Principal's Reflection - 28 November

Merry Christmas

There is still a week of school remaining, though this is my last Principal’s reflection for the year. As such, I wanted to wish all members of the St Luke’s Community a very merry Christmas and pass on my best wishes for the new year. It is a special time of year, as we await the true gift of Christmas, the celebration of Christ Jesus being sent to Earth. When I spoke with the Primary students at Worship this week, I told them I expect that for most St Luke’s families, children will wake up to gifts and spend the day with family and friends, eating too much food, and still having a fridge full of leftovers at the end of the day. There were lots of smiles and head nodding. It is clearly an exciting time. I reflected back to them the Prayer for Love we had just prayed as the Love advent candle was lit.

God of Love, teach us to love in simple, practical ways.

Help us see those who are lonely, care for those who feel unseen, and share kindness freely.

This Christmas period, my hope for us all is that we can think of others, others who have very few gifts and whose fridges will not be full, and that we find simple, practical ways to love them. 

Parish Pantry Appeal

Parents of Primary School students will be well aware that Primary students are currently collecting long-life and non-perishable items for the Christ Church Parish Pantry Appeal. Traditionally, Middle and Senior School students have their turn to respond to an appeal earlier in the year, and this year they were very generous in their giving. However, as this year has been particularly difficult for many families in Bundaberg, Parish stocks of food are low, so we have invited Middle and Senior School students, if they wish, to contribute again. The goods donated to the appeal are used by Christ Church volunteers to produce hampers for people in need. The Parish greatly appreciates any assistance St Luke’s families can provide. All goods donated by St Luke’s families will be handed over to the Parish during our End of Term Worship Service on Thursday, next week. Should you wish to donate, please send items to school by Wednesday 3 December. 

Congratulations to Reverend Matt Siggins

Some families in our community will have met the Reverend Matt Siggins, as he has been assisting this year with many of our significant Worship services. Reverend Matt came to Bundaberg last year, and as a Deacon, he has been serving as Curate in the Parish of Bundaberg. Next week, on Saturday 6 December, Reverend Matt will be ordained as a priest at St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane. It will be a big weekend, because the very next day, Reverend Matt will offer his first Eucharist at Christ Church. St Luke’s extends its congratulations to Reverend Matt on his upcoming “Priesting” (and yes, that is a real word). 

Staff Update

In addition to announcements made earlier in the term, it is a pleasure to share with you some recent teaching appointments for 2026.

Mrs Megan Warren has been appointed as the Head of Year 7, a new role for the School. As a teacher who transitioned from Primary to Middle School and has served as Head of House for many years, Mrs Warren possesses the skills and experiences to do an excellent job as Head of Year 7.

We have two new teachers joining our Primary School next year, replacing Mrs Stacey Koktas and Miss Donna Hughes, who are both relocating to other parts of Australia. Mrs Kristy Fasso will move from ELC teacher back into the Primary School. Mrs Fasso has extensive experience in Primary, and combined with the understanding she has gained from her time in the ELC and the enthusiasm she brings to education, will be very valuable to the Primary team. Also joining the Primary team is Mrs Rylee Brain. Mrs Brain is formerly an Occupational Therapist. Her experience as an Occupational Therapist, combined with her study and practice in teaching, has equipped her with a fantastic set of skills as a teacher.

We also welcome Mrs Ashley Smith, Mrs Jenny Kelly and Mr Ryan Maclean into the Middle and Senior Schools. Mrs Smith grew up in Canada, and since arriving in Australia has taught at Knox Grammar and Stella Maris College in Sydney. She is qualified to teach Biology and Environmental Science in the Senior years. Mrs Kelly is an experienced Upper Primary and Middle School teacher with a background in English, Literacy, Differentiated Learning and English as a second Language. Mr Maclean is a local who grew up in Bundaberg. His main teaching areas are Biology, Science and HPE, though he can also teach Mathematics in the Middle School. Mr Maclean has a particular interest in ensuring House spirit is strong and contributing to the Pastoral Care program. 

Finally, for Primary parents, we wish to share the teaching allocations for 2026. It is an excellent team, and we are looking forward to a great year. Middle and Senior School teacher allocations are confirmed when timetables are released to students early in 2026.