Newsletter Term 4, Week 2 2025
Thursday 30th October- Year 3 First Reconciliation
Monday 3 November- School Closure
Dear Families, Students, Staff and Parish Community,
Welcome back to Term 4 — a hope-filled time of year. The energy around the school has been fantastic, and I thank everyone for helping make such a positive start.
School Review Update
In Week 1, we entered the interview and analysis stage of our school review with independent reviewer Stephen Russell. My sincere thanks to all parents, students, staff and leadership team members who contributed. Your reflections helped celebrate what we do well and identify priorities for the next four years. Early feedback has been affirming — particularly our strong sense of community, trust and approachability, and the significant learning progress of our students.
St Margaret Mary’s Feast Day
Yesterday we celebrated St Margaret Mary’s Feast Day — a highlight of our school year and a true celebration of faith, joy and community led by the highly talented and renowned Gospel musician Gen Bryant. The day began with a beautiful Mass, followed by Parishioners and families gathering for morning tea. The children enjoyed a junior, middle senior and choir incursion of lively music and celebration led by Gen and her team. The day concluded with a family, parish and friend’s sing-along, where our students led the community in the songs and hymns, they had been learning, praying and reflecting on with Gen. It was a wonderful celebration of faith, music and togetherness — a real reflection of who we are as a school community.
Celebrating Simon Devlin
It is with both joy and a touch of sadness that we share that Mr Simon Devlin has been appointed Deputy Principal at St James Catholic Primary School, Hoppers Crossing, from the beginning of 2026. This new role, in a larger school and different context, is a wonderful next step on his pathway towards principalship.
Simon joined St Margaret Mary’s in 2011 as a classroom teacher and has since taken on key leadership roles whilst being Deputy Principal from 2022— Learning and Teaching Leader, Learning Diversity Leader, Religious Education and Community Faith Leader, Simon has led with kindness, courage, grit, wisdom and good humour, guiding our community through both joyous and challenging times.
On behalf of us all, I thank Simon for his friendship, loyalty, wise counsel and wit. He truly is the gem of our Gem of the West. While we will miss him greatly, we celebrate this exciting new opportunity and all that lies ahead for Simon and his family.
Farewell to Ms Lucy O’Dea
Since joining us in 2022, Ms Lucy O’Dea has been a much-loved member of the St Margaret Mary’s community. From her work in Learning Enhancement to her creative leadership in STEM, Lucy has brought warmth, positivity and a deep care for every child.
As her twin girls begin school next year, Lucy will take up a new teaching role at St Leo the Great. We thank her for her generosity of spirit and wish her and her family every happiness for the next chapter.
Farewell to Mr Cameron Owen
Since joining us in 2023 as a Learning Support Officer, Mr Cameron Owen has made a remarkable impact through his calm, respectful and encouraging presence. His ability to connect with students and help them thrive has been deeply valued.
Cameron now returns home to Tasmania to take up an exciting opportunity with the Tasmanian VFL team. We thank him for his contribution and wish him every success for the future.
Farewell Chelsea
We send our love and very best wishes to Chelsea, who will finish at the end of next week as she and Kristian prepare to welcome their baby. Chelsea has been a wonderful part of our school community and we thank you Chelsea for the care and joy you have brought to SMM. Sending every blessing to you both as you await the arrival of your little one. May this special time be filled with peace, love, and happiness — and we look forward to meeting the newest McGill before Christmas!
Faith and Sacramental Life
This term, our Year 3 students are preparing to celebrate First Reconciliation. We keep these children in our prayers and thank Ms Falcone and Ms Wilson, who have prepared them so thoughtfully alongside their parents and families.
Reconciliation reminds us that hope, peace and renewal often begin in small, everyday moments of kindness and forgiveness. As we move towards Advent, may we each find time to pause, give thanks and share that peace with one another.
Learning and Wellbeing
Our Year 3 Camp at Camp Wilkens in Anglesea was a great success — full of teamwork, fun and adventure (with more than just a few persistent mosquitoes!). A huge thank-you to the staff who attended with and supported the students so beautifully: Mr Smith, Ms Falcone, Ms Wilson, Ms P., Mr McKay, Mr Mitchell, Ms Crofton and Mr Owen.
Across all year levels, students have quickly settled into routines and differentiated learning for the final term of 2025. Our wellbeing programs continue to focus on connection, kindness and building confidence as we finish the year strongly.
Looking Ahead
Monday 20 October: FSG Meeting – staffroom, light refreshments provided. This will be Simon’s final FSG meeting; all are warmly welcome to come and propose a toast!
