Stella Maris Shellharbour
A Catholic Parish Primary School
As a Catholic learning community, Stella Maris strives to be welcoming and connected, supporting the engagement of parents as partners in their children’s learning and wellbeing, and their involvement in the life and community of the school and parish.
Parent engagement is more than volunteering and helping out at the school. While we value any contribution you can make to school life, we understand that work and family commitments can make it difficult to be involved in an ongoing way. However, you can still engage in your child’s learning and wellbeing by supporting and/or attending:
You can also engage in your child’s learning and wellbeing simply by working with the school to create a stimulating and supportive environment for them both at school and home – working together collaboratively to connect both learning environments.
This is best achieved when parents and school work in partnership to encourage positive and respectful relationships, regular and meaningful communication about children’s progress and development, and a consistent positive attitude to learning, education and school life. Get to know your child’s teacher and other staff – this is a great way to build this most important relationship!
Find more information and resources on parent engagement here
If you are able, Stella Maris welcomes any parents and carers who may be able to volunteer at the school. Parent and carer volunteers are a valued support base for our school, assisting staff to provide a range of high-quality opportunities to promote the learning, wellbeing and growth of students.
Some ways you can be involved may include:
Please note: Given our commitment to safeguarding children, volunteers will first need to organise a Working with Children Check (WWCC) process – information and forms can be found on the CEDoW website.
We're thrilled to have you consider volunteering at our school! Volunteering is a fantastic way to get involved in your child's education and make a positive impact on our school community. Follow the steps below to become a volunteer:
Step 1: Complete the onboarding process
To start, please access our onboarding site.
You'll need to fill out a form with your details. Once you've completed the form, you'll receive an email confirmation.
Step 2: Approval confirmation
After submitting your form, we'll review your application. You'll then receive an email letting you know if your application has been approved. If approved, you'll receive a special token.
Step 3: Download the Quick Sign-In app
To make the sign-in process more convenient, we recommend downloading our Quick Sign-In app. The app is available for any device and allows you to save your details and token, making it easier to sign in when you arrive at the school.
Download the Quick Sign-In app
Step 4: Sign in at the school
When you arrive at the school, use the Quick Sign-In app to sign in. Simply scan your QR code, and you're all set! If you don't have the app, you can still sign in manually at the front office.
The Parents & Friends (P&F) Association is the formal parent forum for Stella Maris.
All parents and families are invited to become involved with the P&F, who work collaboratively with the school and parish about matters that affect your child at school, as well as general issues about school life including social events, community building and fundraising for educational resources for students.
Without the assistance and support of the school community, the P&F is not able to meet its purpose – we sincerely thank each and every person who contributes.
All parents are invited and very welcome to attend the P&F meetings, which are held once a term. Details of the meetings will be communicated via the school newsletter.
If you can’t attend meetings there will be other opportunities to support the work of the P&F throughout the year.
| President | Kim Nowakowski |
| Treasurer | Karla Atley |
| Secretary | Kate Mace |
To contact our P&F Executive, please email parents@smsdow.catholic.edu.au