Lost Property
Where to find lost property for Junior and Senior students, how named items are returned, the end-of-term display in the Hall foyer, and what happens to unclaimed items.
Jumpers, hats, drink bottles and lunchboxes go missing every day at a school of 1,480 students, and most of them find their way home again – as long as they are named. Here is how lost property works at St Mary's and how to give a lost item the best chance of being returned.
Where to look
| School | Location | When |
|---|---|---|
| Junior School (Prep–Year 6) | Lost property box outside the Junior Office | Any time 8:00am–4:30pm, Monday–Friday in term |
| Senior School (Years 7–12) | Senior Office counter | Any time 8:00am–4:30pm, Monday–Friday in term |
| College bus | Wattle Valley Coaches, via transport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au | Items are returned to the Senior Office within two school days |
| OSHC | Hall Annexe | Ask an educator at sign-in or sign-out |
Students are welcome to check the boxes themselves before school, at recess or at lunch. Parents may check during office hours.
Named items
Anything with a clear name and class is returned to the student's classroom or homeroom every Friday. Please write your child's name on the label of every uniform item, hat, drink bottle, lunchbox and library bag – a laundry marker or iron-on label is enough. Named items are also easier to recover from second-hand stock if they go astray later.
Unnamed items
- Unnamed items are held for the term.
- In the last week of each term they are laid out on trestle tables in the Hall foyer – for Term 3 that is Monday 14 – Friday 18 September 2026, 8:00am–4:00pm. Please come and have a look; it is remarkable how many "not ours" jumpers turn out to be ours.
- Items still unclaimed after the last day of term are washed and donated to the P&F Second-hand Uniform stall or, for non-uniform items, to Vinnies.
- Lunchboxes and drink bottles that are unnamed and unclaimed after two weeks are discarded for hygiene reasons.
Valuables
Glasses, watches, phones, keys, jewellery and wallets are not left in the boxes – they are locked in the office safe. Ask at the Junior or Senior Office and be ready to describe the item. Phones found switched on will be turned off and held for a parent to collect; Senior students recover confiscated phones under the Mobile Phones Policy, not through lost property.
Tips that actually work
- Name everything, including the inside of hats and the tags on backpacks.
- Take a photo of your child's jumper label and drink bottle at the start of each term so a match is easy to confirm.
- Check the Junior Office box on Friday afternoon before the weekend wash.
- Send Prep–Year 2 children with a spare named jumper in the bag on cold days rather than borrowing one from the box.