Our Explicit Improvement Agenda

Student Voice and Agency

Planning for Improved Student Learning

Celebrations of Learning

Year 3-6 Cross Country

Student in Years 3 - 6 participated in Cross Country today. The Cross Country event is the trial for the school cross country team which will compete in Berwick District Cross Country Carnival on 16 May. Students finishing in the following places qualified for the school Cross Country Team:

• Year 5 and 6 - top 8 places 
• Year 4 - top 5 places
• Year 3 - top 3 places

Congratulations to the students who qualified for our School Cross Country Team.  We wish you all the very best for the Carnival on 16 May.

MMPS News

MMPS News will be back next week ready for another exciting term of showcasing our learning.  A new section has been added to our weekly news segment called ‘Three Good Things’.  We look forward to next week’s news readers - Ethan and Jayden sharing student voice and agency in the Year 3 inquiry incursion from their Design and Technology unit and FSL sharing Three Good Things.  Stay tuned for next week’s news!

Australian Mathematics Competition

The AMC is an engaging 30-problem competition that demonstrates the importance and relevance of mathematics in students’ every day lives. It is open to students in Year 3 to Year 6.  Our school is again offering your child the opportunity to enter this competition and will therefore cover the cost of entry to the competition. The AMC will be held at school on Thursday 3rd August, 2023

If you would like your child to participate, please complete the eform that was sent home via PAM today, no later than Wednesday 19th May, 2023. (Unfortunately we cannot accept any permissions after this date)

Student Learning Portfolios

Thank you for your feedback in the Term 1 Student Learning Portfolios - just a reminder to return your child’s Portfolio so they can continue to document their learning journey in Term 2.

In this week’s newsletter we share learning from Foundation Level - Design and Technologies Unit - Happy reading . . .

Celebrations of Community

Mother’s Day Stall (Wednesday 10 May) and Breakfast (Friday 12 May)

The Mother’s Day Stall will be held on Wednesday 10 May.  Our Year 6 student leaders will run the Mother’s Day Stall and students can purchase their Mother’s Day gift for $5.

Our annual Mother’s Day Breakfast will be held on Friday 12 May beginning at 7.30 am - 8.30 am, followed by time in the classrooms and then assembly at 9.00 am.  We look forward to celebrating this very special event in appreciation of all the mums & grandmothers in our school community.

NAPLAN updates New Standards - NAPLAN 2023 Reporting

A set of four achievement levels (proficiency standards) will be introduced to replace the existing 10 bands and the National Minimum Standard used for NAPLAN reporting between 2008 and 2022.

This change will provide schools, parents, and carers with clearer information that details student achievement against new proficiency standards. The standards for NAPLAN 2023 and for all testing moving forward are as follows:

• Exceeding
• Strong
• Developing
• Needs additional support.

These standards will represent a challenging but reasonable expectation of what students at each year level know and can do at the time of NAPLAN testing.   

From 2023, NAPLAN reports will more accurately reflect the personalised (adaptive) online tests that students undertake, and will facilitate the provision of timely, more precise reporting on the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy.

The new standards will provide simple and clear information for parents and carers about whether their child is where they need to be in relation to the development of their literacy and numeracy skills, and if not, they will indicate to the school that interventions and learning supports may need to be put in place for those students who may be at risk of falling behind.

The new standards and reporting design were developed with input from all education authorities and sectors, as well as parents, through independent focus groups and national peak parent organisations.

How will NAPLAN results be provided to students, parents, and carers?

Hard copies of student reports will continue to be distributed to all students who completed the NAPLAN 2023 tests. The individual reports will incorporate the four new proficiency standards, along with instructions for how to interpret the new achievement scale and student performance. The report will continue to show the national average and the range of achievement for the middle 60% of students in their year level, allowing comparison of a child’s achievement against these measures.

Updated guidance materials, including FAQs, proficiency level summary statements and a new brochure, will be provided to assist parents and carers in understanding the reporting changes and the new NAPLAN standards.

When are NAPLAN results expected to be released?

In Victoria, NAPLAN 2023 school and individual student results are expected to be released by mid-late July 2023. 

School Dates and Events

Celebrating Mothers Carers, Grandmothers and Special Persons 

Families are invited to send a photo of your children with their mum/grandparent/carer via email to Mrs Privitera. These photos will be included in a Powerpoint presentation during prayer time at our Assembly next Friday 12/5/23. Send your photo to lprivitera@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au no later than midday Thursday 11th May 2023.

SAVE THE DATE  

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK will be launched on Friday 19th May 2023. Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Sale will celebrate Catholic Education Week from 19 May to 26 May, 2023. Catholic Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful achievements of Catholic schools and highlight the inspiring life of Catholic schools today.

On Thursday 25th May a whole school mass celebration is planned followed by the afternoon of student led fundraiser stalls. All students from the school will have an opportunity to support the fundraiser stalls, led by some very committed Year 4 - 6 students. Items range from 50c to $5.00. More information in our next newsletter.

National Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD) - Friday 19 May 2023

Now in its 24th year, the annual campaign encourages all primary school children, their parents and carers to walk safely and regularly to school.  The event seeks to promote better health, road safety, public transport and the environment.  Not only is walking a wonderful way to get you where you want to be, but it also gets your health – and your child’s health on the right track too.  Walk Safely to School Day asks that we all consider our transport habits and try to incorporate more walking as part of a healthy, active way to get around.  Although walking all the way to school isn’t realistic for many, it’s quite easy to figure out how you can build a walk into your family’s daily routine.  You can teach your child the healthy habit of walking more by:

• Walking with them the whole way to school
• If you have to drive, park the car a few blocks away from the school and walk the rest of the way

Regular exercise like walking with your child not only helps them (and you!) beat chronic problems like obesity, heart disease, behavioural and mental health issues and diabetes. It also gives you a great opportunity to teach your child safe ways to behave around roads and traffic.  Remember, Active Kids are Healthy Kids so get planning your own Walk Safely to School Day journey for Friday 19 May 2023!  For more information, visit www.walk.com.au

Fifth Sunday of Easter, Cycle A

Sunday, May 7, 2023

 Jesus tells his disciples he is the way, the truth, and the life. In this reading Jesus talks to his disciples about the relationship between him and the Father. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that we can come to know his Father by coming to know him.

