Our Explicit Improvement Agenda

Student Voice and Agency

Planning for improved student learning - key focus in Mathematics

Celebrations of Learning

We warmly welcome all students, parents and staff back to Term 4.  The Welcome back to Term 4 Letter to parents and students was distributed via PAM last Friday.  A copy of the letter is attached to the newsletter for your easy reference if you missed it last week.  There are many exciting events on during Term 4, please take the time to read the letter and review the Dates and Events listings so you can join in the fun.

Just a reminder that Term 3 Student Learning Portfolios are due back now so your child can continue to document and celebrate their learning journey.

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...

WOW! Year 5 students you were sensational during the 2025 Foundation reading session this week. The new Foundies were nervous about meeting you, and each one of you made them feel comfortable and kept them engaged when reading Mr Men books. Thanks for making their very first school experience a memorable one. We already know you will be excellent Buddies for the new Foundies in 2025.

Celebrations of Community

Whole School Athletics

Our whole school athletics day will be held next Wednesday 16 October at Casey Fields.  Information about the day has been sent home to parents.  We welcome parents to come as spectators and thank all parents who have volunteered to assist on the day.  We are looking forward to an amazing day and thank Mr Timothy and all staff for their organisation and preparation.

Staffing updates

We warmly welcome Mrs Reinette Joachim-Zamudio back from maternity leave.  Reinette is teaching in 2SE on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays for the remainder of the term.  Next week I will be working in another DOSCEL school as part of the Diocese School Improvement Agenda.  Lize Privitera will be acting principal while I am away from Tuesday to Friday.

School Advisory Committee [SAC] Meeting - Annual General Meeting - Tuesday 22 October, 2024 at 7.00 pm

The Annual General Meeting of the SAC will be held on Tuesday 22 October - 7.00 pm in the Boardroom.  Nomination forms for parent representative positions on the School Advisory Committee 2024-2025 are available from the Administration Office.  Alternatively you can request a nomination from via email frontdesk@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au.

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 current 2023-2024 School Advisory Committee comprises of the following members:

• Chairperson - Liz Jones
• Parish Priest - Fr. Michael Willemsen
• Parent Representative - Danielle Davis (Secretary)
• Parent Representative - Stephanie Miller
• Parent Representative - Marina Valladares
• Parent Representative - Louise Broadhurst
• Staff Representative - Helen Fourna
• Staff/Parish Representative - Lize Privitera

Please don’t hesitate to email or make contact with the office OR a member of the School Advisory Committee if you have any questions.

WHOLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS DAY

When: Wednesday 16 October 2024

Venue: Casey Fields Regional Athletics Centre, 160 Berwick Cranbourne Rd, Cranbourne East.

Year 3- 6 students will depart from school at 9:00 am sharp and return to school at approx 3:00 pm. Year 3 -6 students should bring their food for the day (snack and lunch) and a drink bottle with water in a sports bag or backpack

 Year F - 2 students will depart from school at 10:00 am and return at approx 1:30pm

Children need to wear their sports uniform and a t-shirt in the colour of their sporting house, along with their school hat. Children should also apply sunscreen as they will be outdoors and a rain jacket if the weather is inclement. Year F-2 students will eat their snack at school before they depart but will need to bring their lunch in a named plastic bag and also bring their drink bottle with water. The teachers will carry these in a tub.

Parents/grandparents are most welcome to come and watch and cheer their children on. Please note that due to child safety protocols, personal photography or filming of any student is NOT permitted AT ALL.

INVITATION FROM FR MICHAEL, Parish Priest OLHC Narre Warren

Pope Francis has dedicated 2024 as the Year of Prayer, in anticipation of the Jubilee Year of 2025. To celebrate the Year of Prayer, I would like to invite all families from Mary MacKillop School.

Primary school to pray the Rosary together with your Parish family on the 23rd of October 2024 from 7pm to 7:30pm.

The Parish Rosary is prayed every Wednesday night online via Zoom and you are invited to join in from the comfort of your own homes. My hope is that this will encourage many of our school families to pray together in the month of the Rosary in a way that could lead to regular family prayer, which always bears much fruit in those relationships.

If anyone participating has a particular intention that they would like to be prayed for, please feel free to put them in the chat room once logged in.

Families interested in participating are asked to send an email to Lize Privitera at lprivitera@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au.

In compliance with safeguarding procedures, a response email will contain the Parish Zoom link. Families are requested not to share the link with others.

