Principal's Report 

Dear Families,

The Paris Olympics is a welcome distraction from the cold weather and cold and flu season. Spectators have caught a glimpse of the amazing physical strength of the athletes but also of their emotional strengths and vulnerabilities. The school theme of High, High Hopes is reflected in the stories of many of the athletes, who started off young, trained hard and used persistence to eventually achieve their goals. This is the type of learning disposition we want our students St Leonard's to develop. Sometimes a student may wish to give in or give up. With encouragement and the right amount of support and effort, we know that the children can achieve their goals, just as the athletes did. It is the knowledge, skills and attitudes our children start to develop in primary school that will give leverage to having high hopes, in the future. This is beautifully articulated in the work of Jessica Fox, one of our flag bearers. Jessica has now become one of the most successful Australian Olympians of all time, having worked so hard physically and mentally over many years to overcome the immense pressures and to achieve this success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBC44gl-5Pg

Away from the excitement of the Olympics the reality is that some families and some of our students are feeling exhausted and struggling for motivation. If your child/ren need motivation to come to school or mental health support, please contact us and we will do what we can to continue to promote inclusivity, connection and reflect a culture of hope, faith and belonging for students, staff and families and the broader community. 

Please contact you classroom teacher/s or the following:

Wellbeing Leader: Angela Foale

Care for Kids Leader: Tricia-Rose Robinson

Learning Diversity Leader: Patricia Zomer

School Psychologist: Erin Sinclair

Deputy Principal: Aimee Gale

Principal: Rob Horwood

State Schools Victoria Cross Country Championships.

Our own example of High High Hopes in the sporting area can be seen in Natalie. We are very proud of Natalie's (3/4H) results from the SSV State Cross Country Championships which she participated in. Despite it being a cold and muddy day, she persisted and managed to get a good position overall. Running the 2km U9 and U10 girls, she finished 43 out of 91 in the State of Victoria, with a time of 10:18.223. 

This was an amazing achievement, especially considering she was sick for nearly two weeks and could not train much before the event.

Keep up the great work, Natalie, we look forward to seeing you continue your journey into the future.

Prayer 

As part of our aim to celebrate the Catholic tradition and enrich the life and catholic identity of the school, Anthony Adaman is sharing the gospel and theme of the weekend mass. This week’s prayer focus for Week 3 is "How Do We Love Our Family?"

Here are some reflection questions to consider:

• Sharing is Caring: How can we emulate Jesus' example by sharing with our families?
• Making Everyone Happy: What practical steps can we take to foster a loving and joyful atmosphere at home?
• Helping Each Other: How can we support and encourage one another during challenging times?
• Saying Thank You: What specific ways can we express gratitude to our family members?
• God’s Love: How can we demonstrate God’s love in our interactions with our families?

The Feast of St Mary MacKillop- 8 August- All Welcome

The Mary MacKillop website encourages us to walk in the footsteps of Australia’s Saint, Mary MacKillop, by being Fierce for Fair. This year's theme prompts us to be fierce in the face of adversity by:

• Being fair and act when we see injustice. 
• Giving love to those we encounter each day. 

https://www.marymackilloptoday.org.au/mary-mackillop-feast-day/

This relates closely to the learning we facilitate about standing up when we see an unfair situation, such as, bullying, cyberbullying, putdowns, unkind words and actions and taking part in social justice initiatives at the school and church.

To honour this significant occasion, we warmly welcome parents and family members to a liturgy in the church after lunch, from 2:45 until 3:10pm on Thursday, 8th August.

Excitement is building as Ms Ellis and the students prepare for Wakakirri.

On Friday 9 August we have two dress rehearsals: 

1.00–1.30pm:  Performance for school 

2:00-2:30pm Performance for Prep 2025 students and families

3.30 - 4.00pm :  Performance for families.  All family, friends and school community are invited to watch this performance. 

Show Date – Friday 23 August

Frankston Arts Centre:  7.15pm – 9pm (approx.)

STEM MAD (Make A Difference)Showcase Preparation

On STEM Day, the Year 5 and 6 students followed the STEM Inquiry Design Process to explore the wildlife that shares our Glen Waverley neighbourhood. 

The provocation was: As suburban development encroaches on natural habitats, many animals are facing a loss of home. 

To address this pressing issue, our students worked collaboratively to design innovative devices that could help local animals thrive in their changing environment. Some of the ideas will be selected to work as small teams to represent our school at the STEM MAD Showcase.

Briefly

• On  the15th of August we celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the earth, when both her soul and her body were taken into the presence of God. We invite all families to our whole school mass at 9:15am. All welcome.
• Book Day is August 20th. Please read the Library page of this newsletter.
• This week we had three excursions. The Year 1/2's went to MOPA, the Museum of Play & Art. The Year 4 & 5 students thoroughly enjoyed the matinee performance of the Avila & Mazenod production of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. The Year 5/6's went to Werribee Zoo. Please enjoy these photos and please read the Learning in 5/6J page of this newsletter.

Wishing every family a very happy week ahead. 

Rob Horwood

Principal