Welcome to the 2025 school year

We welcome all families to the 2025 school year. As a new Principal at Mary MacKillop school, I have been meeting families at the Welcome gate each morning and afternoon and visiting classrooms in order to get to know all parents/guardians, students and staff. It is evident that our school values (respect, responsibility, courage, compassion and problem solving) are being explicitly taught through the establishment of routines, work habits and building relationships. This helps ensure the learning environment (both the classrooms and the playground) is safe and supportive for our students. By doing this, we all play a part in enacting our school vision - In the spirit of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop - we are a Catholic community Inspiring Hearts and Minds.

We especially welcome our Foundation families. The Foundation students have settled into school life beautifully. I was present for morning prayer (Bless This Day) on Monday morning and the student’s ability to focus and be still during prayer was to be commended.

Our School Improvement focus for 2025 will continue to be:

• Student voice and agency
• Planning for improved student learning – key focus in Mathematics.

School Review and VRQA

Throughout 2025 we will be engaged in the School Review and VRQA process which occurs every four years. This is an opportunity to review our impact in regard to the school improvement strategies and practices over the last four years and to strategically plan for deliberate and targeted school improvement in our School Improvement Plan (SIP) and Annual Implementation Plan (AIP). This then informs our Professional Learning Implementation Plan (PLIP) and helps us determine what Professional Learning our staff need to enact the goals we have in our plans.

Sharing of Food

For the health and safety of all students (particularly students with allergies) and to ensure your child is eating only the food provided from home, students are not permitted to share food. 

We also ask that students do not bring food gifts or other gifts to school for other students (this includes birthdays, Easter eggs, Christmas chocolates/candy canes etc). Gift giving (whether it be food or other gifts) can sometimes create pressure for families. If a student wishes to give a gift to another student, this can be done outside school time during a mutually agreed upon time by the parents/guardians of the students.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we continue to create a safe and positive environment for all students.

Morning Routine

Each morning gates are open at 8.30am. This is the time to aim to arrive at school. When students are here at 8.30am they have plenty of time to make their way to classrooms (which are open from 8.40am) and unpack and get ready for the day. By 8.45am all students need to be in class ready for the roll and prayer. Any student arriving after 8.45am is late and therefore, must come via the Office for a late pass.

Staff Collective Feedback to Students

Thank you Year 5s! You have made an excellent start to the year, entering the senior building enthusiastically and ready to embrace new challenges. Your teachers look forward to strengthening student voice and agency and celebrating your progress throughout the year.

School Events and Calendar

We encourage as many parents/guardians as possible to attend the Michael Carr Gregg evening on Tuesday 18 February at 7pm. Michael is well known as a Child and Adolescent Psychologist and his presentation on raising children and resilience will be helpful to all families. This is a free event and for adults (students do not attend).

Please keep checking the calendar for events below:

Welcome Garden

We are pleased to share an uplifting update with you regarding the Welcome Garden. After last year’s unfortunate incident of vandalism, we have taken steps to restore and enhance this space with the installation of a new statue of Our Lady Help of Christians, the Patron Saint of our Parish.

This beautiful statue stands as a symbol of hope, resilience, and faith for all who visit our school grounds. Our Lady Help of Christians has long been a source of protection and guidance for our Parish and school community, and we hope this new statue serves as a reminder of her intercession and the strength of our shared faith.

We kindly remind everyone to use the pathway as you walk into the school, ensuring the space remains accessible and beautiful for all who wish to stop by for a moment of prayer or reflection. May this statue inspire us all to continue to live with love and respect for one another, and may it be a source of blessings for everyone in our school community.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Luke 5:1-11
The fishermen (Simon, James, and John) leave their fishing boats and follow Jesus.

Next Sunday’s Gospel tells us what happened when Jesus called Simon Peter to be his disciple. Simon Peter hadn't caught any fish. But he trusted Jesus. He followed Jesus’ command to lower the nets into the water.

What happened next? (The fishermen caught so many fish that the nets tore.) Jesus told Simon Peter he would be a different type of fisherman. What did Jesus say Simon Peter would be catching instead of fish? Jesus was calling Simon Peter to help him bring people to God. Did Simon Peter follow Jesus? (Yes.)

Jesus calls us to follow him too. One way that we follow Jesus is by telling others about him. Who is someone in your family that you might tell about Jesus and Simon Peter? Remind others that Jesus calls you to follow him, just as he called Simon Peter.

 “Jesus, we are your disciples. We will follow you.”

Sacrament of First Reconcilliation

Preparations have commenced. The final PARENT FORMATION NIGHT will be held on Thursday 13th February 2025. The start time is 7pm at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish. A Levy of $50.00 is payable (payment to be made via the PARISH CDFpay platform).  Making a payment through CDFPay confirms your child's enrolment in the Sacrament Program and registers the parent for Parent Formation Night.  CDFPay Online has been open since Monday 13th January 2025 and closes on Friday 14th February 2025.

Beginning of the 2025 School Year Mass – Thursday 13th February 2025 at 9.00 am

We will be celebrating our beginning of the 2025 School Year Mass on Thursday 13th February 2025 at 9.00 am in the Allen Hall. We look forward to welcoming back Fr. Michael Willemsen, our Parish Priest to celebrate Mass with us. We also look forward to formally commissioning our Year 6 student leaders and blessing our class candles in preparation for our year ahead. Parents and families are most welcome to join us in the Allen Hall.