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

Please note that it is the Parish preferred policy to enrol your child for only one Sacrament per year, to enable the children to have a better knowledge and faith experience of each Sacrament .

SACRAMENT OF FIRST EUCHARIST  CDFPay is now open for parents wishing to enrol their children to receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist. The final Enrolment Night is Thursday 11th May 2023 at 7pm.  Parents are required to attend this session and attendance is mandatory. The Parish is unable to offer any catch up workshops for those who are unable to attend. A pre-payment is required. This can be made via https://olhc.cdfpay.org.au.  CDFPay closes on Friday 12th May at 10am. For more information please visit https://www.olhc.org.au/ parish-sacrament-program/

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/

Term 2 Fees

A reminder that Term 2 school fees are due on 15th May 2023 unless you have other arrangements in place eg direct debit.  Prompty payment is appreciated.

2024 Enrolments - filling fast!!

Last week we sent out 'Letters of Offer' to new families wishing to enrol their children for Foundation in 2024.  Positions are filling VERY quickly again this year.  

If you have family or friends who are considering enrolling their child at Mary MacKillop next year, please encourage them to get their enrolment application in as soon as possible to avoid missing out.  Applications are available on the website or hard copies at the office.

Congratulations to the following students who qualified for our School Cross Country Team: 

• 12/13 boys - Gold- Leonardo, Silver - Zac, Bronze - Karim,   Marco, Jayden, Ruben, James (not available next round), Harvey, Ethan
• 12/13 girls - Gold - Annabelle, Silver - Bridie, Bronze - Aiesha,    Daria, Sienna B, Mia, Sienna S, Taylor
• 11 Boys - Gold- Tyler, Silver - Archer, Bronze - Cruz,    Adrian Pe., Jovan, Kairos, Andrew, Lucas
• 11 Girls- Gold- Telina, Silver - Kate, Bronze - Dior ,   Angelina, Alyra, Clara, Amelia, Rita
• 10 Boys - Gold - Noah C, Silver- Toby, Bronze - Ashton , Kade, Abyei
• 10 Girls- Gold - Katya, Silver - Cassiana, Bronze - Leeya,   Matilda, Tilly
• Year 3 boys - Gold- D’Angelo, Silver - Caleb, Bronze - Salim
• Year 3 Girls - Gold - Liana,(not available next round) Silver Teebel, Bronze - Natasha  ,  Esther 

All children listed who have qualified will be sent home information about the carnival and training schedule shortly.

HOUSE POINTS 

This year we had our first ever tie in any house carnival in the history of the school (after a recount!)

• Equal 1st - Fitzroy, Eden
• 2nd - Portland
• 3rd- Penola

Photos will be included in next week’s newsletter.

Foundation Learning

This term, all MMPS students will explore and investigate technologies, including their purpose and how they meet personal and social needs within different settings. Students develop an understanding of how society and environmental sustainability factors influence design and technologies decisions. They begin to consider the impact of their decisions on others and the environment.

At the Foundation level, students are introduced to design and technologies through investigating, generating, producing and evaluating material properties, including that of paper, plastic and wood. They will investigate by wetting, cutting, folding and bending materials to find out when and how they can be useful. Students will then create and draw a model to carry a heavy object, and verbalise their design ideas. Foundation students will consider the properties of their chosen material and reflect on their design ideas collaboratively with peers, establish adjustments and make improvements to their model. 

Here are some learning responses after the Foundation students investigated the properties of paper this week:

Alex - Paper ripped easily when it got wet in the bottom of a tub of water.

Zac - We watched videos and saw big machines cutting down trees to make paper. 

Tahlia - Paper can make a fan if you fold it a lot.  

Isabelle - You can fold paper to make different things.

Rani - You can scrunch paper up into a ball. 

Olivia - When paper gets wet it gets really soggy and you can’t use it anymore!

This week in Discovery Centre, Grade 3 students created playdough piano’s using Makey Makeys. They connected their playdough keys to a computer using alligator clips. Grade 3’s discovered that in order for their pianos to work, they needed to form a circuit between themselves and the computer. 

This year 5JB chose the Mary MacKillop motto ‘Help one another and forgive anything painful in the past’  (1882)

We began the year by exploring Mary MacKillop and her belief that her life was meant to be lived, helping and educating others. Mary loved God and believed that this was what God wanted her to do. In Mary’s life, she often encountered difficulties where she was charitable and forgiving.  When we help one another and forgive others we are living the Mary MacKillop School Value ‘Be Compassionate’. 

In designing our prayer cloth we wrote synonyms for the words help and forgive around the outside of our prayer cloth. Then we  drew symbols that represented these words. 

• “I chose the symbol of a hand to represent helping others.” (Jayden)
• “I chose the symbol of a dove because being forgiving and forgiving others brings peace.” (Kairos)
• “I drew a cross because Jesus dying on the cross for our sins was the ultimate sign of love and forgiveness.” (Leeya)
• “The symbol I chose to draw was hands shaking, showing love and forgiveness.” (Lauren)

We refer to our class motto in our daily prayer, and try to live the messages we have learnt, in our daily lives as we interact with each other. 

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