Dear Parents and Carers,

As we enter this season of Lent, we are reminded of the importance of making time to reflect, pray, and give to those in need. During this season, we encourage our students to embrace acts of kindness, charity, and prayer, and to deepen their relationship with God. At St Mary’s, we will be engaging in activities that will help our students reflect on the true meaning of Lent. We hope that all of our students can use this time to grow in faith and character.

Alongside the Lenten season, we also want to remind families that NAPLAN testing has commenced this week for our students in Years 3 and 5. The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) provides an important opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning in key areas of literacy and numeracy. At St Mary’s, we take a supportive and holistic approach to NAPLAN, ensuring that our students are prepared but not stressed. We encourage students to approach these tests with confidence, knowing that they have the skills and knowledge to succeed. A good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast, and being on time for school are all strategies that help every student achieve their best. 

We are currently accepting enrolment applications for 2026, we are hosting an Open Day session next Thursday night from 5:30pm-6:30pm, and on Friday from 9:30am-11:00am. The greatest advertisement is word of mouth in our community, so please spread the word about our wonderful school. Please feel free to attend one of our Open Day Sessions if you would like the opportunity to wander through our beautiful school. 

At Mary’s, the safety of our students is always our priority, after consultation with our community we have made the decision to trial our students walking or riding bikes home through the western end of Cork’s Lane to provide a safer route home.  A teacher will escort students to the corner of the oval and send them on their way down Cork’s Lane through the new subdivision. This routine will begin next Monday. If you would prefer for your child to continue to walk down via the highway, please let the school know so we can ensure students are supervised to the corner.

I look forward to seeing you in our school next week,

Yours in partnership
Laurinda Nelson