From the Acting Principal 

Dear Families,

As the term continues to gather momentum, there has been a wonderful sense of energy and engagement across our school community. From rich learning experiences in the classroom and student-led initiatives, through to professional learning opportunities for staff and strong collaboration with other schools, St Mary’s continues to be a place filled with curiosity, connection and growth. It has been particularly pleasing to see our students embracing each opportunity with enthusiasm and pride, while staff continue to work thoughtfully to strengthen the learning culture across the school.

We look forward to tomorrow's Walk Safely To School day - please see Mrs Borgese's page for the exact details of the locations from where we will be walking. You might even keep your eye on the newspaper in case you can spot any St Mary's students making headlines! Thank you in advance to the amazing P&F along with our fantastic staff who will turn up early to help walk students to school from these three locations. 

Drama

Today, our Year 3 & 4 students enjoyed a highly engaging full-day incursion from The Drama Toolbox, participating in their “Unplugged” program designed to promote social and emotional learning through drama and role play. Set in a futuristic world overtaken by technology, students worked collaboratively in “tribes” to solve problems, make moral decisions and rediscover important human qualities such as kindness, cooperation, communication and persistence. The immersive nature of the program had students thoroughly involved throughout the day, while also encouraging important conversations around relationships, leadership, resilience and balancing life beyond screens. It was wonderful to see our students participating with such enthusiasm, creativity and teamwork.

We look forward to our continuing partnership with The Drama Toolbox across the next two terms. 

Student Leadership

Our Student Leadership teams have once again been busy creating meaningful opportunities for students across the school. Yesterday, our Sustainability Leaders marked World Bee Day by organising activities in the Zen Zone, including the bee-uttiful performance of an original play created by the students and a lunchtime colouring competition that encouraged students to learn more about the important role bees play in our environment. 

Today, our Faith and Social Justice Leaders and Curriculum Leaders (and their families) helped celebrate the United Nations’ World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, encouraging students to share and celebrate the many cultures within our community through cultural dress, dance and shared experiences. It has been wonderful to see our student leaders promoting inclusion, curiosity and connection in such positive and engaging ways.

Staff training and development

Last Friday’s School Closure Day provided staff with the opportunity to participate in a full day of professional learning through the Team Teach Behaviour Support Training program. The training focused on building positive behaviour cultures through proactive strategies, de-escalation techniques and understanding behaviour as a form of communication. Staff explored practical approaches to supporting students in distress, promoting personal safety and responding consistently and respectfully to challenging situations.

The training dovetailed strongly with the work we have already established through our School-Wide Positive Behaviour for Learning (SWPBL) framework. Many of the principles explored throughout the day — including relationship-based practice, explicit teaching of behavioural expectations, emotional regulation and preventative support strategies — align closely with the positive culture we continue to build at St Mary’s. 

Last Thursday, the leadership team attended the Term Two Flourishing Learners Improvement Network Day alongside the leadership teams of around 70 other Catholic primary schools from across the Southern Region. The day provided a valuable opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, share effective practices and continue strengthening our understanding of the MACS Flourishing Learners framework. Through workshops, discussion and reflection, schools explored ways to further enhance student engagement, wellbeing and learning growth, while also building strong professional connections across the region. We look forward to continuing this work at St Mary’s as we refine and strengthen our teaching and learning practices throughout the year.

On Tuesday this week, St Mary’s was delighted to host literacy leaders from nine other schools as part of a Literacy Community of Practice (COP) day. The purpose of the Community is to explore evidence-based literacy practice, share expertise and learn collaboratively from one another in order to strengthen student learning outcomes. Visiting staff spoke very highly of both the quality of our learning spaces and the outstanding engagement of our students throughout the day, which was wonderful recognition of the positive learning culture that exists at St Mary’s. A special thank you to Ange Mason and Maureen McDonald for their work within the initiative, supported by the leadership of Daniela Borgese.

Student Advisory Council Meeting

Last week we were pleased to hold our second School Advisory Council (SAC) meeting for the year. I would like to sincerely thank all members, led by the chair Jacqui Fischer (Archie Y1 and Harrison Y4)  for their ongoing partnership, thoughtful discussion and commitment to the future direction of St Mary’s. Giving up their evenings to work in the best interests of the school community is greatly appreciated, and the collaboration between families, parish and school leadership continues to be a real strength of our community.

Finally, can I please direct your attention to the Child Safety page which I have updated to include information about Standard 4: Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing. I wholeheartedly recommend the Parent/Carer newsletters which provide much more detail about these important standards and how they are implemented within schools.

Stay warm and dry as the weather continues to turn! Hopefully we still have some lovely autumn days ahead!

Take care, and may God’s blessings and peace be with each of you as we journey through the year together.

James Millane