A very warm welcome to the 2024 school year at St Mary’s. There is something very special about this year already. The students are calm and happy and everyone is well rested after the holidays. Our new Kindergarten students have settled in well and already seem ‘at home’ when at school. It was lovely for Mrs Sue Heffernan and me to meet our new Kinder parents last Thursday morning, as they joined us for a coffee after dropping their little ones off to school on their first day. 

We make a special welcome to our new students and their families. Claudia, Jai, Finley, Eli, Juliet, Izabel, Charlotte, Harry, Henry, Hayes, Houston, Jaden, Jhasritha, Alexander, Helena, Parker, Taj, Calvin, Kingston, Alonso, Emilia and Layla have settled in very well and have become important members of our school community. We are very proud of the way St Mary’s students welcome and look after our new students. We welcome all of our new parents and grandparents and hope to see you at school and at our upcoming school functions.

When interviewing new parents, I ask them why they are choosing St Mary’s and the most common response is that they have heard of our excellent reputation, especially in caring for children. All children attend a school to be educated, however parents want to know that their child will be known as an individual, loved and supported.  The staff at St Mary’s do this well. I thank our parents for speaking positively about our beautiful school, and its staff and students. 

St Mary’s Staff 

The Leadership Team for 2024 comprises:
Parish Priest - Father George Azhakath
Principal - Mrs Noeleen O’Neill
Assistant Principal - Mrs Sue Heffernan 
Acting Religious Education Coordinator - Mrs Gen Schofield 
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 
Years 3/4 - Mrs Alicia Hampson and Mr Justin Bateman
Year 4 - Mrs Carla Durnan
Year 5 - Mr James Campbell and Mrs Jess Afflick
Year 5/6 -  Mrs Allison Lock
Year 6 - Mr Matthew Harpley
PDHPE Teacher- Mr Paul Hill 
Learning Support- Mrs Jo Matthews and Mrs Jessie White 
Sport Coordinator - Mrs Megan Grant

Support Staff
Mrs Shellie Butler, Mrs Janet Ryan, Mr Dom Ziino and Mrs Brooke Connuaghton
Wellbeing Officer - Mr Dom Ziino
Playgroup Coordinator - Mrs Brooke Connaughton
Front Office Manager- Mrs Annette Hazell
Administration Support- Mrs Cathy Smith
School Counsellor - Ms Faith Costigan

Communication
Each week, your child’s Home class teacher will send you a Weekly Class Memo to inform you of what is happening in your child's classroom. Whilst the focus will be on the learning that is taking place, reminders and other special class information will also be included. Please refer to it each week and contact your child's teacher directly if you have any questions. Of course, we want our teachers to be teaching and not on their emails during the school day, so please give them time after school to respond.  For family/ work life balance, staff have been asked not to read and write emails to parents after 5 pm at night or on the weekends. 

Each fortnight, on Fridays (even School Weeks)  you will receive a detailed school newsletter. The Parent Calendar is posted on COMPASS and regularly updated. If you have any difficulties accessing COMPASS, please contact the Front Office staff.  Following our  School Facebook page is an excellent way to get a real sense of what is happening every day at St Mary’s. Please feel free to email me directly if you have any issues or concerns that you feel are not best resolved with your child’s class teacher.

Opening School Year Mass, Family Picnic and Special School Assembly - Year 6 Student Leadership Induction and Kinder Welcome
Friday February 23 will be a big day at St Mary’s!  At 12 noon, the whole school will be attending our Opening School Year Mass at the Sacred Heart Church.  We invite our parents, friends and grandparents to join us. Following Mass,  we will be having our first Family Picnic on the Front Lawns. After lunch, we will be hosting our first Whole School Assembly in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) which will incorporate a Kinder Welcome and a Year 6 Student Leadership Induction ceremony. 

Parents are asked to bring along a picnic rug, food and drinks for their families. Those children whose parents are unable to attend, will also join in with their teachers and friends.

We look forward to welcoming you all on this special day. 

Drop off and Pick up arrangements
As student safety is always our number one priority, we have two designated drop off and pick up zones. One at the Front Gates on Church Street and the other at the end of the oval near the Church Car Park. After school, the students are supervised by a staff member until their parents arrive. If a parent is running particularly late,  the child may need to be brought back to the Front Office to wait. Students who walk or ride their bikes are supervised to cross the road on Church Street. 

Some children have permission to leave the school via the Alleyway near the Police Station. Parents of those children are asked to send a note to the Front Office giving their child permission to leave the school independently.   We ask parents not to pick their children up from Queen Street as this is the Bus Zone area, it is very busy and is not safe.

In the mornings, most parents drop their children off at the same two designated spots.

Please do not drive into the staff car park or walk through it with your child as it is unsafe. 

All parents are welcome to come inside the school grounds in the mornings and afternoons. If staying for longer than a few minutes in the mornings, you will need to sign in. 

In the afternoons, you are very welcome to socialise and make use of the playground with the understanding that you are responsible for your own children.   

Meet the Teacher Meetings
On Monday February 19 and Tuesday February 20, teachers will be available for individual parent/teacher meetings before and after school hours. This will give parents a chance to talk with their child's teacher and discuss their child’s learning goals for the semester. We understand how busy families are but we really hope all of our parents take up this opportunity. If you prefer a phone call, please let your child's teacher know.  Bookings are made through COMPASS. If you have any difficulties, please let your child's teacher know.

Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any  questions or concerns. We look forward to continuing our close partnerships with all of our families.  

God’s Blessings 

"We must teach more by example than by word." ~  Saint Mary MacKillop

Noeleen O'Neill
Principal