Week 4

20 February 2026 

Parents/Carers,

I’ve been blessed to work across both the Independent and Diocesan schools’ sector across Sydney. One thing that has bothered me for some time was our expectations of students and their attendance. Whilst I won’t name schools or sectors of our industry, it is common in schools that our expectations for student attendance rates gets lower as we move further west of Sydney. It’s sad that where we come from dictates those expectations. 

Attending school every day (or close to it) gives our students the best foundation on which to build and mould themselves. There is a direct link between educational achievement and success with school attendance.  Furthermore, students missing school miss out on important educational opportunities that extend beyond the classroom to include social, emotional and behavioural lessons.. 

Our attendance goal is a minimum of 95%. Our current cohort attendance rates at the end of Week 4 are as follows:

Year 7 – 98.1%
Year 8 – 96.5%
Year 9 – 93,2%
Year 10 – 93.7%
Year 11 – 93.9%
Year 12 – 94.2%
Overall = 94.9%

If our boys are sick, then I think the Covid era taught us the importance of recovery and staying home to help ourselves and protect those around us. But what has come to my attention has been the number of forms in my first few weeks at Marist College Eastwood for applications for extended leave. To remind parents of our expectations regarding attendance and in particular student leave, I would like to share a few parts from the Parent Handbook (available via Compass):

In the event that you need to apply for leave this must be done via Compass FOUR WEEKS PRIOR TO THE LEAVE. – For leave of 1 to 4 days you will need to submit an “Application for Leave”  – For leave of more than 5 days you will need to submit an “Application for Extended Leave”   All forms are located under the Community tab (‘two people’ icon) > ‘School Documentation’ on Compass    Requests for extended leave must be applied for via the relevant form on Compass. Attendance notes entered on Compass will not be considered and will be deleted.     Any request for leave will be considered by the Principal (or delegate). It is the student’s responsibility to liaise with his Leader of Wellbeing and teachers to ensure all assessments and exams are rescheduled and completed.  Absence from school may jeopardise your son’s ability to meet the requirements of courses and this may impact negatively on his academic performance.   Leave for Students in Years 11 and 12 Our experience is that, in almost every case, the academic progress and performance of Year 11 & 12 students who go on leave, is negatively affected. We cannot expect our students to achieve academically if they are not at school during such a crucial time. We ask families to use the generous school holidays to visit relatives, attend family functions or take holidays. Leave for senior students will not be approved as this adversely impacts on learning and affects their academic achievement.

I believe boys are excellent at raising their standards and expectations of themselves according to those they surround themselves with. Turning up when things get tough or we are tired is an important skill and attribute for success. There are lots of versions and quotes of the belief that we are ‘the average of our five closest peers’ in a social setting. So if we are smart enough (and in some cases lucky enough) to put ourselves in a situation where we are surrounded by highly aspirational and hardworking people who always turn up, we are more inclined to follow this group and become everything that group aspires to be.

In my time with this school community, I have been incredibly impressed by our student body. I see boys who are hardworking, courteous, and deeply respectful of both their peers and staff. Of course, they are not perfect, nor should we expect them to be. School is exactly where students should be allowed to make mistakes. Here, they can be guided to regulate their actions, learn from their experiences, and mature in a supportive environment. Our focus is ensuring that mistakes become stepping stones for growth, rather than habits, as they journey toward becoming their best selves.

Staffing update

On Friday 20 February we farewelled two teachers. Ms Maryam Matti and Ms Tylah Fragiadakis have served our community with great distinction for a number of years.

In 2021, after already being on staff since 2019, Ms Maryam Matti  was appointed Assistant Religious Education Coordinator (REC). She has been heavily involved in leading our Religious Education Department with the REC and also the faith life of the College.

Ms Tylah Fragiadakis was our Leader of Student Life and Co-Curricular for over three years, which involved leading our Alumni Tutoring Program, Student Leadership and oversight of our many clubs and groups that make up our co-curricular program.

Ms Maryam Matti and Ms Tylah Fragiadakis go forward with our prayers and best wishes as they look to serve other Catholic schools in new school communities.

Our students will not miss out, as the College has already employed two new specialist teachers to fill their voids in the English and Religious Education departments. We welcomed Ms Oonagh Lee (English) and Mr Samuel Habib (Religious Education – remainder of Term 1 appointment) today for a handover and smooth transition for our boys. 

Ms Grace Mathews has moved from the position of Youth Ministry Coordinator (YMC) and been appointed as the New Assistant Religious Education Coordinator. Subsequently, Mr Daniel Viana has been appointed YMC. Ms Victoria Stojic has been appointed at Student Life and Co-Curricular. Congratulations to Grace, Daniel and Victoria on their appointments. The students at Marist College Eastwood are incredibly lucky to be supported and guided by such a great team.

Respice Finem

Mr David Sullivan

Principal