It is hard to believe we are already in Week 4 of Term 1 2025. On Tuesday night we had many parents/guardians attend an evening with Michael Carr - Gregg - Child and Adolescent Psychologist. As a parent and educator I was reminded of the importance of happiness, resilience and the protective factors for children. Michael presented 4-5 key things that contribute to a child’s overall wellbeing - a loving, consistent, calm reliable adult, making and keeping friends, being passionate about something, spirituality. He also explained that eating and sleeping well and having routines around study contribute to overall wellbeing also. 

There are many opportunities for students to explore things they are passionate about at school. On Wednesday morning more than 30 students went to swimming trials with a positive attitude and gave their very best effort. Mr Timothy came back to school and shared with me that the students behaviour and attitude at the pool was exemplary and they supported and cheered each other. Well done students!

Diocesan Assembly

Last Friday and Saturday, Lize Privitera (Deputy Principal) and myself attended the Diocesan Assembly in Traralgon. We spent this time speaking with others about the goals for the Diocese for the next five years. During these two days, Bishop Gregg’s leadership and desire to have our Diocese thrive was evident. I left feeling very hopeful and grateful to be working in the Diocese of Sale. More information will be shared about the final goals (which will now go back to Bishop Gregg).

Student Voice and Agency

Our teachers are beginning to collect work samples for the student portfolios and through this process I can see the level of feedback provided to students. Students are being encouraged to stretch their thinking and show what they know in multiple ways. They are also getting ready to share with you their Learning Goals at the Learning Conversations in Week 6 (Tuesday 4 March 3.40pm - 6.20pm and Wednesday 5 March 3.40pm - 6.20pm). 

Bookings for your child’s Learning Conversations will open next  Monday 24th February at 9.00am and are made via your child’s PAM profile.

Please continue to touch base with your child’s teacher if you have any concerns - they are your first point of contact when you are worried or want to clarify anything.

Collective feedback to Students

• Amazing work to the Year 6 students on the big oval at lunchtimes. When the music starts, you stop playing the game and walk respectfully back to your classrooms. Great work at being fantastic leaders of our school!
• Great work Year 4 students in identifying your Student Voice and Agency through the learning in the classroom. It’s been wonderful to see your recognise the choices you have in your learning. Keep it up!
• Fantastic work to the Year 4, 5 and 6 students at the Swimming Trials on Wednesday. You demonstrated perseverance with your swimming ability and great sportsmanship by encouraging others. We are so proud of you all!

Reminder - School Photos will take place TOMORROW Friday 21st February

Students are to wear their correct summer uniform and school shoes.  Runners may be brought in the school bag if needed for sport.  Year 6 students may wear their Year 6 polo top.

School Assembly

Assembly is held each Friday afternoon  beginning at 2.15pm in Allen Hall.  Please sign in at the office.

Logo Design Competition – Celebrating 30 Years of Catholic Education

REMINDER – entries due – 6th March 2025

2025 marks the 30th anniversary of MMPS! To celebrate this significant milestone, we invite all students and families to participate in designing a logo for this special occasion. Throughout the year, there will be various community events celebrating our anniversary, and the winning logo will be featured on promotional materials, anniversary publications, and newsletters, helping to recognize and promote these exciting events. To enter, please complete the entry form with your design, name, and class, and submit it via email to your child’s class teacher by Thursday, 6th March 2025. Please check your inbox for the letter and entry form, which was sent via PAM.   Additional paper copies are available from the office if needed.  We look forward to seeing your creative designs!

Jubilee Year of  Hope and 30th Anniversary Celebrations!

We are thrilled to celebrate our Jubilee Year of Hope and 30th Anniversary at Mary MacKillop School! This year marks a truly special milestone, and we’re excited to share this moment with our entire school community.

As part of the celebrations, the much-anticipated mural project is well underway! Andrew Chinn and his team facilitated the initial stages of the mural, and now our talented art teachers, Mrs Giles and Mrs Lardner along with students, are continuing the work to create a beautiful mural on the gym wall, facing the Junior building. All students have had the opportunity to contribute to this project by painting sections and marking their handprints on the mural, which will serve as a lasting symbol of our school’s journey and community spirit.

