. Parents and younger siblings are most welcome to attend to sing along with the rest of the school.
Liturgy / End of Year Picnic
Our end of year Liturgy will be held Wednesday 10th December at 6pm, as we bid farewell to our Grade 6 students. This is a celebration for the whole school community and it would be wonderful to see everyone attend. The liturgy will be followed by a BYO picnic back at the school.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Michael Mahoney
(Principal)