Term 3 has been exceptionally busy for our school community with many activities and events being held specifically for the St Mary’s College community including the 75th anniversary events, Secondary Schools’ Deaf Sports Day and our St Dominic’s Feast Day celebration.
75th Celebrations
A highlight for this year was the 75th anniversary celebrations held across 5 of our campuses over a 2 week period. It was wonderful meeting many past students and staff and hearing about each person’s journey since leaving school. Learning about how past students have strived to overcome barriers and find their place in the world is an inspiration to current staff and students and reflective of the empowerment, resilience and independence we hope to develop in all students. We are particularly grateful for the support of our partner schools in providing the venue for each event and look forward to the possibility of establishing a St Mary’s alumni.
SAC Board Meeting
The School Advisory Council met online and reviewed the school’s NAPLAN results, finances and plans for the growth of the College. We welcomed new member Alexandra and look forward to her contributions and advice in ensuring St Mary’s continues to provide an exceptional education for deaf and hard of hearing students. New members are more than welcome and any interested parents or past students can contact Lexie at the administration office for more information on 9800 2733 or admin@smdeaf.vic.edu.au.
Enrolment interviews
We have commenced pre-enrolment interviews with year 7 2025 applicants and also transition meetings with new students entering the school in 2024. It has been a wonderful experience meeting each student and learning about their strengths and goals. There is a high level of interest in enrolling with St Mary’s and we have waiting lists at many year levels so I would encourage anyone interested in enrolling to do so early to avoid disappointment.
2024 Planning
The College Leadership Team has been working hard on planning for next year including preparing the budget, setting fees and establishing staffing. We are fortunate to have a bursary that was set up following a generous bequest to the school that allows for the continual upskill and training of staff in deaf education. This ensures that even with the current teacher shortage, teachers with limited experience in teaching students who are deaf or hard of hearing can quickly gain the necessary skills to provide quality teaching to our students.
National Child Protection Week (NAPCAN)
Last week was NAPCAN Week. The overarching message was: ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’. Where children start in their lives in terms of where they live, the resources available to them, and the opportunities presented makes a significant difference to their life outcomes. In order to ensure deaf and hard of hearing students have a ‘fair go’, they need access to the same information as children with typical hearing. They need to know of the softer conversations in the classroom and yard, the respectful way conflicts are resolved and relationships work between adults and children and what others say when they are empowered. If this knowledge is usually learnt by being overheard, we need to make sure our children get access to this information through the use of FM and captions at home and school, signing or repeating something when asked or through explicit teaching and 1:1 conversations. In doing so, we are giving students a ‘fair go’ in having a safe and supported future.
As we head into the break, I wish all our year 12 students completing practice exams over the holidays the best of luck and for everyone else, a safe, enjoyable and blessed couple of weeks.
