THE CLASS OF 2036 // Mrs S and Mr T with their bright and happy students yesterday afternoon. #mamrelearning

YEAR 12 HSC CONGRATULATIONS // Congratulations to Ella Cortese who received the highest ATAR 84.7. We shout out a special mention to our Distinguished Achievers, Paige Campbell and Nina Cortese, who both achieved a Band 6 for Visual Arts. Paige's art work was also nominated for Art Express. Many of our Year 12 students received very pleasing results and most received early offers into University courses. Well done Year 12 and we wish you all the best in your future endeavours! #mamrelearning

ROBOTICS ENRICHMENT // Over the last couple of weeks 40 students from Years 5-8 participated in a Robotics Enrichment Day as part of our High Potential and Gifted Learners program. Using LEGO Mindstorms EV3, the students designed, built, coded and refined their robots to conquer a range of challenges. The Mamre value of tenacity was certainly on display! #mamrelearning

CAPITAL LEARNING JOURNEY // Year 6 have arrived in our national capital after a very early morning departure. After this quick stop at Mt Ainslie, they will be visiting several significant places in Canberra over the next two days. #mamrelearning

STARTING HIGH SCHOOL // Our Year 7 students looked well prepared this morning for their first day in the Senior School. Today was a final day of orientation, building on the three-day orientation program they attended in November. With laptop computers charged, timetables issued and lockers allocated, Year 7 are all set for classes to begin tomorrow. Do you have a child starting Year 7 in 2025? Contact Mamre now to book a chat and tour and learn how we can help your child to flourish. #mamrelearning

HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS // The school office will be closed from Monday 18 December - Friday 12 January. The phone will be monitored throughout this time. For urgent communication please email office@mamre.nsw.edu.au The secondhand uniform shop will be open on Tuesday 23 January from 9am - 11am. #mamrelearning

INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC SUCCESS // Last term a small number of our students participated in the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools, conducted in 41 countries. Students were assessed in a range of subjects. Today we recognised our high achieving Senior School students who were awarded Distinction, Credit or Merit certificates. Congratulations to Aryan, Charli, Georgina, Jhobe, Benjamin, Ruku, Marrissa, Lily, Jason, Marcus, Ava, Christine, Ethan, Mikayla and Koby! #mamrelearning

PASSING THE BATON // After eight years of wonderful service to Mamre Anglican School, our Principal Mrs Cathie Graydon will be leaving us at the end of this year. We will be celebrating her vision, leadership and passion for educating young people on 1 December. Mr Ross Whelan will be joining us as Principal from the beginning of 2024. A lifelong educator, Ross has been the Principal of three Sydney schools - Thomas Hassall Anglican College, Oran Park Anglican College and Inaburra School - and a teacher and leader in both the public and private sectors. He is married to Lynn, who has also been a teacher, and they are parents to two adult children and families. Ross has spent most of his professional career in the south west of Sydney, and has worked previously with staff at Mamre. In 2016, just as Mrs Graydon was starting at Mamre, Ross led the review of our School on behalf of the Anglican Schools Corporation, so he is well aware of Mamre, our community and programs. He has served in several leadership capacities - as the National Chair for Christian Schools Australia; as the founder of a youth directed Not-For-Profit; as an Anglican church warden; and as a council member of an Anglican School. Ross attended our new students' orientation day today and spoke to all our students and staff in both the Junior and Senior Schools. Ross is keen to get to know our students, staff and families, and is passionate about every aspect of school education. #mamrelearning

LAUNCH INTO KINDY // Our Kindergarten students had a great first day of ‘big school’ today and are looking forward to more new adventures tomorrow! #mamrelearning

CHRISTMAS CHAPEL & FAREWELL MRS GRAYDON // It was a BIG day at Mamre yesterday with our annual Christmas Chapel service being combined with the farewell of our much loved Principal Mrs Cathie Graydon, which was followed by a wonderful picnic afternoon for the whole school community. Students from Junior and Senior School presented multiple musical and choral items focusing our minds on God's great Christmas gift of his son Jesus to all people. Mary and Joseph (performed by two Year 10 students) and baby Jesus made to special appearances during the service. Talks by Mrs Gillespie and Rev Statheos helped us all to understand the true significance of Christmas. During Mrs Graydon's farewell, students, staff and representatives of the School Council and the parent body paid tribute to Mrs Graydon and her tremendous work for Mamre during her eight years as Principal. Her love for the students and staff, her love of learning and her love of God are hallmarks of this time. In a beautiful sign of gratitude, Years 2 & 3, supported by the remainder of the Junior School, sang a special song written by our own Mrs Travis 'Unto Your Path' to Mrs Graydon. Thank you Mrs Graydon. You will be greatly missed! #mamrelearning

WHAT A WEEK FOR YEAR 6! // Last week was one of new adventures and lots of activities for Year 6. On Monday to Wednesday they participated in our very successful three day 2024 Year 7 Orientation Program, along with new students joining us next year. While they enjoyed all activities, their time spent cooking in the food Technology Kitchen was definitely a favourite. Thursday and Friday was then spent in Canberra on a two day camp. Here is Mr Nott’s summary of Day 2 of Camp: “An early start today with a visit to The Australian Electoral Commission where the students learnt about the voting system in Australia. Second stop was at the Royal Australian Mint. Things added up throughout this leg of the trip. Our final destination was the much loved Questacon. The students had an absolute blast.” #mamrelearning

MORE WISHES COMING TRUE // Tonight’s Year 10 Charity Ball is the culmination of several fundraising activities that have resulted in a $1500 donation to Make-A-Wish. These funds will make more wishes come true for children with life limiting illnesses. Well done Year 10, and enjoy the rest of your evening! #mamrelearning #makeawish

WELCOME TO 2024 // We are looking forward to welcoming our students next week for the beginning of the 2024 school year. Students in Kindergarten, Years 7, 11 and 12, and the three-day (Monday-Wednesday) Pre-K program commence on Tuesday 30 January. Students in Years 1 to 6 and Years 8 to 10 commence on Wednesday 31 January. Students in the two-day (Thursday-Friday) Pre-K program commence on Thursday 1 February. #mamrelearning

ROYAL MEETING // Congratulations to Year 8 student Wesley who was today presented to HRH Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, in recognition of his award of NSW RFS Young Member of the Year a few months ago. Wesley was a fine ambassador of both the RFS and our school. Well done! #mamrelearning

YEAR 6 CANBERRA SNAPSHOTS // Year 6 has had an absolutely amazing first day in Canberra. At Parliament House students were able to listen to Senator Pauline Hanson debate amendments to a bill about the rising cost of living. They even had a wave from the Honourable Chris Bowen who was sitting in the Prime Minister's seat in The House of Representatives. This afternoon students headed to the War Memorial to hear about the sacrifices that many have made for us. The day culminated with a long awaited visit to the Australian Institute of Sport. Students are now preparing for a good night's rest ready for another day of exploring our Nation's Capital tomorrow. #mamrelearning