Principal's Address

Prep Enrolments 

I am pleased to share that we have officially offered 75 places for our 2026 Prep cohort. It is with great excitement that we prepare to welcome these new students and their families into our school community. 

This year, the enrolment process was particularly challenging due to high demand. We understand that for families who were placed on the waitlist, this outcome is disappointing. 

Our student selection is guided by the policies set by the Toowoomba Catholic Schools’ office. These policies clearly prioritise students from existing families, followed by Catholic families who are active members of All Saints' parish. 

To create a fairer, more transparent system for future applications, we will refine the prep application process for the 2027 intake. Our goal is to ensure all parents have a clear understanding of their application's status from the very beginning. 

Here is how the new process will work: 

• Existing Families (2027 Intake): We strongly encourage all current school families with a prep student starting in 2027 to submit their applications before the end of 2025. 

• Parish Families: We will also be actively promoting these early applications to families within our parish community. 

• External Applications: In 2026, external applications will be accepted until we reach our capacity of 75 students. 

• Waitlist: Once this limit is reached, any additional applicants will be automatically placed on the waitlist and informed immediately. 

We believe this refined approach aligns with the TCS enrolment policy and, most importantly, will provide clarity and certainty to families much earlier in the process. 

2026 Class Construction 

In the coming weeks, our staff will begin creating class lists for all students from Prep to Year Seven for 2026. This is a thorough, collaborative process designed to create balanced, supportive learning environments. 

This process begins with current teachers, who use their deep understanding of their students to create initial drafts. Their primary goal is to ensure each class has a healthy balance of gender, academic abilities, and individual learning needs. Our Learning Support staff then reviews these lists before being given a final review by the school's leadership team, including Curriculum Leader P-6 Natalie Beattie, Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning Melissa Irwin, Deputy Principal Ryan Doig, and myself. 

If you have specific information regarding your child’s learning or social-emotional needs that you believe is essential for us to consider during this process, please submit it in writing. All input should be emailed to Jeena Cramer at Jeena.Cramer@twb.catholic.edu.au by Friday, 8 November.  

Please note that to ensure our primary goal of creating balanced classes for all students, we cannot accommodate requests for specific teachers or friendship pairings. 

Parents will be notified of their children’s 2026 class and teacher via a letter sent home at the end of the school year. 

Parish Picnic 

A final reminder: this Saturday, our Parish picnic will be held at St John’s, near the P&F shed, from 6 p.m. We’ll have an outdoor Mass followed by a shared picnic. It promises to be an enjoyable time, with some entertainment from St John’s choir and dancers. Looking forward to seeing you there.  

Cheers,

Mark