Our Explicit Improvement Agenda

Student Voice and Agency

Planning for improved student learning - key focus in Mathematics

Celebrating in our School Community

Thank you to all Grandparents, Special people, students and staff for a beautiful Grandparents Mass and Morning Tea this morning.  It was a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the very important role grandparents play in our lives and to celebrate the special kind of love only a grandparent can give.  The photos below capture the essence of the a very memorable morning . .

Child Safety - Day for Daniel

Today our students were encouraged to wear red for Day for Daniel - in honour of Daniel Morcombe.  Day for Daniel is a time to focus on educating  children about personal safety - what it means to be safe, to act safe to what to do if you feel unsafe. More information and important message and resources on child safety can be found on the Daniel Morcombe Foundation website https://danielmorcombe.com.au/

World Teachers Day

Today we celebrated World Teachers Day - it is a day to stop and reflect on the outstanding work our teachers do day in and day out to ensure our students growth in their learning academically, spiritually, socially and emotionally.  Teaching is an important role in society as we help to shape and guide our young people into effective and proactive citizens in our community.  This role cannot be achieved alone, it can only be done in partnership with parents and members of our school and parish community.  Thank you to all our staff on World Teachers Day for their tireless efforts and giving of their time, talents and energy to ensure optimal learning outcomes for the students in our care. 

Junior Swimming Program

Our Junior students will be attending their intensive Swimming program next week at Paul Sadler Swim School.  The intensive swimming lessons form part of our Foundation to Year 6 progression of learning in swimming towards the Victorian Water Safety Certificate (VWSC).  The VWSC is a Victorian Government initiative, which describes specific competencies that should be achieved by the time students reach the end of primary school.  The competencies include:

• Water Safety knowledge
• Swim (continuously for 50 metres)
• Under Water (surface dive, swim underwater and search to recover an object)
• Lifesaving (respond to an emergency by demonstrating DRSAB and the recovery position)
• Rescue Skills (rescue a person using non-swimming rescue techniques)
• Survival Sequence (perform a survival sequence wearing light clothing)

Middle and Senior students will be attending Paul Sadler Swim School later on this Term.  Dates are included in the Term 4 School Events and Dates section of the newsletter.    

Staffing updates

Thank you to all families for your well wishes on my appointment at DOSCEL.  From Wednesday 6 November, Lize Privitera will assume the role of Acting Principal for Term 4.  More information on staffing updates will be included in the coming weeks.

School Advisory Committee [SAC] Meeting - Annual General Meeting - TBC

Unfortunately the Annual General Meeting of the SAC was cancelled on Tuesday night and we are now in the process of scheduling another date during Term 4.  More information will be provided when this date is set. Thank you to Clair McLeish for her nomination.  We look forward to welcoming Clair as a parent representative on the SAC. The responsibilities of the SAC 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

Our 2024-2025 School Advisory Committee comprises of the following members:

• Chairperson - Lize Privitera
• Parish Priest - Fr. Michael Willemsen
• Parent Representative - Stephanie Miller
• Parent Representative - Marina Valladares
• Parent Representative - Louise Broadhurst
• Parent Representative - Clair McLeish
• Staff Representative - Helen Fourna

Danielle Davis is a retiring member of our SAC and we thank Danielle for the giving of her time, her work as Secretary and for her insights, perspectives and practical suggestions on the School Advisory Committee for the past 4 years - many thanks Danielle!

Student feedback

An integral part of our cycle of teaching and learning is student feedback.  Every week, staff record and acknowledge feedback to students and this is shared with them in class and  via the school newsletter, at Assembly and in MMPS News on Wednesday mornings. Read on for this week’s feedback to students.

Well done to the students playing on the big oval and wearing their hats while playing their games, especially on the hot sunny days we’ve had this week. 

Thank you to the Year 2 students for our fundraising activity. We are sure the people from the Caring Centre in Mongolia will be very happy with your contribution to helping children who have nowhere else to go.

It is very exciting to see the different efforts across the school to raise funds during the month of October for the Caring Center in Mongolia. By all students participating together, you not only help those in need but also get the chance putting Catholic Social Teaching into action. Your actions raise awareness, engage in activities, learn about important causes and see the difference your efforts can make.

Great work to all students who have been working hard with their PAT Assessments. You have been using the time to read the questions carefully and show your working out strategies on paper. Well done!

Well done to 6JK and F-LL on an amazing Buddy Mass on Wednesday ! From sitting quietly and listening to the speakers to going up, showing and explaining what Friendship means, it was all excellent. Great Job !

Our warmest congratulations to our Senior Girls Cricket Team for their outstanding results in moving to the Regional level of competition in the next few weeks - well done on your achievements.

WHOLE SCHOOL COLOUR FUN RUN

What an amazing start to this fundraising event. We love students enthusiasm and efforts so far! Many students are looking forward to a fun filled school event and raising funds at the same time. Thank you to all sponsors and those making donations. Over $13,000 raised so far! Keep up the great effort!