Welcome to St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Laidley.
I am thrilled and honoured to take on the role of Acting Principal for the 2025 school year. Being part of this vibrant and supportive community in the heart of the beautiful Lockyer Valley, is a true privilege. Our school is a place where every child is valued, nurtured, and encouraged to reach their full potential. We celebrate our faith, guided by the message of Jesus and inspired by his mother Mary.
At St Mary's, we live out our core values of Community, Courage, Compassion, Justice, Hospitality, Service, and Respect. These values are at the heart of everything we do, shaping our approach to education and our interactions with one another.
Our school offers a wide range of initiatives, activities, and learning experiences in partnership with parents and the broader community. These opportunities are designed to help our students grow into productive, successful individuals who are well-prepared for the future.
We are proud to be part of Brisbane Catholic Education, a system of 146 schools across South East Queensland. This affiliation provides us with support, training, and security, ensuring that we can offer the best possible education and care for our students.
Our vision for learning is clear: "At St Mary's, we set out a vision that encourages and supports every student to be the very best they can be, no matter where they live or what kind of learning challenges they may face" (Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, 2022). We believe that by Connecting, Teaching, Challenging, and Transforming our teaching practices, success is possible for all.
- Connect: We partner with our school community, including learners and their families, specialists, external stakeholders, and our dedicated staff, to support the development of capabilities and practices that improve student outcomes.
- Teach: Guided by the Australian Curriculum v9.0 and Brisbane Catholic Education Religious Education curriculum, our teachers use effective pedagogical models and high-impact teaching strategies to develop assessment-capable learners who are future-ready and grounded in Catholic values.
- Challenge: Our students are encouraged to think critically about their learning, understand what they are learning and why, track their progress, and seek help to improve.
- Transform: We strive to transform our teaching practices by engaging students in deeper learning through rich, relevant, and meaningful experiences that foster future learning skills, spark a passion for learning, and provide new opportunities within and beyond the classroom.
I warmly welcome all community members to our school and look forward to working together to create a nurturing and inspiring environment for our students. I invite you to explore our website or contact our school office to arrange a tour.
At St Mary's every year can be a remarkable journey of growth and achievement for everyone.
With warm regards,
Gavan Minz
Acting Principal
©Brisbane Catholic Education, St Mary's Laidley, 2024