Staffing 2024
I am pleased to announce our staff and their positions for 2024. We are truly blessed to have such an amazing group of teachers and support staff at St Mary’s. 

Leadership Team 
Parish Priest - Father George Azhakath
Principal - Mrs Noeleen O’Neill
Assistant Principal - Mrs Sue Heffernan
Religious Education Coordinator - Mrs Gen Schofield (Term 1) Mrs Jess Afflick and Mrs Gen Schofield (From Term 2)
Coordinator - Mr Justin Bateman

Teaching Staff 
Kindergarten - Mrs Gen Schofield
Year 1 - Mrs Jessie White
Year 2 - Mrs Fran Devonald
Year 3 - Mrs Megan Grant 
Year 3/4 - Mrs Alicia Hampson and Mr Bateman (Friday)
Year 4 - Mrs Carla Durnan
Year 5 - Mr James Campbell and Mrs Jess Afflick (Monday)
Year 5/6 - Ms Allison Lock
Year 6 - Mr Matthew Harpley

Direct Instruction and RFF teacher - Mr Paul Hill
Direct Instruction and Learning Support Teacher (Years 3-6) - Mrs Jo Matthews 
Learning Support Teacher (Kinder-Year 2) - Mrs Jessie White
Sport Coordinator - Mrs Megan Grant

Support Staff 
Classroom Support Assistants - Mrs Shellie Butler, Mrs Janet Ryan, Mr Dom Ziino and Mrs Brooke Connaughton
Office Manager- Mrs Annette Hazell 
Office Administration - Mrs Cathy Smith 
School Counsellor - Ms Faith Costigan

End of Year Awards Kinder - Year 5

Kinder (Mrs Schofield)	Student
Achievement in English	Sydney N
Achievement in Mathematics	William L
Encouragement	Mason G
Class Spirit	Archer L
Year  1  (Mrs White)	Student
Achievement in English	Quinn A
Achievement in Mathematics	Christopher T
Encouragement	Harper P
Class Spirit	Rayne C
Year 2  (Mrs Devonald & Mrs Durnan)	Student
Achievement in English	Bernadette S
Achievement in Mathematics	Oliver R
Encouragement	Ryan T & Ashley H
Class spirit	Cooper VW & Eve P
Year 3  (Mrs Hampson & Ms Lock)	Student
Achievement in English	Milah R
Achievement in Mathematics	Xavier E
Encouragement	Beau McD & Delilah S
Class spirit	Aria T & Fergus P
Year 4  (Mr Bateman & Mrs Kenny)	Student
Achievement in English	Tessa H
Achievement in Mathematics	Andre L
Encouragement	Lily McC
Class spirit	Abbie H
Year 5  (Mrs Grant) (Mr Campbell)	Student
Achievement in English	Felicity P
Achievement in Mathematics	Levi D
Encouragement	Madison C
Class spirit	Jimmy H & Ky N

Year 6 Special Award Recipients

Academic Achievement	Jaxon E & Darcy F
STEM	Asher B
Sportsperson	Harper L
School Spirit	Evie G
Fiona Phillips (Perseverance)	Ava B
Dr Michael Holland Encouragement Award	Fiona S & Oscar G
Good Samaritan Award	Indiana T
Carroll College Learning for Life Award	Cooper H
Principal’s Award	Grace R

Principal’s Address Awards Night 2023
Tonight is one of those great occasions, when we can come together as a community to celebrate the end of another successful year at St Mary’s. It is also a fitting farewell to our wonderful Year 6 students and an occasion in which we recognise our students, their efforts and achievements.

Thank you to all who have worked so hard throughout 2023 to make St Mary’s the great school it is; a safe and happy place for children to learn and flourish. A great place for our staff to work together to support each other and to do their best to provide excellent learning for their students. A great place for families to feel welcome, valued and engaged in their children’s education. 

When I reflect back on all that we have achieved this year, I truly think our students and staff are blessed. So much learning and growth has occurred both inside and outside the classrooms.

The staff began the school year in Canberra, at Catholic Educations' Faith in Learning Conference. Inspired by Noel Pearson's Opening Speech on the importance of education in overcoming social disadvantage, we applied to be part of the Good to Great Schools Australia Program. 

St Mary’s was selected to be one of only 20 schools across Australia, to be part of the GGSA pilot to improve literacy and numeracy through explicit instruction. We are extremely fortunate to be supported financially; having all resources for staff and students and professional development provided to us at no cost to our school or our parents. 

I thank Mrs Sue Heffernan for her dedication to the leadership of the GGSA and Catalyst initiatives and to all of our teachers for their enthusiasm and commitment to Explicit direct instruction in literacy, numeracy and Science. Already we have seen significant improvements in our students’ confidence and work habits, the rate at which they are learning and the levels they attain. We set very high expectations in Literacy and Numeracy, where students are challenged to learn quickly and efficiently at their levels.  

