Principal's Message 26th November 2021

Dear families,

I trust you have had a good week.

It’s been a busy, productive week with everyone back and swimming lessons having commenced for our P-2 students. What a thrill it’s been to have had a full, undisrupted, mad week!

As preparations ramp up towards the end of the school year, it is with mixed emotions that I formally announce that Mrs Olive Chodowski will be retiring at the end of this year.
Mrs Chodowski has made such a lasting impression on so many families in our community since she began teaching at St Mary’s in 1990. I don’t know any other educator this close to retirement, who would have stuck to teaching given what the last 2 years of learning have looked like. This alone is testament to the kind of person Olive is.  I know you will join me in thanking Olive for her commitment to her students over these many years. Olive, it has been a pleasure working with you over the last 18 months. Your honesty has been welcomed and refreshing and the way you have supported me in my initiation into principalship will not be forgotten. May your future be filled with lots of golf, feasts with friends and the making of beautiful memories as you prepare to welcome your first grandchild in the new year.

With Olive leaving, I am pleased to announce that we have hired a new staff member. Mr Wil Robinson-Marks (known as Mr Marks) will join our teaching staff in 2022. He comes to us from Kingsville.

Tomorrow, we will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation with our Year 6 students. We are thrilled to be able to go ahead with the celebration without a cap on numbers. This means that our students can have as many vaccinated family members as they wish to attend this very special occasion.
I ask the Lord to bless them as they strengthen their relationship with our God.

This Sunday, our Church begins preparing for the celebration of our Christ’s birth with the First Sunday of Advent.

This week’s Readings lead us to contemplate how we are going to prepare, grow and change during this Advent season.

Through the power of prayer during this Season, may we open ourselves to allow Jesus to transform us in readiness to accept Him this Christmas.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Sonia