Diocesan Assembly

Selected representatives from parishes, schools, Catholic organisations, and other invitees will comprise the membership of the Diocesan Assembly 2025. Mrs Verstraete & Mrs Privitera will be attending the two-day Assembly to be held in Churchill on Friday 14th Feb to Saturday 15th February 2025. Pope Francis invites Catholics throughout the world to engage in a process of listening to what steps the Holy Spirit is inviting the Church to take to grow in journeying together in communion, mission, and participation. Through prayer, respectful dialogue, and attentive listening, this process aims to arrive at an agreed set of recommended pastoral and organisational initiatives our Diocese intends to put these into practice over the next five years, to enable our faith communities to become more Christ-centred, synodal and missionary.

Exciting News for the Jubilee Year of Hope & 30th Anniversary Celebration!

We are thrilled to announce that Andrew Chinn and his team have arrived at Mary MacKillop School to help us celebrate a truly special milestone. This year marks our Jubilee Year of Hope and 30th Anniversary, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this moment with our entire school community.

As part of the celebrations, the much-anticipated mural project is officially underway! Andrew, along with Bernadette and Eleanor Chinn, are leading the creation of a beautiful mural on the gym wall, facing the Junior building. The exciting part? Students will have the opportunity to engage with Andrew and his team, contributing artistically to the mural and being a part of something that will remain a lasting symbol of our school’s journey.

To continue the celebrations, we invite all families to join us for a special concert by Andrew Chinn, held on Thursday, 13th March 2025. This evening event will feature an afterschool sausage sizzle and a lively concert, offering a perfect opportunity for the entire school community to come together and enjoy an evening of music, food, and fun.

Mark the date and get ready for a memorable family event to celebrate this incredible milestone!

Shrove Tuesday Activity – Permission Letter Coming Soon!

Keep an eye on your inbox! A permission letter will be sent via PAM for parents to give consent for students to participate in the upcoming Shrove Tuesday activity. Be sure to check your email so your child can join in the fun and festivities!

School Assembly will be held tomorrow beginning at 2.15pm in Allen Hall. Please note the new starting time this year!

2025 Fee Accounts

Fee accounts for 2025 have been emailed to all families this week. Please check your inbox to ensure you have received yours. If you don’t see it, kindly check your junk or spam folder before contacting the office to confirm we have the correct details.

Payment Options
Fees can be paid via our preferred methods: direct debit or BPAY. You may also pay via EFTPOS at the office or through a bank transfer. If paying by bank transfer, please include your family name and account number in the reference to ensure we can allocate your payment correctly.

CSEF & Fee Concession
If you hold a current eligible Centrelink Health Care Card and have not yet submitted your CSEF & Eligible CCC Holders Concession Application, please do so by the end of next week. This will allow us to apply for the rebate, reducing your fee account to $520.00 per family.

For families who have already submitted their CSEF & Health Care Card Fee Rebate Applications, the credits will be applied to your fee account by the end of March, and an updated statement will be sent to you. If you have a direct debit arrangement, your payments will automatically be adjusted to reflect the rebated amount of $520.00.

We had a very exciting time in the Junior building as the new Foundation students began their primary school journey last Thursday. Thank you to all the families who came along in the morning to witness the first moments of school.  We had very busy classrooms with parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, siblings, cousins and friends! Class teachers were just as excited and are looking forward to working in partnership with all families throughout the year. 

We interviewed some of the Foundation students to get their thoughts and feelings on their first week of school!

What are you excites you most about school?

• Going on the playground - Maggie
• To do Art - Demi
• To do sport - Andre  
• Painting - Siena 
• Playing on the big slide - Shaynaaya 
• To play cricket - Thomas

What have you enjoyed the most about school?

• Going on the slide - Leo S 
• I have liked fruit and snack time - Leo L 
• Going on the monkey bars - Lana
• Recess - Sienna
• Meeting our brothers and sisters - Sevi

What have we learned this week?

• I made new friends this week - Noah
• I was brave at school - Klara
• Some new songs - Carla 
• The days of the week song - Tiadora

Last week, before students began the year, MMPS staff were privileged to obtain professional learning from renowned child and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg. Michael was an enthusiastic presenter sharing many reasons for the need for staff to be aware of ‘positive psychology’ and the beneficial impact these have on students. Some examples of these specific for the classroom include positive self-talk, a supportive/safe environment, setting routines, student ownership of the classroom set up, student voice and agency, peer to peer learning, the need for problems to establish problem solving skills, fostering belonging and a sense of community. Micheal has a wealth of knowledge, is charismatic and was extremely interesting to listen to. 

Here at MMPS, we aim to build team based culture with the entire school community. This fosters and strengthens staff, student and family connections - a fruitful platform to ensure we provide a productive culture for ALL students. Hence, we have secured Dr Michael Carr-Gregg to present to our school adult community. The main topics he intends to share include tips on raising children in today's world and  practical wellbeing strategies to build resilience. I highly recommend you save the date for this one off special information evening - Tuesday 18th February, 7-8pm. (Please see the advertisement brochure included in this newsletter for further information.) 

We look forward to working in partnership with informed parents and carers to support students with resilience and wellbeing. Hope to see you there! 

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

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.  

The latest weekly Insight Article: The Hidden Benefits of Your Child Back-to-School Butterflies

School TV 

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

Because parenting doesn't come with instructions, SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource implemented at our school to help support you in the challenges of modern-day parenting relating to youth mental health and wellbeing. Parenting is a learning journey and SchoolTV supports families by providing credible information from trusted sources with practical strategies to help alleviate some of the challenges being faced by young people today.

Watch video interviews with leading wellbeing specialists and browse a library of resources. Each topic is accompanied by factsheets, podcasts, books, articles, apps and other videos.

This award-winning resource helps families build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It will assist you in starting those conversations on topics that can sometimes be awkward or difficult to tackle.

Parents and caregivers are the greatest influence on a young person's life and SchoolTV focuses on empowering confident parenting.