The last two weeks of a school year are always hectic but fun. We are very proud of the way the students have cooperated with their teachers and put their best effort into everything we have done. 

Congratulations to our special Year 6 students, as they prepare to finish up at Primary school. The Awards Night, the Year 6 Graduation Mass and Dinner were wonderful occasions, testament to the hard work and efforts of the students and staff all year. 

Congratulations to our recently elected School Leaders for 2025. These students, together with the rest of the Year group will make excellent school leaders in 2025. 

School Leaders
Tessa H
Declan T

Eyre Leaders
Abbie H
Liam McA

Cassidy Leaders
Bella S
Oliver A

Howard Leaders
Matilda W
Charnaya Te-K

It is with pleasure that I announce a couple of additions to our staff for next year.  Mrs Alyssa Ziegler has been appointed in a part time teaching capacity. We also welcome Ms Ellen Shannon who will begin teaching at St Mary's from next year. Mrs Chrstine Greig will continue working as our regular casual teacher and has offered to teach the school choir  while Mrs Fran Devonald is on leave. 

A reminder that all students return to school on Tuesday February 4, 2025. 

It has been a privilege to have led such a wonderful school community as St Mary’s for the last six years. On behalf of the staff, I would like to thank you for your commitment and messages of support this year.  

I wish you and your families a happy and blessed Christmas and a wonderful summer holiday. 

With God’s blessings.
Noeleen O’Neill 

Principal’s Address K-6 Awards Night 2024

Good evening and welcome to our Annual Awards Night, one of the great traditions of St Marys where we come together as a school community to celebrate the end of a successful school year. It is also a fitting occasion for us to recognise the efforts and achievements of our Year 6 students and to announce our new Student leadership Team for the following year.

Thank you to everyone who has worked diligently  throughout 2024 to make St Mary’s the wonderful school it is; a safe and happy place for children to learn and grow. A great place for staff to work and support each other to provide excellent learning for their students. A great place for families to feel welcome, valued and engaged in their children’s education. 

2024 has been a year of consolidation. We have continued with our clear focus on explicit instruction in literacy and numeracy. As directed by Catholic Education and its CATALYST initiative, we have fully committed to un-interrupted learning in English and Mathematics from 9 am -12 four days a week. We are unapologetic about not having extra curricular type activities between these hours, as we know that our staff and students need the consistency, routine and time for the instructional programs to be successful. 

We are privileged to be one of only twenty schools across Australia involved in the Australian Government’s Good to Great Schools Program. We are very grateful for its resourcing, Professional learning and most importantly its extensive Student Learning Tracking system. 

Evidence from GGSA and Catholic Education shows our students’ learning has shown significant growth in both Literacy and Numeracy. We have seen substantial improvements in our students’ confidence and work habits,  the rate at which they are learning and the levels they attain.  We are committed to keeping the current structure of students learning at their instructional level because we know it is working.

The leadership and staff of a school ultimately determines its success. When teachers and support staff feel valued and supported, respected by students and trusted by parents, they will go above and beyond their normal expectations to make their school even better.  I have been privileged to lead a group of committed, unassuming individuals who care deeply about each other and the children in their care.  Our teachers  and classroom support  staff are to be commended for their implementation of High Impact Teaching Practices and their willingness to deepen their understanding of how children learn best. Thank you to:

Our Support Staff 

Mrs Shellie Butler and Mrs Janet Ryan for your work with the Mastery programs and assessments and the support of our children with additional needs. You are very much appreciated by the staff and parents. 

Mr Dom Ziino, for your work in Learning Support, Student Well Being and the Lego Club, being here everyday for our students who need that little bit extra. 

Mrs Brooke Connaughton, for leading our Little Investigators Playgroup and providing much needed help in the Kinder space. Congratulations also on your running speed and endurance for when some of our little ones think that the school day should be over and begin heading for home.

Our Teaching Team: 

Mrs Gen Schofield, for your commitment to the REC role, teaching Kindergarten and the implementation of our amazing Early Years Investigations. We know that our Early Years program is loved by the children and their families and will remain a key feature of St Marys.  Earlier this year, Gen presented  ‘Early Years Learning and parent engagement’  at the Fair Education Conference in Sydney. Other schools across Australia have learnt much from our experiences. 

Mrs Jessie White, for your energy, humour and willingness to do anything to help.  Congratulations on your success with the Emerging Leaders Program at Catholic Education and for leadership of Classroom Mastery. Thank you for taking over the coordination of Learning Support following Mrs Matthew’s resignation mid way through the year  and being open to a new direction in Leadership.  We are confident Learning Support will be in very good hands in the years ahead. Thank you also for your work with the musical. 

Mrs Fran Devonald, for your dedication to the Performing Arts, your work with the musical and with our beautiful school choir. I look forward to watching them perform at the Hospital next Wednesday. I wish you well next year as you spend time with your family  and I know everyone will be keen to have you back in 2026 (just in time for another musical).

Mrs Megan Grant, for your positive contributions to Stage two and your ongoing commitment to sport.  Together with Brooke, Jessie and Carla, you run an exceptional in house school swimming program and everyone in the community knows how important that is. 

