Dear Parents, Guardians, and Community,

Here's a look at what's happening this week and some exciting upcoming events.

What's On This Week

• Wednesday, August 6: Australian Mathematics Competition

• Wednesday, August 6: 2026 Prep Storytime

• Friday, August 8: Feast of Mary MacKillop Mass at 9:15 a.m.

• Friday, August 8: Teeth on Wheels Visit

• Saturday, August 9: Grade 5/6 Family Mass at 6:00 p.m.

Upcoming Events

• Wednesday, August 13: Preps attending Parish Mass at 9:15 a.m.

• Thursday, August 14: Prep Excursion to Digger's Rest

• Friday, August 15: Feast of the Assumption of Mary Mass at 9:15 a.m.

• Friday, August 29: School Disco! Get ready to dance!

Feast Day of Saint Mary MacKillop

This Friday, we will celebrate Saint Mary MacKillop. Our school has a special connection to her through the Sisters of Saint Joseph, the order she established, who ran our school from 1900 to 1999.

You are welcome to join us for Mass at 9:15 a.m. on Friday. It is a great opportunity to clarify a common misunderstanding: our school is not named after Saint Mary MacKillop. Our church's official name is St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, which refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

School Review

Last week's School Review went very well, and many people had the chance to share their thoughts and ideas. The reviewer's initial feedback had no surprises, and her recommendations align with the work we are already doing to consolidate and refine our programs. We look forward to receiving her full report soon.

Welcome to Our Community

We have two new members joining us this week. Please give a warm welcome to Willow MacGregor, a Year 4 student in our 3/4 classroom. The students have already done a wonderful job of making her feel welcome.

We also welcome Lily Scriven to our staff. She is taking over as a learning support officer while Charlotte Jezard completes her final teaching round. We wish Charlotte all the best as she prepares to become a teacher!

Teacher Swap

On Tuesday we had many nervous teachers as we did a teacher swap with all teachers changing classes for Literacy and Numeracy. It was a great opportunity for teachers to use and learn about the programs used in different classes. We had Senior teachers teaching phonics and junior teachers teaching complicated fractions and lots of other things. There was a real positive buzz afterwards and appreciation of the teachers at another level. The students loved it too.

St Mary of the Cross, pray for us

Anthony

SPORTS UPDATE

Winter Interschool Sports Tops Now that the winter interschool sports season has wrapped up, please return all St Mary's tops to the school. Kindly ensure they are washed and folded. Thank you for your cooperation!

District Athletics Fifty-four St Mary's students will be competing in the 2025 Williamstown District Athletics Carnival at the Newport Athletics Club next Wednesday, August 13. These students qualified from our own Athletics Carnival last term and will now be competing against seven other schools. We wish them all the best as they aim to advance to the next level. Go St Mary's!