Principal’s Message
It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to the St Mark’s Catholic Primary School website. As a highly experienced and faith filled educator, I am privileged to be leading our wonderful students, staff and parents in 2023 in my new role as Principal. I am committed to working in partnership with all members of the school community to build on past achievements and explore new and exciting opportunities for students so that the school’s culture of contemporary practice, high expectations and excellence is sustained and enhanced.
At St Mark’s we highly value positive student wellbeing and our dedicated teaching and support staff work hard to create a safe, nurturing and positive learning environment for all students so that they feel happy at school, are motivated to learn and are ultimately empowered to realise our school’s vision; to discover, achieve and become empowered and faith filled life long learners.
Inspired by our dual charism with Mary MacKillop and Nano Nagle as founders of the school, we take great pride as a school community in celebrating and nurturing our faith and bringing to life each day through our words and actions the Gospel values. Working closely with the St Mark’s parish and through the implementation of high quality and rigorous Religious education programs and faith formation experiences we aim to meet the spiritual, educational and pastoral needs of our students.
We are an accredited Newman Selected Gifted Program School, meaning that we specialise in catering for the academic, social and emotional needs of identified gifted and talented students. Our staff are all trained in Gifted Education and we also have a specialist Gifted Education coordinator who oversees the program.
We are committed to ensuring that all students experience one year’s growth or more and are provided with differentiated learning opportunities and co-curricular experiences that meet their individual learning needs, interests, aspirations and cultural backgrounds.
I aspire to lead the vibrant and friendly St Mark’s community into the future on a journey of continuous school improvement and excellence, a future where all students are given the opportunity to discover who they are, achieve their true potential and become faith filled, critical, creative, discerning, compassionate and resilient citizens. I am excited about creating unique professional networks and pathways for the students, staff and families within the St Mark’s community.
I very much look forward to meeting you and your child as you embark on this exciting phase of your child’s educational journey.
Melissa Lentini
Principal
History
The school of St Mark’s Catholic Primary School Drummoyne was built and opened in 1889 with 13 students taught by two local sisters. By 1894, there were 98 students and the school was taken over by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. By 1900, the Sisters of St Joseph agreed to staff the school, which had 150 students. The school continued to progress, despite limited funding and the 1930s depression, to over 250 students by 1940. In 1948, the Presentation Sisters (Wagga Wagga congregation) took over the leadership of the school.
By 1953, with the support of the parish priest, a new school was provided by the parish. By 1969, there were approximately 250 students at the school. In 1993 the Presentation Sisters ended their fifty-five year leadership of the school and in 1994, the first lay principal was appointed.
Charism
At St Mark’s we have a dual charism, the Sisters of St Joseph, and Mary MacKillop as the founder and the Presentation Sisters of Wagga Wagga, with Nano Nagle as the co-founder.
Both Mary MacKillop and Nano Nagle were women who saw a need in their society and responded to help those who were poor and disadvantaged.
Mission
With Christ as our model, St Mark’s Catholic Primary School Drummoyne works together with our parish, parents and staff to provide and celebrate Catholic education for all students.
Vision
With Christ as our model we seek to lead each student to:
- Discover – more about themselves, their relationships with others, their world, their faith tradition and God
- Achieve – their full potential personally, spiritually, academically and intellectually
- Become – empowered, lifelong learners.
Our school motto
As a faith-filled community, our school motto is ‘Live the Gospel’; this motto underpins our school’s mission and vision.
Our vision for learning
Students are the centre of our learning environment and are given opportunities to:
- Discover – in a supportive and positive learning environment which caters for diverse needs
- Achieve – through challenging, yet achievable learning experiences that are relevant to real life
- Become – confident, resilient and critical thinkers, enabling them to make connections between their learning and the outside world.
St Mark’s Parish Drummoyne
Parish Priest: Fr Michael McLean PP EV
Mass and Reconciliation times
Monday: 8.00am
Tuesday: 9.30am
Wednesday: 7.30am
Thursday: 9.30am
Friday: 8.00am
Saturday: 11:00am Adoration, 11.30 Reconciliation followed by Mass at 12.00pm & Saturday Vigil Mass at 5.30pm
Sunday: 9.00am. 6.00pm
Find out more about our parish St Mark’s Parish, Drummoyne
Parish-based Sacramental program
Parents wishing to present their children for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation, will be invited to attend a Sacramental information meeting facilitated by St Mark’s parish. Sacramental programs are based at the parish.