Dear Parents and Carers,

The Christian season of Lent ended on Holy Thursday, and the Church is now in three days of special celebration. Thursday Night, we remembered the Last Supper. Today, Good Friday, we remember Jesus’ suffering and death, and on Saturday night and Sunday, we celebrate His resurrection.

As we prepare to enter these sacred days of Easter, let us take a moment to pray:

Easter Prayer

Loving God,

As we journey through these holy days,

help us to remember the great love You have for us.

Be with us as we reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus,

and open our hearts to the hope and joy of His resurrection.

Fill our school community with peace, kindness and compassion,

and help us to live as people of hope,

sharing Your love with all those we meet.

We ask this through Christ our Lord,

Amen.

Reference: Children's Daily Prayer. Under the Southern Cross. Margaret Smith

As we conclude Term 1, I would like to thank our students, staff and families for the positive start to the year. It has been wonderful to see students engaged in their learning, building friendships, and embracing our school values. Staff have been striving to improve student learning outcomes and exploring current best practice approaches, particularly in the area of Mathematics. The wellbeing of our students is paramount, and staff have been developing this through Positive Behaviours for Learning, Respectful Relationships and our Religious Education Program. It has been wonderful to see families participating in the life of the school through attendance at events like our Welcome Barbecue, Twilight Sports and Learning Showcases.

Pupil Free Days

As communicated through our last newsletter, the following Pupil Free Days have been earmarked for either Professional Learning or to Acquitt Time in Lieu to staff :

Pupil Free Days - Professional Learning

Friday 24 April

Friday 26 June

Monday 13 July

Wednesday 16 December

Pupil Free Days - Time in Lieu

Tuesday 9 June

Friday 28 August

Friday 2 November

Thursday 17 December

Thank you to the parents who shared their thoughts in relation to these dates with the School Advisory Council. Appreciation was expressed by parents in relation to shifting all pupil-free days out of Term One, following three forced closures due to Extreme Bushfire Risk. A concern was expressed about the impact of eight school closure days on student learning, on top of these three closures. The placement of the Professional Learning Day at the end of the first week back was also questioned. I am very grateful to those parents for offering their thoughts. They were carefully considered by the School Advisory Council.

While we acknowledge the importance of student learning continuity, our school has an obligation to professionally develop our staff. The four designated professional learning days are a system-wide expectation and occur in all MACS Schools. The acquittal of Time in Lieu is also an obligation under the Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2022. It is only possible for the school to run out-of-school hours events, such as Camps, Sports Events, Family Barbecues, Parent-Teacher Interviews, School Concerts and Learning Showcases if Time in Lieu is acquitted to staff. The selection of Friday 24 April as a Pupil Free Day was selected to fit in with the availability of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Staff , who are running this day for us. We also needed to accommodate the needs of other schools that are participating in this day with us.

The feedback we received in relation to the placement and timing of Pupil Free Days will be given careful consideration in our planning of these days for 2027.

School Advisory Council (SAC) Membership

Parents are encouraged to have input in relation to the direction of the school in a variety of ways. In 2025, feedback was sort from our parents in relation to the development of our buildings and facilities masterplan. Thanks to those of you who attended this online meeting. Parents also had their say via the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools - School Improvement Surveys (MACS-SIS). The data gathered will be crucial for our upcoming School Improvement Review in October. Our SAC had a large say in the changes to do with our school uniform, following significant dissatifaction with our previous uniform supplier.

An opportunity for further input for parents will be offered in Term Two when membership of the 2026-7 School Advisory Council will be open for application. We are updating our current Terms of Reference for our SAC. This should be completed over the school holidays and will be shared with our community at the beginning of Term Two. Applications for membership will then be advertised. Stay tuned for details.

Parents and Friends

At the end of 2025, Laura and Lyndal resigned from the Parents and Friends committee, following a number of years of dedicated service. Parents were invited to take on this role for 2026 but so far, I have not had any responses. I have heard from a couple of staff that we may have some parents who may be interested in the role of coordinator or perhaps to work in a supporting role. Anyone interested in taking on a role in the Parents and Friends Committee are invited to let me know via email. Katie and I will arrange a meeting with interested parents early in Term Two. Events such as Fundraisers, Raffles, Social Events, Mothers and Fathers Day Stalls, etc are only possible if we have the support of our parent community. We are very hopeful that we will be able to have this group up and running early in Term Two, in time to ensure we are able to run our much loved Mothers Day Stall.

Prayer for Good Friday

Good Friday, a day of commemoration, remembrance and veneration. No other liturgy begins with the same combination of solemnity, simplicity and silence as does the celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday.

Let us pray...

Heavenly Father,

as I bow before the cross,

I am humbled by the

immeasurable love You have shown to me.

Lord Jesus,

You bore the weight of all my sins, the hidden and the visible,

and suffered the agony that I could not endure.

May my heart open to the depth of Your mercy,

and may I see Your wounds not only in sorrow

but as the source of eternal salvation.

Let the memory of Your suffering

awaken in me a desire to live in holiness,

to forgive those who have wronged me,

and to carry my own crosses with courage and faith.

May Your blood cleanse every fear, every doubt, and every sin,

and may Your sacrifice guide my steps every day.

Amen.Source: Prayer for Contemplation at the Cross; Prayer Anchor.com Image: Pexels.com

Wishing you a beautiful Easter filled with gentle reminders of God’s love and grace. May the light of Easter shine bright in your home and guide you forward with hope.

Kind regards,

Nick.

Nicholas Boyhan

Principal

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