2023 marks the final year of our Fair Education/Schools Plus Project on Engaging parents in Early Years learning. With the significant financial support of Fair Education and Catholic Education, we finally have a new playground. We are so proud and happy with the beautiful new space for both play and learning. Every day, classes use the area for prayer, reading and inquiry learning. 

As part of the ASEAN BRIDGE program this year, we were honoured to be able to host Ibu Yuni and Ibu Lina from Indonesia this year. What a wonderful week it was for our school community. When teachers and students from a small catholic school in Australia and a much  larger Islamic school in Jakarta connect, build relationships  and learn about each other's cultures and religions, the world becomes a better place. We are doing what we can at St Marys to increase the knowledge of our students, so they grow into just and empathetic adults with tolerance and respect for difference.  

This year, many new families have chosen to bring their children to St Marys because of our reputation as a school that is happy and calm, a school with high expectations, well behaved children and strong family connections. Anyone who watched our Peter Pan float in the Moruya Mardi Gras Festival or attended our School Assemblies, Family picnics, Little Investigators playgroup, Easter Eggstravaganza, Open Day, School and regional sports carnivals, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Mission Markets and K- 1 Family Focus weeks would have to agree that school and family spirit is alive and well at St Mary’s.

A special welcome back to Moruya, Father George. Together with Mrs Schofield and our teachers, you have guided our students and their parents in growing their faith and understanding of the sacraments. We look forward to building upon our strong connections between school, home and parish in 2024.

Nearly all Catholic schools around the world celebrate a Feast Day. From 2024, we will begin this tradition, celebrating St Mary’s Moruya on the Feast of the Assumption in August. Our students, families and community will gather, give thanks, and celebrate with a Mass and school celebration. 

We are grateful to the School Community Council and our broader parent community for your support in 2024. Thanks to the fundraising efforts this year, we have been able to provide an in-House Kinder to Year 6 swimming program at very little cost to our families. We thank and bid farewell to Judy Toman, Fiona Hall and Maree Turnbull as they ‘hang up their hats’ after many years of voluntary service to St Mary’s CC. 

Tonight we say goodbye to 19 of our families, as their youngest child finishes Year 6 at St Mary's this year. We thank the Brady, Buttsworth, Carter, Fitzpatrick, Scales, Gwynne, Senger, Robinson, Sawyer, Hill, Turnbull, Bell, Cairney, Millikin, Marin, Grant, Alvey, Whitby and Hall families for all of their support over the years and wish them well for the future. 

Next year we will welcome 39 new students and their families to St Mary’s. 24 into Kinder and 15 into other grades.  

For those of you able to join us last week, you would have noticed how well we farewelled Mrs Marg Croese after 43 years teaching at St Marys. As I said on the day, Marg you are still a part of us just as we are of you. 

We also bid farewell to Mrs Sophie Kenny who after 11 years of teaching at St Mary’s has transferred to St Bernard’s from next year. We will all miss your smile, your passion for teaching children and your gentle ways. We wish you well.

I am extremely grateful for the dedication and hard work of all the staff at St Mary’s as they regularly go above and beyond to provide the students with the very best opportunities. I am very blessed to work with such a fine group of committed educators. 

A special congratulations tonight to our wonderful Year 6 students who have successfully completed seven years of Primary school. I wish you well as you go onto high school and continue to learn and mature. Set high goals for yourself, persevere and you will get there. Always remember what you learnt at St Mary’s and our school values; I am kind, I am safe, I am respectful and I am doing my best. They are simple, but very powerful statements that we all should live by.    

And to all of the children at St Mary’s... 

You are the reason we are all gathered here tonight. You bring so much energy and joy to your parents and teachers. You came into this world, so the adults around you could smile and laugh and brag about you. We are so proud of you children and what you have achieved in 2023. Congratulations on another fine year!

The 2024 school year will be one of the best. Perhaps it is time for another whole school musical about a beloved nanny and her magical umbrella/ kite! 

We are thrilled to announce that Mary Poppins is on her way to the stage of St Mary’s Moruya next year!

Advent
In the busyness of life, it is sometimes easy for us to forget about the true meaning of  Christmas. At school, we have been teaching the children that Christmas is not just a secular holiday with Santa and presents. As Catholics, the season of Advent is a special time for us to take time, reflect and prepare ourselves for the birth of Jesus. 

On behalf of the staff at St Mary’s, I would like to thank you for your commitment to St Mary’s and your messages of support this year. We are blessed to have such a beautiful school for our children to learn, play and grow up. Working together,  parents and teachers can do amazing things for the most important people in our lives; our children.  

I wish you and your families a safe and blessed Christmas and a wonderful summer holiday. 

See you in 2024.

 Important Dates Term 1 

With God’s blessings.

Noeleen O'Neill
Principal