Dear Parents and Caregivers

We have finally made it to the end of another successful, yet challenging year here at Mary Mac. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff for their hard work this year. As you know, we are in the midst of a teacher shortage and we are very lucky to have the committed staff members we have in our community. Each one of them is dedicated to helping your children be the best they can be, and by working in partnership with you, we are setting our students up for success. I wish all of our fantastic Year 6 students and the families who are leaving our community, all the very best for the future. Thank you for your valued contributions here at Mary Mac. You will be missed. At the same time, we look forward to welcoming our new Kindergarten students and all the other new families into our school in 2024. Let’s hope that it is a great year.

Staffing Update We have just learned that Mrs Kylie Mawson has accepted a position at Telethon Speech and Hearing and she will be leaving us after spending the past 16 years here. This is a wonderful opportunity for Kylie and we wish her every blessing for the future. We have been very fortunate to find a wonderful replacement for Kylie and we welcome Miss Nat Brescacin into our school next year. As announced at the Christmas concert, we welcome Mrs Jane Cullen into our community and we wish Miss Rose Connell all the best as she undertakes her new adventure in Karratha.  As I have already said, we are very lucky to have the staff we have and I’m sure you will support me by showing your gratitude towards them in your daily dealings with them. I think this teacher shortage is only going to get worse, and we need to look after our people as best we can.

Booklists As stated earlier in the Penola, Campion have offered our school a new way of purchasing our books and stationary. By purchasing everything in bulk, we no longer need to send booklists home. In fact, they have guaranteed us that by doing it this way, all parents will save between 20% and 40% off the old prices. So, for parents and caregivers, the only thing you need to supply next year will be art smocks or headphones (if requested by individual teachers). Everything else will be done for you by the school and the reduced price will be added to the amenities section of your school fees next year. This will save you time and money around Christmas time. Everything will be delivered directly to the classrooms before the end of the year and the teachers will have all stationery items set to go on Day 1 next year.

Awareness/Compassion Reflection Compassion is an action word with no boundaries.

The complete staffing list is attached to this newsletter so you will know exactly who will be doing what in 2024. Please note that the students return to school on Wednesday 31 January, although the office will be open from 22 January. The builders will start work on the Kindergarten redevelopment this weekend and hopefully, all work will be completed by the time the students return. If there are any delays, we will be in touch with the alternate arrangements. However, our builder has hit all targets so far and I’m hopeful, this stage won’t be an exception.

I wish you a very safe, peaceful and holy Christmas with your loved ones and I look forward to working with you once again next year.

Yours sincerely

Laurie Bechelli