Mrs Alicia Hampson, for your structure and boundaries that even the wildest of children learn quickly to adhere to. You are the only teacher I know that can confidently give the signal, leave the classroom and have the students remain learning as if on automatic pilot! Congratulations for your success as a High Impact Teaching Practices Coach in the system.

Mr Paul Hill, for your enthusiasm with teaching Mastery classes this year and providing a rich and quality PE program across the school.

Ms Allison Lock and Mr Matthew Harpley for your leadership of Year 6 and helping them prepare and transition to high school. Thank you for setting the bar high on learning and behaviour and for your support with the K-12 STEM program.

Mr James Campbell, for volunteering to teach guitar during break time and for the way you develop strong relationships with all students  

Mrs Alyssa Ziegler and Mrs Christine Greig, our regular casual teachers for your flexibility and willingness to do whatever is required. 

Our Leadership Team:

Mrs Jess Afflick and Mrs Carla Durnan, thank you for both for your contributions to the Leadership Team and sharing the co-ordination of Religious Education at St Mary’s. Thank you for supporting the staff in developing a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith, its traditions and sacramental programs.  

Carla,  thank you for your dedication and putting your hand up to do anything that is needed at St Mary’s. Your willingness to organise our students' involvement in community events does not go unnoticed.  I wish you both well as you continue your journey as RECs next year.

Mr Justin Bateman, it would take me a very long time to list the things you do everyday to keep our school running. Only Mrs Hazell who pays the bills could possibly know how much you have done to get our school looking this good. Thank you for overseeing our new Playgrounds, the admin building works, the gardens, the fencing, classroom updates, painting etc.Thank you Justin for your ‘behind the scenes’ work,  making sure everything operates as normal as possible everyday. Next year, you will be missed greatly, far more than you know! If necessary Annette, call the Golf Club. You will find him there!

Mrs Sue Heffernan, thank you for your loyalty and dedication to student learning at St Mary’s. Under your leadership, the staff have grown in their capacity to meet the learning  needs of our students. You know every student from Kinder to Year 6 and every aspect of their learning.  Thank you for coordinating our GGSA and CATALYST partnerships.  As a small rural school, St Marys is incredibly fortunate to have someone of Sue’s professional calibre as its Assistant Principal. 

Mrs Cathy Smith and Mrs Annette Hazell, thank you for your beautiful caring manner in the Front office. I consider you Cathy one of my success stories, as I employed you! Together you ladies run a front office that resembles something between a hospital waiting room, a bank, a day care centre and central station at peak hour. I honestly don't know how you both do it all day, always with smiles on your faces.  

Annette, you have been with me since I first arrived six years ago. We have gone through a lot together, especially the bushfires, COVID and the Finance Transformation Project. My respect for you is enormous, as is my gratitude.

Father George, thank you for your support of St Mary’s this year. Together with Mrs Schofield, Mrs Afflick and Mrs Durnan you have guided our staff, students and their parents in developing their faith and understanding of the sacraments. We look forward to building upon our strong connections between school, home and the parish in 2025.

I am grateful to our hardworking School Community Council and our broader parent community for your support in 2024. As a result of your fundraising efforts this year,  we have been able to provide our Kinder to Year 6 swimming program at minimal or no cost to our families. Tonight’s Pizza has been heavily subsidised by the SCC, as a thank you to all of our parents.

This year  we say farewell to 19 of our families, as their youngest child finishes Year 6 at St Mary's. We thank the Beadon, Bishop, Cassidy, Cooper, Davies, Dowling, Hampson, Hewison, Irving, Nelson, Phelan, Rehardt, Roberson, Rowell, Smith, Stephens, Stone, Ta and Whipp families for all of their support over the years and wish them well for the future. 

Next year, we will welcome 30 new students and their families to St Mary’s. 25 into Kinder and five into other grades.  

A special congratulations to our wonderful Year 6 students who have successfully completed seven years of Primary school. I wish you well as you go onto high school and continue to learn and mature. Set high goals for yourself, persevere and you will succeed. Always remember what you learnt at St Mary’s and our school values; I am kind, I am safe, I am respectful and I am doing my Best. They are simple, but very powerful statements that we all should live by.    

The children at St Mary’s, you bring so much energy and happiness to your parents and  teachers.  You have a well earned reputation as being the best behaved students in the Eurobodalla. We are very proud of you and what you have achieved this year. Congratulations on another fine year of school!  

Tonight, I say farewell as I am retiring at the end of this year. I will leave knowing that together with Mrs Sue Heffernan and my incredible teaching team, we have worked hard to make St Mary’s a great school, where every student and staff member is challenged to be the best they can be. Despite some challenging times, especially through the Bushfires and Covid, I have loved my time as Principal of this beautiful school. My decisions were always made with the best of intentions, based on what I believed was right at the time and in the best interests of all of the children at St Mary’s. Mrs Wain is blessed to be coming to St Mary’s next year.

I will miss you all greatly and think of you often. 

Mrs Noeleen O'Neill
Principal