Newsletter Term 4, Week 4 2025
Monday 3 November- School Closure
Tuesday 4 November- 🏇Melbourne Cup Public Holiday🏆
Dear Families, Students, Staff and Parish Community,
Thank you for taking the time to read our second newsletter for Term 4.
Please note we are finalising class lists for 2026 so please communicate directly with me through email if there are educational or social emotional aspects you wish to be considered in the placement of your child for 2026.
As we move through the final weeks of October, we continue our journey in the Ordinary Time of the Church year — a season marked by growth, gratitude, and renewal. Across the school, students are exploring our values of Respect, Integrity, Compassion, and Excellence, guided by the inspiring words and life of St Margaret Mary. You may have seen some of their beautiful artistic and written reflections shared in our recent newsletter.
New School Logo Design process
Building on this learning, we are inviting students to share ideas and creative inspiration as part of a process to refresh our school logo. This is a wonderful opportunity to ensure that our visual identity continues to reflect the heart of our school — our faith, our children, and our vibrant community. Parents and guardians will also be invited to contribute their thoughts in the coming weeks.
Please be assured that this will be a gradual and thoughtful process, and that no new uniform purchases or additional costs will be required as part of this transition.
FSG Term 4, 2025 meeting report
Our recent Fundraising and Social Group (FSG) meeting was a wonderful celebration of community spirit and teamwork, with a fantastic turnout and a strong sense of pride in what has been our most successful fundraising year in recent times. Stay tuned for the next newsletter, where you can read about the significant student-centred improvements made possible by all families’ contributions.
Parish–School Partnership
It was a pleasure to host a Parish–School meeting with Fr Samuel, representatives from Sacred Heart and the Parish Council, and our Religious Education leaders Simon and James Mitchell (who will take on the role in 2026). Together we reflected on what it means to be working together in mission and celebrated the shared faith and achievements of our parish and schools.
Building and Restoration Works
Through the generous support of our family financial contributions through our school Building Levy, significant restoration works have been completed this year, making our school safer, cleaner, and more conducive to calm learning, children feeling safe using our facilities and playing spaces.
These include:
Last year’s opening of the new restored Administration area due to falling walls and unsafe, narrow internal pathways and non-compliant egress.
Junior toilet facilities, partitions, roof, lighting and external facade restorations
Spouting replacement, drain cleaning, and roof leak repairs
The repair of the bifold wall between Year 2 classrooms
New pinboards, religious artwork, and the framed image of St Margaret Mary in our administration area
Unfortunately, on Sunday we experienced flooding that affected part of the hall and the sports storage. We engaged Industrial cleaners who promptly extracted the water and disinfected the space Monday night. We now have Make-safe contractors investigating where the water came in to prevent future issues.
Staffing news
We extend our warmest congratulations and best wishes to Eleanor Crawford, who will be joining Sacred Heart Newport next year. Eleanor began her teaching journey here at St Margaret Mary’s as a graduate and now looks forward to working closer to home and where her own children attend, while embracing a new professional challenge and greater work–life balance.
Congratulations also to Luke Rushworth Stock, who has secured an exciting new role in the media industry — his lifelong passion and field of study. Luke’s contribution to the wellbeing and learning of our students has been significant, and we wish him every success in this next chapter.
We also share that Tayla Kelly, our much-loved Foundation teacher, has purchased an apartment in the east and will be leaving St Margaret Mary’s in 2026. Our heartfelt thanks go to Tayla for her dedication to the learning, wellbeing, and success of our youngest students.
We thank Eleanor, Luke, and Tayla for their care, professionalism, and wonderful contribution to our students and school community, and we wish each of them every blessing for the journey ahead.
2025 School Fees, Levy’s Report – With thanks
Thank you to our families for making this our most successful year in the payment of school fees. We understand the many competing pressures on household budgets and are truly grateful that St Margaret Mary’s continues to be a valued priority for your family.
Alongside this wonderful commitment, our partnership with Edstart, introduced in 2024, has made it easier for families to spread payments across twelve months rather than the usual three-term schedule. If you haven’t yet finalised your 2025 fees and are not using Edstart, please take a moment to do so or feel free to reach out—I’m always here to assist.
