Our Explicit Improvement Agenda

Student Voice and Agency

Planning for Improved Student Learning

Celebrations of Community - thank you!

A very big thank you to all those families who donated eggs etc for our Easter Raffle prizes.   We were able to put together seven amazing prizes! 

A very special thank you to our helper mums for their support in our Easter Raffle preparation - Vanessa, Belinda, Candice, Lisa, Nicole, Alana, Leona, Val and Christine.  One working team of parents used their artistic talents to create seven beautiful Easter ‘baskets’ and another team put together over 200 raffle ticket books to send home and also sell. 

Raffle tickets will be sent home with the eldest child today (Thursday 23/3/23) and Raffle ticket sales will also be available at Assembly on Friday 24/3/23 and Friday 31/3/23.  In the last week of term from Monday 3 April to Wednesday 5 April, ticket sales will be available from the welcome gate in the afternoon.  If you require additional Raffle books please call the office. 

Tickets and money are due back by Tuesday 4 April 2023.

A big thank you also goes out to Nicole and Klaudia for the help with our Icy Pole days.  Our Brunswick Courtyard is super busy each Wednesday and full of lots of excitement for this special treat in Term 1 and Term 4.

Celebrations of Learning

Harmony Day

Thank you to all in our school community for our Harmony Day celebrations today.  It was a great day celebrating our cultural diversity and a very special day beginning with our whole school liturgy, cultural parade and morning tea together.  Thank you to Mrs Privitera for her planning and organisation of this very special day.  

MMPS News

In this week’s MMPS News Jake and Ruben showcased our Student Voice and Agency in the Year 1 Level.  It was great to see the Year 1 students hard at work with Little Learners Love Literacy.  Sensei shared her Japanese challenge for the week with videos of students saying good morning in Japanese.  Well done to everyone for a great news segment showing how our students are building their student voice and agency.

NAPLAN

Congratulations to our Year 3 and Year 5 students on completing their NAPLAN testing this week with Conventions of Language Test held on Tuesday and Numeracy held yesterday.  Thank you to Mrs Privitera, our Year 3 and Year 5 Teachers and ESO support staff for their planning and organisation to ensure NAPLAN 2023 went smoothly for our students. 

Casey Proactive Policing Unit

Yesterday our Year 6 students had time in the afternoon with Constable Dave Smith from the Casey Proactive Policing Unit.  Constable Dave shared very relevant and important messages about being safe when online, including appropriate language, expected behaviours and actions our students can take if they feel unsafe.  We are most grateful for Constable Dave’s time and commitment to our school to ensure our students are continuing to hear these very important safety messages as well as having the opportunity to ask him some very relevant questions. We also found out Constable Dave is a Tigers supporter - Yay!!  Thank you Constable Dave!

2024 Student Enrolments

Our Open Days are Tuesday 28 March and Thursday 30 March, 2023 - 9.30 am to 10.30 am and 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm. If you have a child starting foundation next year and have not yet put in an enrolent application, please do so as a matter of urgency as positions are filling very quickly.

Program Support Group (PSG) Meetings

PSG Meetings will be held over the next two weeks.  The PSG meeting focus is to review and monitor student plans such as a Personalised Learning Plan [PLP], Student Adjustment and Evaluation Plan [SAEP], Behaviour Support Plan [BSP] and/or Safety Plan.  The PSG also provides an opportunity to work in partnership with parents, the student and other professional agencies for improved student learning outcomes.  We look forward to our PSG meetings beginning next week.

School Photo Day is on Wednesday 5^th April 2023

• Named order forms were sent home with every child last Tuesday 21^st March
• Online payment must be made by midnight 5^th April 2023
• Family photos must be made online by 10am 5^th April 2023 or photos will not be taken
• All children are expected to wear their correct summer uniform. If children have sport that day, please just send in runners to change into.
• Year 6 students are permitted to wear their year 6 polo top

Phone: 03 5255 5042

Many thanks to all families and friends who were able to celebrate Harmony Day with us today. It was great to see students participate by either wearing the colour orange, recognising Harmony or wearing cultural dress which highlights the many nations represented at our school. The theme – We Belong emphasises the rich awareness of our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds.

The week’s activities strengthens our inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.​ Many thanks for your support.

