News & Events

Molly Byrne Award _ 2020.jpg

Year 6 Graduation 2020

11.12.20

Our Graduating class had a Graduation Ceremony at Sacred Heart College on Tuesday night. On this night we also ackowledged three student awards.

Molly Byrne Award - the recipient of this award for 2020 was Taylor Clarke.
This award was presented to Taylor at the Year 6 Graduation Ceremony. Taylor was selected by a staff vote and was in recognition of her student leadership over the years.

St Martin de Porres Leadership Awards - the recipient of this award for 2020 was Finnian Rowland and Sophie Allen.
This award is selected from a combined voting system from St Martin de Porres School Staff .It encompasses the virtues of leadership, pastoral care and community engagement.

My speech to the Year 6 Graduants an their families was this:

Dear Year 6 students, Parents, Family Members, Staff and Guests

If you were to ask me “ what is the most important aspect of my job ? “ I would say this:
My work has always had a focus of how our school community can be successful. I work to ensure that as a community we recognise and celebrate being respectful, caring and future focussed human beings. That we are a school where learning is cherished, where friendships are important and where our Catholic traditions continue to form us so that we can be a positive influence in our world.

My message is clear - “Education does not change the world. Education changes people. YOU people… change the world.”

St Martin de Porres School community is built on the foundations of its Catholic traditions. These traditions, Year 6 students, are the special characteristics that I have seen through how you have gone about your time at school. They include: Dialogue. Trust. Community. Open Hearts. Kindness and Beauty.

They also include your House teams that you have been part of your school life for many years. St Dominic (Yellow) speak to us through our school prayer:
May we live with open minds and loving hearts
May our hands unite
Our ears always listen
Our mouths speak truthfully and
Our feet journey together in the footsteps of Jesus.

St Martin de Porres (Green), was a man concerned with his commitment to charity – think Caritas Fun Run, Journey to Emmaus, Compassion in Action and Veritas Youth Group, Vinnies Winter and Christmas Appeals, Walk a Mile in My Boots, Hutt Street Homeless Centre.

Mary MacKillop (Red) , is Australia’s first Saint and she began Catholic Education in our country. She asks us to never see a need without doing something about it.

Pope Francis (Blue) , very recently said that we are called to dialogue for fraternity and responsibility. He says to take time to care and be aware of who is our neighbour ? We have Buddy classes and the St Vincent de Paul Christmas tree.

Take these Saints with you Year 6. Pray to them when you have questions about life or you need courage or support. I’m convinced that Mary MacKillop watches out for me.

Year 6 students you have heard me say often that I want you to flourish as a person but that you also have the responsibility to help the whole school flourish so that the Hallett Cove, Sheidow Park Communities, in fact the whole South West School communities, can see that we are a place where good things happen.

Mahatma Gandhi said that “the future depends on what we do in the present.” So what future have we be building? In your time at St Martin de Porres, Year 6 graduants, this present that Gandhi refers to has seen the school has grown to 450 students how 12 classes has become 19 and that we have spent $6 million dollars on our school facilities.

Why do I mention this ? Because I want you to understand how important your role has been in our Flourishing school. You and your families have created the most exciting future of our school  from your work in this moment of presence.

Are buildings and more students the benchmarks of this success? Only small on the achievement scales. What is worth recognising the ways you have contributed in all your years at this school. In particular it has been seen by me in this way...
- What Sophie and Finn did to be recognised at the St Martin De Porres Award winners.
- How inspiring Amelia Gradziel’s courage and determination is.
- Have no doubt that every family that visits our school to see if it is the right place for their child comments on the lovely way you children are just doing your thing.
- The attitude of Ben, Finn, Lachlan and Ryan to win the Catholic Schools Athletics 4x100m relay and then for Ella, Mia, Summer and Tiarna to follow it up in the same way.
- The 40 of you who were inspired to write a speech at the start of the year and present in front of each other as to why you should be a school leader and or House Leader.
- The group of POET's among you. Yes the POET's "Part of Everything Tribe" - any activity I’m in!
- The SMDPS Jammers: Sophie, Maddi, Tiarna, Ella Watkinson, Summer - State Aerobics Champions.
- Ella and Adriel our School Captains who introduced the school to prospective parents at every Principal's Tour.
- To the boys football team who two years ago didn’t win a game to this year being undefeated.
- To Xavier and some others over the years who played the not so cool game called Chess, and made it a St Martin "cool school thing" to do.
- The girls who created the first AFLW team in 2019. Now have their own football jumpers.
- To the number of you who turned up to practice and run in the Cross Country.
- To the way you all dressed up for Book Week Parade because you know it is important to show the younger classes that this is a good thing to do.
- To the effort to be the school that raised the most money for Walk a Mile in my Boots two years in a row.
- To the wonder and awe we all experienced when Abinav turned up with his Rubik's Cube Robot after our Term 1 break.
- To the beautiful, smiling, caring determined leadership that Taylor Clarke was recognised for tonight.

I could go on to highlight the many, many more stories that you have written!

I am blessed to have had you as our students – to have had your parents support you in your time here. And so to finish; we, together, may not always have got it perfect, yet we are a determined lot as a school community that is responsive, did continue to refine, to reinvent and build programs that enhanced our abilities to flourish. We are a school in the arena, searching and being curious of what makes a great school for children. You have played our part and this is what Pope Francis meant by fraternity. There is much you leave of yourselves that have made the foundations stronger for those yet to come. It feels good doesn’t it? Something to be proud of.

My thanks and distinguished recognition goes to my fabulous teachers, my Deputy Principal Ben Catalano, my leader of our Catholic Identity, Mr Ben Ryan, my outstanding administration and support staff who I say without a doubt are the hardest working and most dedicated staff you can have.

Well done to the Year 6 classroom teachers this year, Mr Dennis McEvoy and Miss Alex Tilley. To the Specialist teachers Signora Rosa Valente, Mr Buchanan, Mr Fosdike and Mrs Smedley and all other teachers that have taught our graduants over the years.

Farewell to those families leaving the school. I thank you for your contribution which leaves a wonderful legacy for many families to come.

Know Graduants we are all proud of you and that we look forward to what your future stories will be. Good luck Graduants. From tomorrow you are an old scholar! I will miss you!

I promise to continue to uphold our school mottos for those students to come:
In Omnibus Caritas “we will embrace life with energy and enthusiasm and work hard” and Veritas “play by the rules, respecting each other with honesty” and I will refer back to the graduating class of 2020.

I am sincerely humbled as always to be the Principal of this fabulous School. I am very much looking forward to 2021 and all of your futures from this present. I wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2021.