World Teacher’s Day
We marked World Teachers’ Day with a morning tea and cupcakes to recognise the commitment, professionalism and heart our teachers bring to their work each day. The photo captures our junior team deep in collaborative planning — and yes, a few sneaky extra cupcakes may have found their way into the planning room.
Enhancing Family–School Relationships
I’m very pleased to announce our partnership with family engagement expert Tony Dalton, beginning in November—with more opportunities to follow in 2026. Please look out for an Operoo notice about an important upcoming event with Tony, a highly respected Victorian educator and consultant with more than 45 years of experience in strengthening school–family partnerships. Tony will work with our community to build even stronger connections between families and teachers in supporting children’s learning. Parents, guardians, and students are warmly invited to attend on Monday 24 November at 2:15 pm or 6:00 pm.
Thank you everyone and I trust you all have a relaxing extra-long weekend – noting that Monday is staff report writing day.
Take Care,
Colleen McCambridge
Principal
Remembrance Day
Our school captains will be visiting classes next week to sell Remembrance Day poppies. The prices range between $2 and $5. All money raised will go towards supporting the RSL.
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 7 at 2.45 pm. The students who earned an award in the past weeks are:
Week 4
Week 3
Around the Rooms
Foundation
What a busy and exciting two weeks it has been in Prep!
We’ve been focusing a lot on writing, especially learning how to write recounts. To help us get into the writing mindset, we’ve participated in several fun language experiences practising our soccer skills, having a running race, and even enjoying a few lollies as a reward! These shared experiences have given us plenty to talk and write about, helping students use their own experiences to plan and record their ideas.
In Maths, we’ve been learning about positional language words like in front, behind, next to, and between. Our running race linked perfectly to this learning as we used positional words to describe where we and our friends finished in the race. We have also been learning to make maps and use our directional language in games such as snakes and ladders.
In Faith Life, we’ve been exploring how to use the iPads responsibly and creatively. We’ve also been enjoying the Bee-Bot app, which connects beautifully to our Maths learning by helping us practise direction and spatial awareness.
It’s been a busy, hands-on, and joyful fortnight in Prep full of learning, laughter, and teamwork!
Girls inside the house and boys outside the house.
Year 1
Over the past fortnight, Year 1 students have been busy consolidating their learning across all areas. In numeracy, we have been exploring the concept of time, learning about the days of the week, months of the year, and how to read analogue clocks. We have also been revising what an array is. During Literacy, students have been practising reading words with multiple syllables and reviewing key sounds they have learned throughout the year. In SEL, our focus has been on water safety in preparation for the summer months, and recycling. During Faith Life, students have been learning to use different iPad applications, including Bee-Bots for coding and how to take and use photos to enhance their digital learning skills. We also completed our final Inform and Empower session with Ollie Online, and now feel more confident navigating the digital world!
Years 2
This fortnight in Mathematics we wrapped up our unit on fractions, learning about halves, quarters, and eighths. Students discovered how fractions represent parts of a whole and how they can apply to numbers, time, length, mass, and capacity. We finished the unit with a fun, hands-on session using blocks, counters, paper, playdough, and MABs to create and compare fractions. We’ve now begun our new unit on data, where students have been exploring how to ask relevant survey questions and record responses. We even surveyed our classroom to find out the most popular choices and are looking forward to diving deeper into our data learning!
In SEL, we created our own “Problem Monsters” to help us understand the different sizes of problems and how to respond appropriately. Students designed gigantic, medium, and tiny monsters, each labelled with a corresponding problem. This creative activity has helped us learn to pause, think, and regulate our emotions before reacting.
Years 3 and 4
In Literacy, we have been enjoying reading Yirra and Her Deadly Dog Demon and exploring Aboriginal culture and identity through the story. Students have also been working on writing factual recounts about the history of the Aboriginal flag, learning how to organise information clearly and accurately.
Our Grade 3 students have been preparing for their First Reconciliation. Through this journey, we have been learning about forgiveness and mending broken relationships by reading and reflecting on Bible stories such as Zacchaeus and The Lost Sheep.
In Mathematics, we’ve been having lots of fun with our “Number Blasts,” practising mental maths skills through quick-thinking games and challenges that help build confidence and fluency with numbers.
