I still find it hard to believe that this will be our last newsletter of the year. I think our year as a learning community was reflected by the wonderful success of our Christmas Carols. To see this event so supported by our parents, the enjoyment in the faces of our students and the hard work by our staff really reflects what a positive and engaging year it was.

Throughout my career in education I have had the privilege of working in many incredible school settings, but never before have I worked with such a positive and committed team of staff and parents who give generously and contribute willingly. We are also blessed with a diverse group of students who love to come to school to be excited about learning. SMDP is a special place where we look with excitement to the future and we continue to improve, grow and strive for excellence.

During this time of Advent, we need to take time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. For me it is a story about generosity and giving.

As we conclude our year, I would like to thank various people and groups for the generosity that they have given throughout 2019.

We wish all our wonderful staff a very Happy Christmas and `Good Fortune’ and thank them for their generosity in their roles every day. We say goodbye to Simon, Sophie, Annie and Natalie and wish them luck in their new adventures. Simon has been at SMDP for eleven years and has taught a generation of Laverton students, we thank him for his time and commitment. We wish Annie all the happiness as she chases the sun around Australia. We also say a late goodbye to Sophie who has accepted a position at Resurrection in Kings Park. Finally, we say goodbye to Natalie. She has accepted an Office/LSO position at Catholic Regional College in Caroline Springs.

We give thanks to our Gr 6 students and for those who have no siblings following them, we wish their families all the very best for the future and hope you will always hold a special place in your hearts for St Martin de Porres. It has been a pleasure to get to know each of them this year, they have been an incredible group of students and I am sure they’ll make such a positive impact in their life journey ahead.

To the students who are not in Gr 6, but are moving schools, we also send our good wishes.

We also need to recognise the work of some significant community members who have displayed their generosity throughout the year. Our PIP group, who have organised so many fun events for our students while making some extra funds for our school. To Leigh Younger for her dedication in running the canteen, she has worked tirelessly to make it successful. Unfortunately, due to declining sales the canteen won't be providing lunches for 2020. We will still have treats available on Fridays but no lunch orders. We are currently investigating other options. A special mention to Paul and Leng Garland for providing the sound system for our carols night and their son Ky for the pre & post carol entertainment.

Finally, a genuine thank you to all our students, as they are the reason we are here. We thank them for making St Martin de Porres a special place and ask God to bless them and keep them safe over the holidays and we look forward to seeing them refreshed and re-energized for the start of 2020.

Next year we welcome our new staff who will be joining our school community. Stella Lentini, Lauren Middlebrook, Sami Tighe and Louise Bloomfield are all new classroom teachers. In 2020, Marg Cronin, will be working part-time in a specialist and REL role.

Introducing our 2020 Staff Structures

Preps	Caoimhe O'Neill & To be confirmed
One	Sarah Dolan & Lucas Mangani
Two	Lauren Middlebrook & Jessica Schembri
Three/Four	Rachel McMurtrie, Sami Tighe & Stella Lentini. Louise Bloomfield will be a part time 4th teacher in the Year 3/4 level
Five/Six	Lisa Featherstone, Evelina Varju

Our 2020 Specialist Programs

Visual Arts	Jan-Maree Farrugia
Physical Education	Lynette Soto & Jordan Harper
LOTE (Italian)	Lizy Di Lorenzo
Creative Arts	Margaret Cronin
Reading Recovery & Levelled Literacy Intervention	Anne Sexton
Numeracy Intervention	Andrea Fernandes
Learning Support Officers	Denise Tuite & Allison Fisher
Office Staff	Rexi Ninan & Debbie Di Genova

Next year our leadership positions will be made up of:

Dan Ryan	Principal
Denise Kelly	Deputy Principal / Learning & Teaching Leader
Margaret Cronin	Religious Education Leader
Elise Coghlan	Literacy & Numeracy Leader
Andrea Wilberger	Student Diversity Leader
Lucas Mangani	Digital Technology Leader
Jessica Schembri	Visible Learning Leader
Natalie Brown	Student Wellbeing Leader

Have a safe and peaceful Christmas. Once again thank you for your generosity, I hope time with friends and families brings joy and your homes are full of love and laughter.

Dan Ryan

Principal

St Martin de Porres Primary School is committed

to creating an environment where the safety, wellbeing, and participation of all children within our care is paramount.

Upcoming Events

TERM 4

2020 TERM 1