Principal's News

Dear Families,

It was so lovely to be part of all the the Mothers' Day activities and afternoon tea last Friday. It was a truly wonderful community building event and so beautifully organised. It was amazing to see three and four generations of families present and there was certainly a special buzz in the air. Enormous thanks to the wonderful members of our Parents' Association who organised and ran the day's events with the help of so many dedicated volunteers and family members. Please check out the Parents' Association page of the newsletter for the details of how much was raised.

Congratulations:

Congratulations to the St Mark’s Aerobics Team on their first competition for the season! The team represented the school with enthusiasm, confidence and great sportsmanship, and achieved some fantastic results. We are so proud of the students for all their hard work, dedication and teamwork, and we look forward to cheering them on throughout the rest of the season. Well done, girls!

Congratulations also go to Jaxson for placing 7th in the District Cross Country Competition, despite taking a tumble at the end of the race - what a warrior! He will now represent St Mark's at the Division Cross Country Finals. Well done Jaxson - what an amazing achievement!

School Closure Day:

Reminder that we have a school closure day on Friday 22nd May. There is no school for students on this day. Team Kids will be running a program for those who need care for their children on this day. Please book directly with Team Kids.

Crazy Sock Day:

Thanks to all those who got into the spirit of "Crazy Sock Day" and wore some weird and wonderful socks to school in all sorts of different ways. Thank-you to all those who contributed to the Dingley Make a Difference Foundation with their generous donations.

Child Safety:

Can I please remind all adults dropping off or picking up children that the student toilet facilities in the yard or in any of our buildings are strictly for student use only. Adults cannot use student toilets at any time. All adults are very welcome to come into the office in the event of needing to use a toilet and our friendly office staff will direct you to the adult toilets. This is imperative for the safety of all children. If you have grandparents or other friends or family members picking up or dropping of your children, it is really important that you share this message with them.

Another reminder that children are not to be left unattended at the school gates prior to 8.30 a.m. Staff are not required to be at school until this time and the school grounds are not supervised prior to 8.30 am. and therefore are off limits to everyone. At times, special events or programs are scheduled before school, but supervision is provided for those involved in the scheduled activity only, due to required supervision ratios and the number of staff rostered to be onsite.

School Advisory Council

We are still looking for some new members for our School Advisory Council for 2026. The group will meet 6 more times this year on a Tuesday evening at 7.30 p.m. The role of the School Advisory Council, in keeping with the objectives of the MACS Constitution, is to provide a crucial point of connection between the wider school community, the parish and our school leaders. If you are interested in joining the group please contact Frances on 9262 2000 or email: principal@smdingley.catholic.edu.au 

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday 19th May at 7.30 p.m. in the staffroom. This meeting will be our AGM.

2027 Enrolments:

This is a final call for any enrolments for 2027. If any of our current families have younger children starting school in 2027, enrolment forms need to be submitted online via the St Mark's website by Friday 22nd May. Our first round offers will be sent out no later than the first week of June.