To continue the celebrations, we invite all families to join us for a special concert on Thursday, 13th March 2025, featuring a lively afterschool open classroom visit, free sausage sizzle, treasure hunt activity, unveiling of the wall mural and family concert. This event will be a wonderful opportunity for the whole school community to come together for an evening of music, food, and fun.

Mark your calendars for this memorable family event to celebrate this incredible milestone! A special flyer will be published to highlight the events and an expression of interest will be sent out via PAM.

Shrove Tuesday Activity – Permission Letter

A permission letter has been 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!

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance in preparation for Easter. During this solemn day, Catholics receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross, symbolizing mortality and repentance, with the reminder, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." It is also a day of fasting and abstinence, where Catholics reflect on their relationship with God and commit to spiritual renewal. While not a holy day of obligation, many attend services to begin Lent with humility and a renewed focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Families and friends are invited to the Whole School Ash Wednesday Mass on Wednesday 5th March, 11.30am. Your invitation will be sent soon—keep an eye out!

Diocesan Assembly – A Reflection (Lize Privitera)

The Sale Diocesan Assembly held last Friday 14th and Saturday 15th February, provided an invaluable opportunity for reflection, connection, and growth within our faith communities. This gathering brought together members from across the Diocese to reflect on our shared mission and how we can continue to live out our Catholic values in a rapidly changing world.

A key theme of the assembly was unity—how, despite our diverse backgrounds and ministries, we are all part of the same body of Christ. This is a reminder of the importance of collaboration, prayer, and mutual support as we work together to serve others and build up the Kingdom of God. The discussions emphasized the need to listen attentively to one another, especially those who may feel marginalized or unheard within the Church.

One of the most impactful reflections was the importance of the partnership between parish and school. Both are essential pillars in the faith journey of our young people. The assembly highlighted how effective collaboration between parish and school enriches the spiritual lives of students and provides a more holistic faith experience. By working together, schools and parishes can create environments where children are not only educated academically but are also nurtured in their faith, fostering a sense of community and belonging. This partnership also supports families in their role as the first educators of their children's faith.

The assembly also focused on the role of lay people in the Church’s mission. As a Diocesan community, it was highlighted that everyone, regardless of vocation, has a role to play in furthering God’s work. This reinforced the idea that we all have unique gifts and talents that contribute to the greater good, and that the Church thrives when all its members are engaged and active in its mission.

Another reflective point was the importance of nurturing a culture of hope, joy, and compassion. In a world often marked by division and struggle, the assembly reminded us of our call to be beacons of light and love, offering solace and understanding to those around us.

In conclusion, the Sale Diocesan Assembly was a powerful reminder of the need for unity, collaboration, and commitment to living out our faith with integrity and compassion. It inspired me to think about how I can contribute more meaningfully to my school and parish community and live out the values of the Gospel in my daily life.

FIRST RECONCILIATION PROGRAM - PARENT & CHILD WORKSHOPS

Parent/s and their child are invited to attend one of these workshops as part of the preparation to receive the Sacrament.  Sessions are held in the Parish Centre at OLHC Parish Narre Warren  

•       Wednesday, 26th February 2025    5:00pm or 7:00pm
•       Thursday, 27th February 2025        5:00pm or 7:00pm 

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Luke 6:27-38
Jesus teaches his disciples to be merciful as God is merciful.

Next Sunday’s gospel reading is a continuation of the teaching that began in last Sunday's gospel. The teaching continues as Jesus' Sermon on the Plain. In the Sunday Gospel, Jesus teaches how people are to treat others. Jesus calls people to treat others in the way they want to be treated. They follow Jesus’ command when they love and forgive all people, even when it’s hard. They pray together that Jesus will help them have a loving and forgiving heart and treat others as they want to be treated.

