Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week we celebrated the Feast of St Mary of the Cross Mackillop. In her life Mary showed her love for God, for children and for those in need. In our work at St Mary’s, we too have the opportunity and privilege to do God’s work with the children in our care. We are part of the village we know it takes to raise a child. We are walking this journey with our families to ensure every child is supported, cared for and able to reach their potential. We celebrated this special event with a Prayer Gathering in the church, where we were presented with a beautiful, handmade cross bearing inscriptions that reflect the commitment St Mary Mackillop made to her faith and to those in need. The cross that hangs proudly on my wall bears the quote: “Never see a need without doing something about it.” What a perfect reminder every day that our role within this school is making a difference to the lives of each of our students.

Last week we also had the school disco. This was a fantastic event, celebrated with great excitement by all classes across the school. The support from our Parents and Friends group made the night run so smoothly and the time and dedication they continue to give to our fundraising at St Mary’s makes a huge difference as we are able to buy resources to further support the learning for the children in our school. The money from the disco will go towards the new computers that we have purchased for the students to use when engaging with ICT. We also thank the staff who gave their time to support the disco, and we appreciate how often they go above and beyond their roles to support our school.

I am currently working through the Foundation ‘Get to know you’ meetings in preparation for the 2024 school year. It is wonderful to meet our new families and have the opportunity to welcome them to our school community. It has also been heart-warming to hear how many of our new families have been recommended to come to St Mary’s through those of you whose children are already part of our school. It is so lovely to hear the particular strengths our current families value and see within our school and the confidence and reassurance you are giving to our new families as they navigate this often challenging and uncertain time.

Kind regards,

Lisa Broeren