Celebrating our Feast Day – our past, present and future

Today we celebrated our Feast Day – in honour of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop.  Students and staff were invited to dress up in Colonial times and we began the day with our special Feast Day Mass, followed by morning tea of scones and jam, olden day and buddy activities in classes.  Planning for these special events in our school calendar takes many months of preparation and requires a team effort.  A very big THANK YOU to Lize Privitera for her organisation and planning of our very special Feast Day, to the Vena Family for the generous donation, each year, of the students’ Feast Day lollipops, to our administration and canteen staff for the ordering and preparation of scones and jam to feed in excess of 370 students and staff and to Terry De Reus for placing our Feast Day lollipop with our story of Mary MacKillop.  We are so very fortunate and blessed to have a team of staff and parents who consistently strive to ensure our students experience many varied, engaging and enriching learning opportunities and who authentically live out the words of Mary MacKillop through their interactions and actions . . .

Celebration of Learning

100 days at school! Congratulations to our Centenerians!

See the amazing photos of our Foundation Students celebrating 100 days at school in the Foundation section of today's newsletter.

Kaboom Sports – Olympics Theme

We are very excited to be holding an Olympics Theme sporting event for our students tomorrow.  While this is a whole school celebration, we have ensured we are compliant with our COVID-19 Safety Management Plan and have obtained DOSCEL approval.  Students will be divided into 16 teams of rotational ‘olympic’ activities and guided by Kaboom Sports facilitators throughout the event.  We are very much looking forward to this very special Olympic celebration.  We ask all students to wear their sports uniform and to ensure they have their water bottle.

Community Safety – COVID-19 Restrictions

In accordance with public health advice, all schools are required to apply density quotients of one person per four square metres in all areas of the school, except in areas used by students.

Therefore, parents are unable to attend assemblies, or assist with classroom activities, until restrictions are eased.  Parents visiting on-site, are required to sign in using the Government and School QR code.  Face masks are to be worn at all times.  Thank you for your understanding in helping us to keep our school community safe.

Student Learning Conversations (Parent Teacher Interviews)

Student Learning Conversations have been rescheduled to Tuesday 17 August and Wednesday 18 August.  Information on how to book your time for the Student Learning Conversations was sent out via email to parents.  Unfortunately restrictions and density limits continue to be in place which do not allow for face-to-face interviews. Parents have the option to choose from a Google Meet or phone conversation.  We look forward to sharing your child’s learning progress, achievements and learning goals with you.

Planning for 2022 School Year

Intention to return to Mary MacKillop in 2022

Student numbers impact significantly on staffing levels and class structures for the following year.  An Operoo form has been sent to all families with students in Foundation to Year 5 asking for your child/s intention to return OR not to return in 2022.  We ask that all families please complete this formas soon as possible in order to allow for future planning and class structures.

2022 Class Placements

Teachers will begin planning for our 2022 classes at the end of Term 3.  We respect and value parent input and ask that you email me – ejones@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au, or put in writing, if you have information about your child that could impact on their placement for 2022.  Please ensure your request is sent by Friday 27 August.  Parents please be mindful of the following:

• Requests should be based on individual student needs. 
• Requests are forwarded onto staff when placing students into their 2022 classes. 
• Staff use a range of information to ensure an effective balance within classes across the level and to provide an optimal learning environment for all students. 
• Please be aware that your letters of request are not a guarantee, they provide an opportunity for your input and assist us in the process of class placements. 
• Please note that requests made in previous years are not necessarily considered in the process, so previous information provided by parents regarding their child’s placement will need to be re-submitted if the concerns expressed in previous years are still relevant for consideration in 2022. 

School Advisory Committee [SAC] AGM - Tuesday 31 August at 7.00 pm

We will be holding our SAC Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 31 August at 7.00 pm. 

Nomination forms for positions on the School Advisory Committee 2021 – 2022 are available from the Administration Office or you can request a nomination form via email frontdesk@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au.

The responsibilities of the School Advisory Committee are to:

• promote the Catholic ethos of the school
• provide feedback on and review of school policies
• plan for the future of the school and its ability to accommodate future enrolments
• provide advice on budget planning and finance-related matters
• contribute to the selection process for the school principal (when the position is advertised)
• provide advice on the appropriate provision of faith development and Religious Education programs
• promote child safety in the school

We look forward to seeing you there.