The Year 5 students have learnt the importance of classroom ownership. The following quotes are students explaining why Student Voice and Agency is important and how they have incorporated it so far this year:

It is important so we are involved and confident to help us learn. It helps us to be independent learners by having courage to understand things better when we have a problem, and we are resilient by working things out on our own. Ryan 

It is important because we get to have our say and express our choices. Isabel 

We have been learning about factors and multiples. We are getting really good at it and now we can learn from our SURF display board (Strategies - Understanding - Reading - Fast Facts). Nathaniel

The class has made a lot of displays. I helped make the Welcome door poster and the class banner. The banner states ‘We’re kicking goals in 5-LT’. We all voted a soccer theme so the banner and the door poster match the theme. Wendal

As a class we voted to have a prayer mat of a tree and a Mary MacKillop quote ‘Let us be humble and grateful’ (1898). The tree is to represent Mary reading to the less fortunate and we have books to continue the story.  Nakira

We all contributed to the classroom expectations and we got to choose what we wanted it to look like - we could draw and/or write an expectation. I think it looks really good because everyone used a lot of ideas. Jeremy

We even have student voice in our homework. We got a choice in the project for home study and we also got the choice of how to present it.  Teebel

As a class we all got to choose a job that helps our classroom and teacher. Radvin 

Our teacher asks as a question every roll call and we get to share a little about yourself every morning and get to know each other better, it allows us to express ourselves. Isabel  

As a whole class we created our class expectations, it is displayed in our class so it can remind us about what to do or how to work in the classroom. Liana 

We all voted for and choose a puzzle piece for our prayer cloth and we all got to choose how we designed the piece. We also choose the quote ‘Be eager in your desires but humble and patient in your accomplishments’. Jocelyne 

We use the SMART strategies to set up our goals - to help make them more achievable in the term, we also use the SURF strategy in maths to help when we’re stuck.  Brighty 

On Tuesday, MMPS held a Parent Information Evening with Dr Michael Carr-Gregg as the presenter. Michael is a renowned psychologist with a wealth of knowledge around children and adolescents in today's world. His passion benefited parents and carers greatly as he discussed effects of social media, artificial intelligence, recognising emotions, ‘watering the garden of friendships’, looking out for loneliness, characteristics of resilience and the importance of a spirit of belonging. Earlier in the year when Michael spent time with staff, he detailed many of the same topics we can foster at school, and it was wonderful to hear how well we can work alongside parents who can do the same at home. 

It was great to see many families from around the community attend this worthwhile night. The feedback received is very much valued and indicated 100% of parents and carers who completed the survey were highly satisfied with the information shared, found it useful and very much important for teachers and parent/carers. Some of the comments parents and carers shared about the most important message for them included spending time each day getting the kids to express 3 positive things for 21 [consecutive] days, if you can’t change the situation change the way you think about it, to listen more, types of food that can make a difference, the 5 characteristics of resilience - All of it really!! and I love how much MMPS aligns with so much of what we heard!! 

It was wonderful to share an important night with the MMPS adult community - thank you to those who supported the night. 

Congratulations to the children who have received learning awards so far this term......

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.  

Dr Justin Coulson is a dad to 6 daughters and grandfather to 1 granddaughter. He is the parenting expert and co-host of Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance, and he and his wife host Australia’s #1 podcast for parents and family: The Happy Families Podcast. He has written 9 books about  families and parenting. For further details visit happyfamilies.com.au. Here is his next Insight article, The Power of Belonging - Why Feeling Connected at School Matters More Than You Think

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

A Special Report: The Wellbeing Barometer - 2025

The Wellbeing Barometer survey is an invaluable tool for schools, providing critical insights into the mental health and wellbeing of young people. This annual survey identifies areas of concern, highlights resilience and adaptability in students, and emphasises the importance of preventative strategies to promote positive outcomes.

Participation in this survey is strongly encouraged, as it offers a comprehensive view of students' experiences, challenges, 

and achievements. By capturing a detailed understanding of young people's experiences, the survey supports a tailored approach to enhancing their mental, emotional, and social wellbeing. It helps to identify strengths and areas for improvement, as well as pinpoint opportunities for early intervention.

The survey is part of an ongoing longitudinal study, and we encourage you to take a few moments to complete the survey for each of your children. Responses remain anonymous and should be based on your observations over the last 12 months. By working together, we can reduce the long-term impact of mental illness and make a meaningful difference to the lives of our young people for a brighter future.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:
https://marymacnarre.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-wellbeing-barometer-2025-au