This is our school. It belongs to all of us. It belongs to you, but it belongs to me also. It belongs to the teachers and it belongs to your parents too. All of us have to work together to make it the best possible learning environment it can be. You must help us create a safe, warm welcoming community to all and be positive, happy and proud you are part of the St. Mary's family. We are a school and you come here to learn what you need to know to build a life for yourself in the future, but in building that life you must start with putting the foundations in place first.

As a Catholic School, we know that your relationship with God is very important and we will use all our skill to help you grow in love with God. We know that in this country English Language and the ability to read and write well are important tools to help you learn for the rest of your life and succeed later on. We believe that for most of you Mathematics is important too. These are the foundations we hope you will get at this school. We will concentrate on this. You should too.

All the adults in your life are already proud of you. You are a worthwhile person with your own set of skills and strengths. We want to help you build on these. So much of your happiness in life depends on the ability to get along and relate well to others, and we will try to help you with this too. We know you are a creative person who likes to express your own ideas whether by speaking them aloud, writing them down, representing them artistically or through music and dance. We will provide you with opportunities to develop this. We care about your health and will encourage you to care too.

So we are about building the best YOU to deal with the future. What does the future hold? What will it look like? I don't know. I can only guess. However, some things never change. In your future, you will need to have Christian values and a strong sense of right and wrong. You will need to have the skills to be life long learners and be able to adapt and change as the world changes. You will need to be able to access information and make sense of it and learn from it. You will need to be a good team member, but also be your own person and be able to stand alone sometimes, and on your own two feet.

In the end, all the adults in your life, parents and teachers, just want you to be happy. We know, through our experience, that for this to happen you will need to be a useful individual who can serve his or her family, community and country to the best of your ability in whatever way God calls you to do. Whatever the future holds, it is up to you to help create it - because the future is yours. Good luck and God Bless. I know you can do it.

Mr. Rob Allen
Principal