Tuesday 21 October: Foundation 2026 Orientation Morning 9.15 am – a lovely opportunity to welcome new families and reconnect with existing family members.
Thank You
Thank you for your continued support, trust and partnership. Together, we’ll make Term 4 a wonderful finish to another year of growth and community spirit.
Take Care,
Colleen McCambridge
Principal
Follow our socials for the latest learning posts from the classroom
St Margaret Mary’s students are independent life-long learners inspired by Gospel values and empowered with a sense of purpose and responsibility. They confidently engage with others and are equipped with skills to adapt to an ever changing world.
Each week, students who embody our values, apply the school mindsets to learning, work hard to improve or persevere to deliver on learning objectives are awarded a class award. Awards will be handed out at our next assembly in week 3 at 2.45 pm. The students who earned an award in the past weeks are:
Week 2
Week 1
What a Night! 🎉
We had an incredible time at our school disco on the last day of term! There was plenty of dancing, laughter, and fun to celebrate the end of a great term. A huge thank you to our amazing parent volunteers and the FSG for organising such a fantastic evening — your effort and energy made it a night to remember!
Around the Rooms
Foundation
Welcome back to Term 4! We’ve had a wonderful start and are so proud of how well the children have settled back into school life. It’s hard to believe we’re already in our final term of Prep, what an exciting milestone!
In Phonics, we’ve been learning some new sounds such as wh, th, and oo. The students are doing a fantastic job recognising these sounds and applying them in their reading and writing.
In Mathematics, we’ve been finishing off our sharing and grouping unit. The children have loved our hands-on activities, using counters and real-life objects to explore fair sharing in fun and practical ways!
During Faith Life, we’ve been reflecting on quotes from Mary MacKillop and discussing how we can connect her messages to our own lives, showing kindness, helping others, and making good choices.
In Life Inquiry, we’ve introduced the iPads and have been learning how to use them safely and responsibly. The students have shown great enthusiasm and maturity as they explore new digital tools for learning.
We’re looking forward to an exciting term ahead, filled with continued learning, creativity, and celebration as we move toward the end of the Prep year!
Year 1
It has been a wonderful start to Term 4 in Year 1! In Maths we have already covered two topics; Data and Location. Students explored data collection and learned what makes a good question when gathering information in the Data unit, and they have been learning how to give detailed directions using terms such as left, right, backwards and forwards in the Location unit. We also practised skip counting money in Number Blast. In Literacy, we have been focusing on the different sounds letters can make—discovering how c can make the /s/ sound and g can make the /j/ sound. During SEL, students have been learning about teamwork and how to work together effectively. In Faith Life, we have been learning about St Margaret Mary, exploring her life, teachings, and some of her inspiring quotes. We cannot wait to see what the rest of the term has to bring!
Years 2
Students have returned to school bright, refreshed, and ready for a wonderful final term of learning. It’s been a busy and creative fortnight in Grade 2. In our storybook sessions, we have been exploring “The Story of Rosy Dock”, by author and artist Jeannie Baker. Inspired by her unique collage style and her use of natural materials to tell stories, students created their own textured collage artworks. In Mathematics, we’ve started our new unit on fractions, learning about halves, quarters, and eighths. Students enjoyed hands-on activities such as creating colourful fraction rainbows to help them visualise equal parts. In Faith Life, we have been learning about St Margaret Mary’s inspirational quotes and reflecting on how we can find peace, live with hope, and show compassion and love in our everyday lives, as we prepare for a fantastic feast day celebration.
Years 3 and 4
This week our Grade 3/4 students enjoyed an unforgettable camp at Camp Wilkin in Anglesea. They took part in a range of exciting activities, including archery, low ropes, the flying fox and the leap of faith. It was wonderful to see everyone challenge themselves and have fun with friends. Some of our students reflected on their favourite moments from camp.
Camp was awesome. I loved the Leap of Faith because we all encouraged each other and I got the chance to do it! - Maeve Gooch.
