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!

We appreciate the attendance of all family members and friends at the Rosary prayer session via Zoom, the Grandparents Morning Tea, and the Mass celebration that took place this week. Many thanks to all the staff for making the morning tea run so successfully. So wonderful to see so many special friends, grandparents and their families.

As Mrs. Jones begins her new position on November 6th, yesterday was a perfect occasion to say farewell. It was fitting for families, young and old, of Mary MacKillop School to gather and extend their appreciation to Mrs Jones for all that she has worked so tirelessly over the 6 years at Mary MacKillop School. The students joined in chorus to the tune of a Neil Diamond favourite, ‘Sweet Mrs Jones’ and videotaped their well wishes. A special keepsake for Mrs Jones to treasure. Sincere congratulations to Mrs Jones. We will miss you and we do wish you well.

Day For Daniel  Friday 25th October.  Thank you to the students, staff, parents and families who supported the DMF motto  WEAR RED, EDUCATE AND DONATE.  Many students wore a splash of red with their uniform and donated a gold coin to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation (DMF). Thank you!

It’s Hats Off to Teachers today! Australia celebrates World Teachers' Day

Let’s celebrate our teachers and thank them for all the work they do to educate, inspire and empower learners across the Australia and in particular at Mary MacKillop School.  The Director Mr Paul Velten shares gratitude for all teachers across the Diocese of Sale:

https://bit.ly/3BPayxB 

Socktober – Mission Month

Students will participate in fundraising events to support Catholic Mission throughout the month of October. We would be very grateful for your involvement, donations, and sponsorship. The students' planned fundraising efforts are detailed in the schedule below:

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Mark 10:46-52
Jesus restores sight to the blind man, Bartimaeus

In next Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that we can be persistent about bringing our needs to him. Bartimaeus was blind.

Bartimaeus didn’t stop asking Jesus for help. He had faith in Jesus. Jesus told Bartimaeus that his faith had saved him.

God wants us to have so much faith in him that we do not let anyone else stop us from praying to him. We can pray for God’s help whenever we need to and as many times as we need to. God is always with us. He loves us, and he wants to help us.

GIRLS DIVISION CRICKET FINALS

Congratulations to the following senior students who competed in the girls T20 blast Casey North Division Playoffs yesterday - Aaliyah B, Emily L, Rachel V, Layla M, Tilly B, Hus T, Alexandra J, Lattika K and Ashlee J.

The girls showed outstanding enthusiasm to learn and improved skills development in the lead up to yesterday and the result is a just reward for their efforts.  They have now qualified for the Southern Metropolitan regional finals on November 12.

On Tuesday, the Year 1’s were lucky enough to have some very special (and tall) visitors - AFL stars Tom and Sam De Koning!! Tom plays for Carlton and Sam is a premiership player at Geelong. Tom and Sam shared what it's like to be AFL players and answered many, many questions from the Year 1’s. Some of the Year 1’s were so starstruck they kept forgetting their questions! 

We’d like to send a HUGE thank you to Tom and Sam for their time and for encouraging the kids to keep working hard and striving to achieve their dreams. We wish them all the best for what is sure to be long and successful careers!

Congratulations to the following students who have received Learning Awards so far this term:

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/mmnwnPassword - happymmnwn

We recommend bookmarking this link. You should only need to put the password in once and the site will remember you.  The latest weekly Insight Article: Brain Chemistry Hacks for Better Learning is attached below:

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