Year 5/6
In our recent SEL lessons, Year 5/6 students have been exploring the qualities that make strong and compassionate leaders. They began by completing the VIA Character Strengths Survey to identify their own unique character strengths.The VIA character strength looks at the 24 character strengths that make up what’s best about our personality. By answering various questions it highlights our positive strengths, while also noting characteristics that we may need a little more work on.
Using their results, students designed creative Strengths Shields that represented their top five strengths and how these can support them as leaders and team members.
Through discussion and reflection, students examined how their personal strengths help them lead with integrity, collaborate effectively, and contribute positively to group challenges. This unit encouraged students to recognise and celebrate what makes them unique, while also deepening their understanding of how to use their strengths to uplift and support others.
First Reconciliation
It was wonderful to watch our students participate in their First Reconciliation on Thursday evening. This special sacrament of healing marks an important step in their faith journey and leads on to the celebration of First Holy Communion and, later, Confirmation in Year 6. We congratulate our students and wish them every success as they continue to grow in their spiritual lives.
Altar Server Training
Following their First Holy Communion, some of our Year 4 and 5 students have begun their Altar Server training. Sessions are taking place on either Tuesday or Thursday mornings with Mr Devlin and Fr Samuel. We thank these students for their willingness to serve our parish community in this special way.
Exploring the Words and Legacy of St Margaret Mary
This term, students across all year levels have been exploring some of the inspiring words of St Margaret Mary and reflecting on what they mean for us as a school community. Each class engaged in different activities that invited creativity, discussion, and reflection on how we can live out her message of love, compassion, and forgiveness in our everyday lives.
Some classes designed sheep to represent themselves as part of the flock of Jesus, drawing on the quote:
“The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a furnace of love for all people.”
Through this, students expressed their understanding that everyone is loved equally and completely, no matter what they look like or what they enjoy.
Others explored what can hurt or mend relationships through the words:
“The Heart of Jesus burns with love and mercy; it forgets injuries and gives only kindness in return.”
These reflections encouraged students to see how forgiveness and kindness help heal and strengthen our connections with others.
Across the school, students also looked at a range of other quotes from St Margaret Mary and completed creative responses that will soon be displayed around the school. In a special project, students have begun designing ideas for a new school logo, reflecting on the symbols and meanings within our current crest. They considered how our logo represents our values—Respect, Integrity, Compassion, and Excellence—and the legacy of the Sisters of St Joseph, who founded our school.
One of St Margaret Mary’s quotes will also be incorporated into our new building works, ensuring her message of love and mercy continues to guide us into the future.
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.
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.
Happy World Teacher’s Day to our Brilliant group of teachers at SMM!
Emmanuel College Latest News – 28 October 2025
60th Anniversary Reunion Celebration
Emmanuel College proudly hosted its Diamond Jubilee Reunion at the St Paul’s campus on 10 October – and it was a wonderful celebration of 60 years of college life, growth and community. The event brought together over 300 past and present members of the Emmanuel family, who enjoyed a night of great food, conversation and camaraderie. Guests explored a rich display of photographs, memorabilia and historical artefacts, reflecting the College’s journey across both the St Paul’s and Notre Dame Campuses. A heartfelt thank you goes to the dedicated team who organised the event and to everyone that joined us to make the evening so memorable. Here’s to the next 60 years of Emmanuel College – and to the continued spirit of community, faith and the excellence that defines us.
Twilight Talk and Tour
We welcome you to join us at the upcoming Twilight Talk and Tour events, where you will hear from College Principal, Dr Janine Biggin, find out more about the College’s innovative learning programs, and enjoy a tour led by student ambassadors. Below are the dates and registration links for each campus:
Notre Dame Campus – Wednesday 5 November 2025 at 6:00pm
Register here
St Paul’s Campus – Tuesday 11 November 2025 at 6:00pm
Register here
Year 7, 2027 Enrolments
A reminder that applications for Year 7, 2027 closed on 15 August. Letters of Offer and waitlist notifications were emailed to families on Friday 17 October 2025.
If you have a child currently in Year 5 and haven’t applied yet, please get in touch with our College Registrar, Ms Donna Grech, as soon as possible on 8325 5100.
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
