Term Dates 2026 & 2027
St Mary's College term dates for 2026 and 2027, including student-free days, public holidays, staggered start days for Prep and Year 7, and early-finish days.
St Mary's follows the Victorian Catholic school calendar, with a small number of college-specific student-free days for staff professional development and report writing. Please check this page before booking holidays: we ask families not to take students out of school in term time, and Year 12 students in particular should not travel during Term 4. The live calendar in the Parent Portal always takes precedence if a date changes.
2026 term dates (current year)
| Term | Starts | Ends | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Wednesday 28 January 2026 | Thursday 2 April 2026 | 10 |
| Term 2 | Monday 20 April 2026 | Friday 26 June 2026 | 10 |
| Term 3 | Monday 13 July 2026 (staff only) — students Tuesday 14 July | Friday 18 September 2026 | 10 |
| Term 4 | Monday 5 October 2026 | Friday 18 December 2026 | 11 |
Staggered start, Term 1 2026: Years 7 and 12 began Wednesday 28 January; Years 1–6 and 8–11 began Thursday 29 January; Prep began Friday 30 January. Prep students did not attend on Wednesdays in February (4, 11, 18 and 25 February) while teachers completed one-to-one English and Mathematics assessments.
End of year 2026: Year 12 last classes Friday 23 October (celebration breakfast 7:30am); Years 7–11 finish Friday 11 December at 1:00pm; Junior School (Prep–6) finishes Friday 18 December at 1:00pm. Reports are published on the Portal on Wednesday 16 December.
Student-free days 2026
| Date | Reason |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 27 January 2026 | Staff planning day |
| Friday 5 June 2026 | Report writing day |
| Monday 13 July 2026 | Staff professional development (students return Tuesday 14 July) |
| Monday 2 November 2026 | Melbourne Cup Eve |
OSHC runs a full-day holiday program (7:00am–6:00pm, $78 per day) on student-free days; bookings via the Parent Portal or OSHC app. See Holiday Program.
Public holidays 2026
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Monday 9 March 2026 | Labour Day |
| Friday 3 April 2026 | Good Friday (in holidays) |
| Monday 6 April 2026 | Easter Monday (in holidays) |
| Saturday 25 April 2026 | ANZAC Day (weekend; commemorated at school on Friday 24 April) |
| Monday 8 June 2026 | King's Birthday |
| Friday 25 September 2026 | AFL Grand Final Eve (in holidays) |
| Tuesday 3 November 2026 | Melbourne Cup Day |
Early-finish days 2026
| Date | Who | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Every Wednesday | Senior School only (Years 7–12) | 2:45pm (staff professional learning). Junior School finishes 3:20pm as normal. |
| Thursday 2 April 2026 | Whole school | 2:30pm (last day Term 1) |
| Friday 26 June 2026 | Whole school | 2:30pm (last day Term 2) |
| Friday 18 September 2026 | Whole school | 2:30pm (last day Term 3). Casual clothes not permitted. |
| Friday 11 December 2026 | Years 7–11 | 1:00pm (last day) |
| Friday 18 December 2026 | Prep–Year 6 | 1:00pm (last day) |
Buses run at the earlier times on early-finish days. OSHC After Care opens at dismissal on those days at no extra charge.
2027 term dates
| Term | Starts | Ends | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Wednesday 27 January 2027 | Thursday 1 April 2027 | 10 |
| Term 2 | Monday 19 April 2027 | Friday 25 June 2027 | 10 |
| Term 3 | Monday 12 July 2027 (staff only) — students Tuesday 13 July | Friday 17 September 2027 | 10 |
| Term 4 | Monday 4 October 2027 | Friday 17 December 2027 | 11 |
Staggered start, Term 1 2027: Years 7 and 12 begin Wednesday 27 January 2027; Years 1–6 and 8–11 begin Thursday 28 January 2027; Prep begins Friday 29 January 2027. Prep students will not attend on Wednesdays in February 2027 (3, 10, 17 and 24 February) for individual assessments — see Prep 2027.
Student-free days 2027 (confirmed)
| Date | Reason |
|---|---|
| Monday 25 January 2027 | Staff planning day (Tuesday 26 January is Australia Day) |
| Friday 4 June 2027 | Report writing day |
| Monday 12 July 2027 | Staff professional development |
| Monday 1 November 2027 | Melbourne Cup Eve |
Public holidays 2027
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 26 January 2027 | Australia Day |
| Monday 8 March 2027 | Labour Day |
| Friday 26 March 2027 | Good Friday (in term — no classes) |
| Monday 29 March 2027 | Easter Monday (in term — no classes) |
| Sunday 25 April 2027 | ANZAC Day (no substitute holiday in Victoria) |
| Monday 14 June 2027 | King's Birthday |
| Friday 24 September 2027 | AFL Grand Final Eve (in holidays, subject to AFL fixture) |
| Tuesday 2 November 2027 | Melbourne Cup Day |
Because Easter falls in term in 2027, Holy Week liturgies will be held Monday 22 – Thursday 25 March, and Term 1 ends on Thursday 1 April 2027 at 2:30pm.
Key dates for new families
- Year 7 2027 Orientation Day: Tuesday 24 November 2026, 9:00am–2:30pm — see Year 7 2027.
- Prep 2027 Transition Sessions: Tuesday 1 September, Tuesday 13 October and Tuesday 24 November 2026, each 9:15–10:30am — see Prep 2027.
- Open Day: Sunday 8 March 2027, 10:00am–1:00pm — see College Tours.
Contact
College Reception — Phone (03) 9555 0100 · Email office@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au · Monday–Friday 8:00am–4:30pm during term. For OSHC holiday program bookings contact Mr Ben Hartley, oshc@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au.