I still find it hard to believe that this will be our final newsletter of the year, and what a year it has been!

When I reflect on the roller coaster ride of 2021, my first thought is thank God it's over, however, then I am filled with a deep sense of gratitude and thankfulness. I am genuinely grateful that we got through this year together and thankful for your ongoing support and adaptability. It has not been an easy year and at times very challenging both personally and professionally for all of us.

I would like to thank every family for supporting us through this unprecedented time. The constant changes to our school's learning, routines and structures were embraced and followed. Some of these changes were difficult, and impacted us all, but we got through it together.

This last term together, although it has had its challenges, has been a special time for all of us, especially for our students here at SMDP. It has been a time to reconnect, rebuild relationships and learn to love learning again. It once again reminded me of the special place we all belong to. Even through the 2021 mayhem, at SMDP we continued to improve, grow and strive for excellence.

As we conclude our year, I would like to thank our wonderful staff and wish them a very Happy Christmas. We say goodbye to Lisa, Sophie, Elyse, Denise T and Marg and wish them luck in their new adventures.

Marg has been at SMDP for twenty one years and has taught a generation of Laverton students, so we thank her for her time, passion and commitment.

We give thanks to our Year 6 students. 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 all our Year 6 students this year. They have been an incredible and resilient group and I am sure they’ll make 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.

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.

We are still uncertain about what 2022 will bring but we know that we have become stronger and braver through these times and together we are ready to face any challenges that may arise in the future.

Introducing our 2022 Staff Structures

Next year we welcome our new staff who will be joining our school community - Shaun Lenaghan, Kathyrn Pudney and David Hayes.

YEAR	TEACHERS
Prep	Lauren Middlebrook, Nell Denny
One/Two	Sarah Dolan, Caoimhe O'Neill, Lana Oreto
Three/Four	Stella Lentini, Sami Tighe, Shaun Lenaghan, Kathyrn Pudney (Additional Teacher)
Five/Six	Louise Bloomfield, Seamus Murphy, Evelina Varju, Julie Barbey (Additional Teacher)

Our 2022 Specialist Programs

ROLE	STAFF
Visual Arts	Jan-Maree Farrugia
Physical Education	Phil Poursanidis David Haynes
LOTE (Japanese) & Music	Jane Padden
STEM	Lucas Mangani
Reading Recovery & Levelled Literacy Intervention	Anne Sexton
Numeracy Intervention	Andrea Fernandes
Learning Support Officers	Alison Fisher Kerrie Hartmann Fenina Reataza
Library Technician	Fenina Reataza
Office Staff	Debbie Di Genova Rexi Ninan

Next year our leadership positions will be made up of:

STAFF	ROLE
Dan Ryan	Principal
Denise Kelly	Deputy Principal / Learning & Teaching Leader
Elise Coghlan	Deputy Principal / Literacy & Numeracy Leader / Visible Learning Leader
Andrea Wilberger	Student Diversity Leader
Kathy Blythe	Student Wellbeing Leader
Lucas Mangani	Religious Education Leader / Digital Technology 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

Deputy 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.

2022 School Closure Days

Listed below are our school closure days for 2022. These are student free days. Staff use these days to further develop their learning and keep informed with current practice and procedures.

Friday 4th February - Staff PD - Visible Learning
Friday 10th June - Religious Education focus
Friday 19th August - Visible Learning
Monday 31st October - Report and assessment organisation
Friday 9th December - Planning for 2023

NOTE: These dates may be subject to change that may be out of our control.

Award Winners