My favourite part of school camp was ‘Archery’ because it was challenging and fun. 10 out of 10! - Daniel
The low ropes were my favourite activity. Camp gave me lots of great memories- Will
Camp really made me push my limits! It was amazing and the activities were great. My favourites were the ‘Flying Fox’ and the ‘Leap of Faith’. The flying fox was super fun because it went super fast and the leap of faith was super high! - Ava
My favourite part of camp was playing initiative games, especially the ‘Ball and Pipe’ challenge. - Emerson
Year 5/6
St Margaret Mary Feast Day Preparations
In preparation for St Margaret Mary’s Feast Day, we have been learning about St Margaret Mary and her inspiring life of faith, kindness, and devotion. Students explored four of her quotes, reflecting on what each one meant to them personally and the message it shared about living with love and compassion. After a deep discussion and reflection, each student chose their favourite quote to visually represent through art. These creative pieces capture how St Margaret Mary’s words continue to guide us in showing kindness and gratitude in our daily lives. Our beautiful artworks are now proudly displayed in the hallway.
St Margaret Mary’s Feast Day
It was a wonderful way to celebrate our Feast Day yesterday with our parish, community, and Gen Bryant and her band. The St Margaret Mary’s Church was filled with music, singing, and joy as students, staff, and families came together for the concert. Gen and her band brought such great energy, and it was inspiring to see everyone joining in with clapping, dancing, and singing along.
The celebration was a reminder of the vibrant spirit of our school and parish community and the joy that comes from sharing our faith together. It truly was a special day of connection, celebration, and gratitude for all that makes St Margaret Mary’s such a wonderful place to belong.
Reconciliation Formation Evening
We had a wonderful turnout for our Reconciliation Formation Evening on Wednesday. Our host, Sam O’Dwyer, led the evening beautifully, sharing valuable insights and knowledge about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It was a special and meaningful evening that helped our students prepare for this important sacrament of healing.
Year 6 Graduation- Friday, December 12th
Our Year 6 Graduation will be held on Friday, December 12th, as we come together to celebrate our graduating students and their wonderful years at St Margaret Mary’s.
The evening will begin with a Graduation Mass at 5.30 pm, followed by a celebration at the Spotswood RSL at approximately 6.30 pm.
The event will include:
Finger food and cake
A DJ and dancing
Special gifts for our graduates
Drinks will be available at bar prices.
🎟️ Ticket via the QR code and SMM Graduation 2025
Please book early so we can finalise catering and arrangements.
We look forward to celebrating this special milestone with our Year 6 students and their families as they prepare for the next exciting chapter of their learning journey.
🍾MACSSIS Family Survey🥂
Thank you to all those who completed the survey. The winner of our competition is Mariana! There’s a bottle of bubbly waiting in the office for you.
BYO Chromebooks for 2026
Below is important information for our Year 2 families regarding the Chromebook program, which will begin next year as the students move into Year 3.
Chess Club Term 4
Emmanuel College Latest News – 15 October 2025
TEDx Youth Event
Last Tuesday, Emmanuel College joined an elite group — becoming only the 14th school in Australia to host a TEDx Youth event.
Our students were truly outstanding — each identified a pressing issue in society and presented their “big idea for a brighter future.” Their talks were engaging, deeply thoughtful, and delivered with confidence, passion, and purpose.
Moments like these remind us that the future is in good hands. These young people are not just students — they are emerging leaders and changemakers with the vision and courage to make a difference. Congratulations to all involved — what an incredible achievement!
60th Anniversary Reunion – What a Night!
What a fantastic evening we had last Friday, celebrating our 60th Anniversary Reunion!
It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces — from the original 1965 cohort right up to 2024 past students and staff — catching up, laughing, and sharing stories from their time at Emmanuel College.
The displays of sports, musicals, camps, social justice, buildings, and classroom memorabilia sparked plenty of great memories, and the delicious food and drinks kept the conversations flowing.
A huge thank you to everyone who came along and made it such a memorable night. We look forward to sharing photos of the evening with you over the coming weeks.
Year 7, 2027 Enrolments
A reminder that applications for Year 7, 2027 closed on 15 August.
Letters of Offer and waitlist notifications will be emailed on Friday 17 October 2025.
If you have a child currently in Year 5 and haven’t yet applied, please get in touch with our College Registrar, Ms Donna Grech, on 8325 5100 as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Jenny Hendricks
Community Engagement Officer
Year 7, 2027 – Applications Closing Soon
St Mary’s College will be sending out offers for Year 7, 2027 in the coming weeks. Families who are considering St Mary’s for their child’s secondary education are encouraged to ensure their application has been submitted as soon as possible.
Places are filling quickly, and late applications may miss out on the opportunity to be considered in the first round of offers.
If you have not yet applied, we strongly encourage you to do so now. Applications can be completed via the College website, or by contacting our Enrolments Office at registrar@stmaryscollege.vic.edu.au
