Religious Dimension

Mini Vinnies Winter Sleepout – Living Our Faith Through Action

Mini Vinnies Sleepout

On Thursday during the second last week of Term 2, our Year 6 students participated in the Mini Vinnies Sleepout, raising an incredible $958 for St Vincent de Paul while developing a greater understanding of homelessness and disadvantage in our community.

The evening began with an informative quiz, where students learnt that approximately 53,000 people seeking support are turned away each year because services cannot meet the demand. They also discovered that homelessness can affect people of all ages and is not always visible, with some families living temporarily in cars, overcrowded homes or insecure accommodation.

Students wrote thoughtful letters of hope to include in hampers for people experiencing hardship. After roasting marshmallows around the fire, they participated in a reflective night walk around the school grounds. Along the way, students discussed where they might find a safe place to sleep if they did not have a home and considered the challenges of staying warm, dry and protected overnight.

The students then prepared their cardboard sleeping spaces in the school hall. Despite hearing stories that previous groups had stayed awake until the early hours, everyone was asleep by midnight! There was also plenty of excitement when three students lost teeth during the evening, although unfortunately the tooth fairy did not visit the sleepout.

The following morning, our entire Year 5/6 Learning Community participated in a practical budgeting activity. Students investigated the minimum weekly wage and the average cost of renting a home for a family of four on the Mornington Peninsula. After subtracting rent and essential household expenses, groups created a realistic weekly shopping list and seven-day meal plan using the limited money remaining.

This activity prompted thoughtful conversations about the difficult choices families may face when paying for food, housing, transport, medical expenses, school costs and other necessities. Students quickly discovered how challenging it can be to provide nutritious meals while staying within a tight budget.

We were incredibly proud of the compassion, maturity and enthusiasm shown by our students throughout this meaningful experience. Thank you to our wonderful staff, families and community members who supported the sleepout and helped our students put their faith into action.

Save the Date – Grandparents/V.I.P. Morning

We are very excited to invite our grandparents and special friends to join us for our Grandparents Morning in Term Three, Week 2, on Friday 24th July.

This special morning is always such a beautiful opportunity for our school community to come together and celebrate the important role grandparents and special friends play in the lives of our children. Their love, wisdom, stories, support and presence are such a gift, and we look forward to welcoming them into our school.

We will begin the morning by attending Mass together, before returning to school where grandparents and special friends will have the opportunity to visit our learning spaces and spend time with the children. We will then share morning tea together as a school community.

More details about the morning will be shared closer to the date, but for now we ask families to please save the date and let grandparents and special friends know that they are warmly invited to join us.

We cannot wait to celebrate this wonderful occasion together next week.