Dear Parents

As the year draws to a close, I take this opportunity to thank you all for the amazing support you have been to our school community in so many ways. It has been wonderful to have been able to gather and celebrate many exciting events this year and we are grateful for the way the community has come together. We have had a very successful year and we are thankful for our staff who have been so dedicated and committed to ensuring every child has been given the opportunity and support to reach their potential.  

We are sad to be saying goodbye to several of our much loved and highly valued staff. These staff members are all leaving us for exciting journeys ahead and, while we celebrate these opportunities for them, we are sad that they are leaving us. We thank them for all they have brought to our school community and, particularly to the children in our care.

We are saying a temporary farewell to Kayla Dobric as she is leaving us to add a new little member to her family, with a baby due in early January. We wish Kayla and her family all the very best and look forward to her return at some stage in the future.

We are saying goodbye to Nicola Broeren as she leaves us to take on her first teaching position at St Gabriel’s Traralgon. We wish Nicola all the very best with her new position next year and her upcoming Wedding in April 2023.

We are also saying goodbye to Hugh Sapkin who leaves us to commence a stint of travelling.  We wish Hugh all the very best with his travels and look forward to hearing all about his adventures.

We have just learned that Zac Cantrill will also be leaving St Mary’s as he has will be commencing his first teaching position at Kurnai College in the new year. We wish Zac all the very best for his new teaching role.

While we are sad to be saying goodbye to such wonderful members of our staff, we are excited to welcome several new staff members to St Mary’s. We welcome Georgie Di Savia as our new Foundation teacher. We also welcome Christine Ruiter and Lachie Ware as our new Year 5/6 teachers. We also welcome two new ESOs,  Jasmyn Selmes and Cassie Shields. We look forward to getting to know these new staff members and welcoming them into our St Mary’s community.

This year has certainly taught us that life is full of surprises! We have learned over recent years to accept change and challenge with positivity. We look forward with anticipation to the potential that life brings as we embrace new learning, new adventures and endless possibilities. We are excited for what next year will bring and are thankful for the blessings each of us has been given this year.

On behalf of the St Mary’s staff I wish you all a very special Christmas with those you love and we look forward to 2023 when we come back together for another exciting year.

Kind regards
Lisa