Principal's Update

Dear Families,

I hope the past fortnight has been a positive one for everyone and that the Melbourne Cup long weekend provided a welcome opportunity to take a break and spend some time together before things become increasingly busy as we approach the end of the school year. I can hardly believe how quickly the weeks are flying by! We are now well into our end-of-year report writing, alongside preparations for the conclusion of the 2026 school year and planning for 2027. There is some important information and news about next year that I would like to share with our community in this newsletter.

Athletics Carnival: An undoubted highlight of the past fortnight was our St Margaret’s Athletics Carnival, held last Thursday. It was a wonderful day filled with fun, excitement and plenty of house spirit. It was fantastic to see so many families come along to support our students and even get involved in the teachers versus parents relay race!

One of my personal highlights was seeing our youngest members of the community take part in the Under 5s race. The excitement and joy on the faces of our students throughout the day was wonderful to see and a great reflection of the positive spirit within our school community.

Congratulations to Goold House (Blue), who took home the overall Athletics House Trophy, and to McAuley House (Green), who were awarded the House Spirit Award. Both are wonderful achievements!

I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Mr Hogan, Mr Fimiani, Ms Deanna, Mr Mammone, Ms Oxley and all of our teachers who worked so hard behind the scenes to organise and deliver such a successful day. It was a terrific community event and one that I know our students thoroughly enjoyed.

Excursions and Practical Learning Experiences: The past fortnight has also provided some wonderful learning experiences for our students, including our Prep Enrichment Day, the Year 3 excursion to Werribee Open Range Zoo, the Year 6 water safety course and surfing experience at URBNSURF, and the Year 6 excursion to AFL Max. These opportunities enrich our students' learning beyond the classroom, allowing them to develop new skills, build relationships and create lasting memories. It is something I believe St Margaret’s does incredibly well, and I am grateful to our teachers for the time and effort they put into providing these experiences for our students.

Organisation for 2027: There is some important information to share with our community regarding our 2027 School Fees and Class Structures and Learning Opportunities for 2027. I have included these communications below, and they will also be shared with families via email. I recognise that some of the changes outlined, particularly those relating to class structures, will be important to the families directly affected. I want to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to ask questions, seek clarification and share any concerns they may have. As always, the needs of our students and the quality of the education we provide remain central to every decision we make.

Please feel welcome to contact me directly at john.rudd@smmaribyrnong.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions or would like to discuss the information further.

The two communications are:

• 2027 School Fees

• 2027 Class Structures and Learning Opportunities

Welcoming our 2027 Preps and Families this week: On Thursday, we look forward to welcoming our 2027 Prep students and their families to our first Prep Orientation sessions. This is an exciting milestone for our newest students as they begin to familiarise themselves with St Margaret’s, meet their teachers and spend time getting to know their future classmates.

It is also a wonderful opportunity for us to welcome our new families into the St Margaret’s community. I am looking forward to meeting many of them and sharing what makes our school such a special place to learn and grow.

Congratulations to Mr Nicholl: A huge congratulations to Mr Nicholl and his partner Sylvia, who celebrated their wedding last weekend. We wish the newlyweds every happiness as they begin this exciting new chapter together. Congratulations to you both!

A Letter from the Prime Minister: William (6A) recently shared with me a letter he received from the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. William had taken the initiative to write to the Prime Minister to raise his concerns about the environment and climate change. It was wonderful to see William taking an interest in important issues affecting our world and using his voice to advocate for positive change. Developing active and responsible citizens who understand that they can make a difference is an important part of our work as educators. Well done, William, for taking your learning beyond the classroom and showing such initiative in engaging with the world around you!

Celebrating successes of our children: Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the pleasure of hearing from a number of students who have been keen to share their achievements and successes. It is always wonderful to see our students pursuing their interests, developing their talents and celebrating their accomplishments.

I would particularly like to acknowledge:

• Yavin (5B) for sharing his wonderful statistical analysis of Nate Caddy.
• Aiden (6C), who achieved a High Distinction in the 2026 Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC), placing him in the top 3% of students across Australia who participated in the competition. An outstanding achievement!
• Leonardo (6B), who won the final go-karting event of the year in his age group. Congratulations on finishing the year on such a high!

Congratulations to all three students. Thank you for taking the time to share your achievements with me. It is always a pleasure to celebrate the many talents and interests of our wonderful students.

Wishing everyone a wonderful fortnight ahead.

John