Catholic Identity 

G’day Weekday Mass 

On Wednesday we celebrated Mass with our Parishioners, parents and friends at our first ‘G’day Weekday Mass’ in the Brigidine Centre. The Moore Community (Years 3 & 4) welcomed all to our sacred space leading the prayers of the faithful, Offertory Procession and final hymn. 

All guests were served a light luncheon and cuppa following Mass. 

Each term we look forward to celebrating Mass with our Parish community at school continuing to build connections and relationships. 

Big Water Walk.    

On Thursday the Year 4 cohort and staff gathered together in prayer at St Mary’s Church and then walked in solidarity with students from St Joseph’s College and St Mary’s Parishioners, carrying buckets of water from the Church to our school. This act of unity recognises the difficulties many in our world face daily to gain access to clean water. Arriving at school we gathered again in liturgy recognising our struggles as well as our act of unity. 

A sausage sizzle was enjoyed by all following the liturgy.  

Thank you to St Mary’s Parishioners, parents and friends who joined with us. Gratitude to Fr Novie, Rob & Jenny Morris and all those who contributed to a successful and worthy challenge. 

May each of us continue to open our eyes to ‘the other’ in our world. 

Harmony Week 

This week we celebrated diversity. At St Mary’s we are extremely proud and embrace the rich cultures and differences within our community. Every day we celebrate this, although during Harmony Week this week, we placed this in the spotlight. 

Learners participated in a variety of learning tasks ranging from acknowledgement of what, why and who we celebrate, cultural dishes and their origins, flags we associate with, quizzes about culture and diversity, as well as nurturing a deeper understanding of why diversity is valued and important to us. 

ECSI Survey – Sent via Compass 

As mentioned in last fortnights newsletter, St Mary’s Primary school will be participating in the Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) surveys this year. This initiative is implemented across the diocese of Sandhurst as an integral component of the system-wide school improvement agenda. The survey gathers important data and meaningful insights into how St Mary’s school views its Catholic identity today and how such identity might be shaped for tomorrow. Your input is valuable to support us and how Catholic Identity is shaped into the future. 

I encourage you to take 55 minutes from your day to complete the survey. Every parent who completes the survey within the fortnight timeframe will enter the draw for the following two prizes: 

Choice of: 

1. Family meal $100.00 voucher at an Echuca Hotel of your choice 

2. Home cooked lasagna and Sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce (feeds 6) 

The two lucky recipients will be contacted! 

This survey has now been placed on Compass for your access. 

Please email me once completed to allow your name to enter into the draw. 

Thank you in advance. 

Colleen 

champson@smechuca.catholic.edu.au 

Caritas Fundraisers: 

It has been wonderful to see our learners and staff take on board the Caritas event each week, raising funds for Caritas as they reach out to others in need. 

The Year with the highest funds raised will be announced in the final week of term. 

Mass and Liturgy Timetable