House Spirit Day 2026
House Spirit Day, Friday 11 September 2026: casual clothes in House colours, gold coin donation to Vinnies, the full program of House challenges P–12, how points are awarded, what students should wear and bring, and notes for Year 4 and Year 11 families.
House Spirit Day is the last big House event of Term 3 and the one day of the year when the loudest House, not the fastest, wins. On Friday 11 September 2026 every student from Prep to Year 12 comes to school in casual clothes in their House colour — green for MacKillop, blue for Chisholm, gold for Polding, red for Romero — and brings a gold coin donation for the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies). The day is run by the House Captains with the Director of Sport and the Social Justice Group, and House Spirit points count towards the House Cup.
Key facts
- Date: Friday 11 September 2026 (Term 3, Week 9). Normal school hours: Junior 8:45am–3:20pm, Senior 8:40am–3:25pm.
- Dress: casual clothes in House colours. Face paint, wigs, tutus and capes are encouraged; no offensive slogans, no singlets or bare midriffs, closed-toe shoes only, hats for outdoor sessions (SunSmart applies as the UV index rises in September).
- Donation: gold coin ($1 or $2) collected in Homeroom/class at the start of the day. In 2025 the College raised $2,860 for the Vinnies Winter Appeal.
- No sport uniform is required, but students should be able to run and sit on grass.
Program
Junior School (Prep – Year 6)
| Time | Activity | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 8:45am | Gold coin collection; House face-painting stations (Year 6 leaders) | Classrooms |
| 9:15am | House assemblies and chant practice | Mary MacKillop Hall / Junior Oval |
| 9:45am | House Chant-Off (judged by Dr Carmody, Sr Bernadette and the P&F President) | Main Oval |
| 10:15am | Prep–2 House colour parade and parachute games | Junior Oval |
| 10:45am | Recess | |
| 11:15am | Years 3–6 House rotations: tug-of-war, giant Jenga, three-legged race, water-balloon toss, trivia | Main Oval and Sports Centre |
| 12:45pm | Lunch — P&F sausage sizzle ($3, halal and vegetarian available; order via Lunch Orders by 8:30am or buy on the day) | Hall foyer |
| 1:30pm | Whole-College House Colour Wave photo | Main Oval |
| 2:00pm | Junior–Senior buddy dodgeball (Year 3 with Year 9; Year 4 with Year 10 on return from camp; Year 5 with Year 11; Year 6 with Year 7) | Sports Centre |
| 2:30pm | Junior assembly replaced by House Spirit presentations | Hall |
| 3:20pm | Dismissal |
Senior School (Years 7–12)
| Time | Activity | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 8:40am | Homeroom — gold coin collection, roll | Homerooms |
| 9:00am | House assemblies; costume judging (best dressed per House) | House areas |
| 9:45am | House Chant-Off (with Junior School) | Main Oval |
| 10:15am | Staff v House Captains netball | Sports Centre |
| 10:55am | Recess | |
| 11:20am | House Challenge rotations: tug-of-war, egg-drop engineering, House trivia, giant volleyball, obstacle relay | Main Oval, Lower Field, Hall |
| 1:20pm | Lunch — P&F sausage sizzle | Hall foyer |
| 2:00pm | Junior–Senior buddy dodgeball | Sports Centre |
| 2:45pm | Presentations: Chant-Off, best dressed, House Spirit Shield | Main Oval |
| 3:25pm | Dismissal |
How points are awarded
| Category | Points available |
|---|---|
| Participation — percentage of students in House colours (Homeroom count at 9:00am) | 200 |
| House Chant-Off | 100 / 75 / 50 / 25 |
| House Challenge rotations (each event) | 20 / 15 / 10 / 5 |
| Best dressed (one Junior and one Senior winner per House) | 20 per winner |
| Fundraising — highest total per student | 50 / 40 / 30 / 20 |
The House Spirit Shield is presented at 2:45pm. Chisholm hold the Shield from 2025. After the Swimming and Cross Country shields this year, Chisholm lead the 2026 House Cup narrowly from MacKillop; the Athletics Carnivals and House Spirit Day will decide it.
Notes for particular groups
- Year 4 return from Camp Sunnystones at 2:30pm on Friday 11 September and join the closing presentations in their camp clothes. Their House Spirit participation points are credited automatically.
- Year 11 exams run Monday 7 – Friday 11 September. Students sitting an exam on the Friday may wear House colours to the exam and join the program before or after. See Exam Timetables 2026.
- Year 12 are welcome to add a themed twist (the 2026 theme, chosen by the Year 12 Captains, is "House Superheroes").
- Wet weather backup: if the Junior Athletics Carnival on Friday 4 September is rained out, it moves to Friday 11 September and House Spirit activities for Years 3–6 are folded into the carnival day. Senior activities proceed regardless.
- Extreme weather: if the forecast at 9:00am is 35°C or above, outdoor rotations move indoors; on a Total Fire Ban day the program runs without the sausage sizzle.
Why Vinnies?
The College's Social Justice Group nominated the St Vincent de Paul Society's Winter Appeal, which supports families in the outer north-east with food, bills and emergency accommodation. Students hear from a Vinnies volunteer at the House assemblies. Read more on Social Justice & Service.
Contact
Mr Luke Ferraro, Director of Sport — sport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au. Junior program: Mr Daniel Ruiz, juniorsport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au. Phone (03) 9555 0100.