Principal's News
Dear Parents,
Last week I attended the South Central Principal's Conference along with 14 other Catholic Primary School Principals in our zone. The aim of the conference was to develop our cultural awareness of indigenous communities in the Northern Territory and how Catholic Education NT works in those communities. Based in Darwin, we visited a community in the Tiwi Islands, met with an indigenous elder in Kakadu and met with staff at the Catholic Education Office in Darwin to experience an incredible induction program they run for teachers arriving to teach in the NT before they are placed in Northern Territory Catholic schools. This was a culturally informative experience opening up to us the beauty, richness and complexity of indigenous culture. We were given a rich insight into ancient cultural rules and norms that are still passed down and practiced in indigenous communities today - practices that are rooted in social and environmental sustainability. As a result of this conference, we as a network of principals are now inspired to commence an action plan in 2024 for our network to bring greater cultural awareness and learning opportunities for our school communities.
Intergenerational Project
Our Intergenerational Project at Highett Neighbourhood House is now into its third week, in partnership with the Hampton/Highett Community Centre. Last week, the Year Six Friendship Leaders and Social Justice Leaders played cognitive games with the adults and this week the focus was on physical activities such as balloon volleyball. Mrs Evelyn Watmore was also a guest on 88.3 Southern FM along with staff from the Hampton/HIghett Community Centre, talking about the project to listeners.
Semester One Written Reports and Parent-Teacher Interviews
Semester One Student Reports will be provided to parents on Friday 16th June. Parents will receive an email in the week that reports are released, providing instructions on how to access a pdf of your child's report through the Nforma Platform.
Parent-Teacher Interviews will take place on Wednesday 21st June. School will conclude at 1pm on the day, with interviews taking place between 1:30pm and 8:00pm. Interviews will be for ten minutes each. Parents will be able to book an interview through schoolinterviews.com.au. Information on how to book an interview will be provided in the coming days via Seesaw. Their Care will be offering After School Care from 1pm on the day.
Teachers Commencing Maternity Leave
We wish Ms. Nicole Jones all the very best as she commences her maternity leave this week. We are in the process of appointing a replacement PE specialist teacher, having re advertised the position.
Ms. Anna Mannion will be commencing her maternity leave at the beginning of Term Three. We have appointed two outstanding teachers to fill Anna's position in Grade 3M. Mrs. Ally Mullany will be teaching 3M on Monday, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Mrs. Bridie Kelly will be teaching 3M on Thursdays and Fridays. We had sought a full time teacher for the position, however in what is currently an extremely challenging employment environment in education, we were unable to find a teacher suitable for the 3M students. Our priority has been to secure quality teachers and a "right-fit" for these students.
Both Ally and Bridie are very experienced teachers who I am confident will work well together and with Mrs Kylie Smith as a Year Three Team and will be a perfect fit for 3M. Both Ally and Bridie have worked at St Mary's as Casual Relief Teachers in the past few months, after both relocating to Melbourne. Ally and Bridie will be spending some time in the 3M classroom before the end of term as well as having time with Anna for handover of information.
Dad's Sportsman's Night
Thank you to Ashley Blair and all the other dads who assisted and attended the Dad's Sportsman's Night held on the weekend. The auctioning off of sports memorabilia raised approximately $2500 for the school, going towards the continued upgrading of the school playground.
Beachside Cross Country
Congratulations to Angus Allen, Lucy Dolan, Thomas Edwards, Andrew Francis, Matilda Worn, who represented St Mary's at the Beachside Cross Country on Tuesday. We are very proud of your success!
Long Service Leave
I will be taking Long Service Leave from Monday 19th June until Monday 31st July. Mr Nathan Eddy will be Acting Principal for the duration of my leave.
Matthew Sweeney
Principal
principal@shampton.catholic .edu.au