Harmony Week Activities conclude with a Whole School Assembly Footsteps Dance Presentation on Friday 24th March during Assembly – Assembly will commence at 2.15pm in Allen Hall– family and friends welcome to attend.

Fourth Week of Lent 

This week through Project Compassion we learn about Thu, who lives in Vietnam. When Thu was 12 years old, he stepped on an unexploded land mine and lost his leg. ​

Living with a disability in rural Vietnam presented many challenges for Thu, who worked mainly as a rice farmer. Thu also took on the role of caring for his wife, Linh, after she suffered a stroke.​

Determined to turn their lives around, Thu and Linh joined the Empowerment of People with Disabilities program, run by Caritas Australia’s local partner in Vietnam, the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD).

For Thu, the greatest impact the program has had is enabling the change in Linh’s physical and mental wellbeing. With the support of a physiotherapist, Linh can now walk short distances with the aid of a walking stick. 

Watch a short film about Thu’s story here. 

Please support Project Compassion: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion

Project Compassion boxes are located in each classroom for student donations or you can donate online via the Caritas Australia website at: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion

Your support is greatly appreciated.

Fifth Sunday of Lent, Cycle A

Sunday, March 26, 2023

In next Sunday’s Gospel, we hear what Jesus taught about Resurrection, and we will hear about when Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. This Gospel invites us to believe more deeply in Jesus, who truly has power over death.

When Jesus heard that Lazarus had died, he went to the home of Lazarus' sisters, Martha and Mary. There Jesus promised life after death for all who have faith in him. As a sign of that promise, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. We are called to be like Martha and Mary, confident in Jesus' promise of eternal life. Our faith tells us that those who are like Martha and Mary—people who believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and the life—will find eternal life.

OLHC Parish

Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Information

Mary MacKillop Primary School is one of the three Parish Primary Schools belonging to the Parish of Our Lady Help of Christians, Narre Warren within the Diocese of Sale. Fr Brendan Hogan is our Parish Priest and Fr Ajin Albarnas is our Assistant Priest. We are grateful for their ongoing prayers, involvement and support of the students, families and staff of Mary MacKillop School. 

PARISH SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM 2023 - Click on the link to access a copy of the 2023 Sacrament Program Booklet

https://www.olhc.org.au/parish-sacrament-program/

PARISH BULLETIN - Click on the link below to download the weekly newsletter.

https://www.olhc.org.au/parish-bulletin/

This Term in Maths, the Year 1’s have been practicing how to count to and from 100 as well as skip counting by twos, fives and tens. The Year 1’s have been working really hard and can now recognise, model, read, write and order numbers to 100. We have been practising this by making lots of different two and three digit numbers using MAB blocks and icy pole sticks which help us to identify the tens and ones in a number. We have been having so much fun learning about place value, have a look at some of our place value monsters below to see how clever we are! 

The Year 1’s have also been learning different sounds in Little Learners. Each week a new sound is taught and the Year 1’s participate in targeted group work to practice reading, writing and spelling the focus sound. This week, we have been learning the chitter chatter chant “Goat eating toast - oa”. Mrs Rickard and Miss Cahill are so proud of the children’s efforts, enthusiasm and achievements! We loved sharing our learning with the whole school during MMPS news this week! 

Child Safe Standards

Our school is safe, student centred and animated by our school values.  

We aim to Inspire Hearts and Minds.

"Children are the future of the human family: all of us are expected to promote their growth, health and tranquillity." Pope Francis 2021

At Mary MacKillop Primary School, we believe that ensuring the safety of the students in our care is an integral part of who we are as a Catholic faith community. We adhere to Victorian Child Safe Standards and Ministerial Order No. 1359.  We embed a culture of child safety and the matter is taken very seriously.

MMPS Child Safe Standards

Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV)

The updated CECV Statement of Commitment to Child Safety - A safe, nurturing and empowering culture for all children and young people in Catholic schools, is attached to this newsletter.  This statement has been updated in light of the revised Child Safe Standards coming into effect from 1 July 2022 and the supporting Ministerial Order No. 1359

Gastroenteritis (Gastro)

There have been several reported cases of gastro in recent weeks, which is highly contageous.  A reminder to all families, that children with gastro must stay at home until 48 hours after ALL symptoms have stopped.

Further information can be found on the government health website:

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/gastroenteritis