“Yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision, but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.”
Khalil Gibran, Artist, Poet, Writer.
St Mary’s Parish School has educated generations of children from Hay and the surrounding areas since that historic day on February 26th 1883 when it opened its doors for the first time. In the best traditions of Catholic education, it continues educating children from Catholic and non-Catholic backgrounds and welcomes in all families who seek and support the values we promote.
The very first teachers at St Mary’s were the Presentation Sisters. The founder of the Presentation Sisters, Nano Nagle, was the forerunner of a band of strong women of faith whose particular ethos and charism continue to guide our school, St Mary’s, today. Our Nano Nagle Centre is a vibrant gathering place for our school community where we celebrate together regularly.
Today St Mary’s has developed into an exciting and innovative school for staff, children and families alike. At its heart, it remains the same as it was in 1883, a place where each child is honoured for the person he or she is and a place where childhood is celebrated every day.
At St Mary’s our prime focus is upon Wellbeing for Learning. We proudly say that this is at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make. As a school, and as a key element of our Positive Education approach, we intentionally focus each day on recognising, developing and celebrating the character strengths of each child. There are no anonymous children at St Mary’s.
In these challenging times in which we live, we at St Mary’s are inspired by the Gospel message of Jesus which, above all else, is a message of Hope. It is this message that we joyfully proclaim to our children, inspiring them to be the very best versions of themselves, thriving and flourishing, living their lives to the full.