Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

Dear Families,

As outlined in previous communications, we are in the process of replacing Operoo for permissions and notices with nForma Parent Portal. This requires parents to ensure that they have access to the nForma parent Portal before the 4th December.

On 4th December, Operoo will cease activation for St Mary’s Altona; we will then be provided with our data to archive for compliance requirements. 

There are several items that parents will need to attend to before this day.

• Ensure that you have access to the nForma platform (downloaded the App on your phone or accessed it on a computer)
• Update the Medical information for your children in the nForma portal

In order to provide families with as much information as possible in the one platform, nForma will now be used for 

• Event Permission 
• Notices (replacing Operoo and UpdatEd), 
• Student Medical Information, 
• Absentee notification and 
• First Aid. 

We are also able to embed our community event calendar into the nForma Calendar.

As staff use nForma for marking attendance, parents will be able to mark their child absent using the app, which will feed directly into classroom attendance rolls. Therefore, the absentee form on the website will be decommissioned on the 5th December, replaced with a link to the nForma Parent Portal.

During this time of transition, there may be some overlapping of data and parents may incorrectly be notified regarding absences. We ask for your extra patience during these potential occurrences.

We are aware that there may be other teething problems and are able to offer assistance as required. 

Please see Kristy Talty or Tony Freeman if you require assistance accessing nForma.

Regards

Sonia Riccardi

Principal

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

Social Media Age Restriction Video Series: a short, voice-led resource designed to help you understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how to support your family through it. 

This four-topic series covers: 

• A delay, not a ban: What the changes mean for your child’s access to social media 
• Why delay social media accounts? Hear directly from a young person on the benefits of waiting 
• How will the age restrictions be implemented? What to expect and how it will work 
• Support, resources and tips to prepare: Practical advice to help your family adjust 

Whether you're watching at home or listening on the go, this flexible format makes it easy to stay informed and confident in your digital parenting journey. 

You can even watch it with your child to start the conversation together! 

Regards
Marg Masseni
Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

We are excited to invite you to the third workshop in our Parent Workshop Series, taking place on Monday 1st December from 6:30 - 7:30pm, titled “Thriving through change, surviving school transitions”.

In this workshop, you will learn more about how structure, patience & warmth can help your child feel calm, confident & ready for what’s next as they move into a new year or school setting.

This practical workshop will help parents understand what transitions mean for children; emotionally, socially & developmentally and provide simple, effective strategies to help your child adapt, regulate & thrive in their new environment.

We are delighted to welcome back Elaine O’Connor, Occupational Therapist and current St. Mary's parent, who will guide us through practical, evidence-based strategies that parents can use to support their children.

Parents who attended our previous sessions have found them highly valuable, and we’re pleased to continue our learning journey with Elaine as our expert guide.

The presentation will once again be FREE for St. Mary’s parents and child minding will be offered for St. Mary’s students.

Details:

Parent Workshop: Thriving through change, surviving school transitions

Date: Monday 1st December

Time: 6:30 - 7:30pm

Location: Upstairs in the TRI Centre

Please see the attached flyer for further information and register your interest by responding via Operoo. 

We hope you can join us for what promises to be another insightful and empowering evening.

Warm regards,

Marg Masseni - Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader
Cathy Sims - Learning Diversity Leader

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

• 1st prize - Free 2026 Family Fee
• 2nd prize - 11.5" Lenovo Tablet
• 3rd Prize - Garmin Vivofit Jr 3 Activity Tracker

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

Term 4 has kicked off brilliantly, and as the weather begins to warm up, students can look forward to cooling down with a refreshing icy pole. Our senior student leaders will be selling icy poles for $1 each lunchtime from Monday to Thursday. 

All proceeds will go towards supporting the development of our exciting new ninja playground.

Please note our canteen will operate as usual on Fridays.

Thank you for your support in helping us make this fundraiser a success and for giving our students a fun way to stay cool this term!

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage

Respect • Responsibility • Resilience • Courage