Thank-you for considering this request.  Fr Michael

From Emily D’Sylva (OLHC Parish Pastoral Associate)

As John Paul II explained, the repeated prayers in the Rosary help us get more in touch with the deepest desires in our souls for God. The Rosary provides us with a time and place to connect with our inner self. The Rosary is a meditative prayer. This simple prayer, in fact, helps us to contemplate all that God in his love has done for us and allows us to understand that our life is united to that of Christ. In prayer, we bring everything to God, our struggles, our wounds, our fears, but also our joys, our gifts, our loved ones … all to God. By praying, we allow God to enter our time, to welcome and transfigure all that we experience.

Think of the Rosary as being like the ocean: there’s something in it for everyone. The deep- sea explorer and the child making sandcastles on the beach can fully enjoy the same ocean while playing at different levels. And this is true with the Rosary… just a two-and-a-half- minute break and you can pull out your Rosary beads and pray a decade in order to regroup with the Lord and be nourished spiritually. That’s all a decade takes: one Our Father, ten

Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

World Mission Month

This year, Pope Francis has asked us to “Go and invite everyone to the banquet”. This message raises the question of what unites us all and presents a valuable opportunity for growth and togetherness, as it requires everyone to open their hearts and minds to each other.

As we approach World Mission Day and Children’s Mission Day, we want to remind you that together, we can provide a safe and nurturing home for children in Mongolia. During the month of October students will be engaged in fundraising activities to support Catholic Mission. Your donations and participation would be greatly appreciated. 

Mass and Reconciliation Schedule Term 4

All parents, friends and families are most welcome to be part of liturgical celebrations. Please refer to the updated schedule below for this term.

Thursday 24th October 11.30am Grandparent’s Mass                      

Photos of grandparents and families can be sent to lprivitera@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au.  A PowerPoint presentation will be created and presented during the mass. A special invitation was sent home via the class tub this week.

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Mark 10:17-30 (shorter form Mark 10:17-27)
A man with many possessions asks Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life.

In Sunday’s Gospel, we will hear what Jesus calls us to do with those things God has given us. Jesus calls us to follow him. He does not expect us to give up everything we have, but he does want us to make a change. He wants us to use what we have to serve God’s kingdom, not to keep what we have to ourselves by not sharing.

What are some ways we can use what we have to serve God’s kingdom?

Daniel Morcombe: Foundation: Day for Daniel Wear RED, EDUCATE, DONATE

Friday 25th October - Please support this worthy cause by donating a gold coin on the day.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB

If you wish to order, please do so by Friday 25 October 2024. 

Cash orders can no longer be accepted.  On-line orders via LOOP.

DIVISION ATHLETICS - HURDLES

Best of luck to Mason, Teebel, Dior and Ashton who will be representing the school in hurdles at Casey Fields on Monday.

WHOLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS DAY

This event will take place next Wednesday October 18 at Casey Fields Athletics track involving all children at our school. Year 3-6 students will depart MMPS at 9am and return at 3pm. F-2 students will depart MMPS at 10am and return at 1:45pm. Please complete your child’s consent form if you have not already done so. All students should wear their sports uniform with a t shirt in their house colour . If you are unsure of your child’s house colour, please look on their PAM profile which has each child's name, class and house on the home page. 

PENOLA = GREEN, PORTLAND = BLUE, FITZROY = RED, EDEN = YELLOW

Students will participate in a variety of track and field and novelty events.  Thank you to all parents who have generously volunteered to assist on the day. Your child’s classroom teacher will contact you this week with details.  If you have volunteered please ensure you bring your working with children check card and sign in at the office. Spectators are also welcome on the day to cheer on the students.

The Resilience Project

The Resilience Project is committed to teaching positive mental health strategies to prevent mental ill-health and build young people’s capacity to deal with adversity.  Teachers and students engage in weekly lessons and activities around the key principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness (GEM) and Emotional Literacy to build resilience.  Check out their website for more information The Resilience Project

Also check out TRP@HOME a place filled with inspiration and activities for the whole family, to help improve your wellbeing and build resilience.

We are a Happy Families School!                                                          

Our school is subscribed to the Happy Families School Membership! Owned and run by Dr Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s leading parenting experts, the membership offers a wealth of parenting education and resources. We will regularly share resources available through our membership with you, including Insight Articles and Webinars. You can also access your resources at any time using the below URL (unique to our school) and password.

Unique URL - https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/mmnwn

Password - happymmnwn

We recommend bookmarking this link. You should only need to put the password in once and the site will remember you.  

School TV 

https://marymacnarre.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news

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