Dear Families,

What a great way to start the week with our students competing in the Dendy District Swimming competition and being awarded the 1st place percentages shield. Aside from winning the shield, we were especially proud of our students for their teamwork and support of one another. Well done to all of you and well done to Mr Cleary, who is especially proud as this was his first Dendy District event as our inter-school sports coordinator. We have nine students heading to the Beachside Division swimming on the 11th March, representing not only our school but the Dendy District. Good luck to James E, Alexis, Gaby N, Sophie N, Mila, Christian, Callum, Gabriella W and Max L in the next round of the competition. A special word of thanks to the parents who came along and the day and gave their time to support the students and staff. A big thank you to Ms Huebner who assisted with swimming training and to Miss Briely who helped on the day.

Congratulations to our Italian Captains!

Signora Saladino proudly presented our new Italian Captains with their badges at this morning's assembly, as chosen by her and Signora Gleeson. With plans afoot to immerse us all in the Italian language, I'm sure our students will be fluent by the end of the year. What an impressive program these two teachers provide for our students. Grazie Mille!

Meetings In Real Life!

The feeling of normality increased this week with two important parent forums meeting on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday we held our first School Advisory Council (SAC) meeting of the year and on Tuesday we held our first Parents and Friends (P+F) meeting. It was a joy to reconnect with people properly and a relief not to be meeting on a screen. Both were very productive evenings and I thank the parents for coming along to support our school. A special thank you to David and Courtney for attending both evenings! (I wonder if the P+F meeting venue had anything to do with the great turnout! Thanks Michael for organising!). Please check out P+F news later in this newsletter for an insight into this year's plans.

SRC Semester 1 2022

Congratulations to the newly appointed members of the Student Representative Council, who will be working with Mrs O’Dwyer and Mrs Carman on a number of projects during semester 1. Well done to Elise, Ari, Valentina, Matilda, Xavier, Anastasia, Christian, Ethan, Nicholas, James, Alfred, Sienna and Alexis and we look forward to you leading various initiatives across our school in the coming months.

Enrolment Updates

Thanks to the families who began the online enrolment form for prep 2023. If you're having difficulty accessing the form, please pick up a hard copy from the office.

We'd also be very grateful if you could share the Open Day/ Tour flyer amongst friends/ kinders etc.

The first round of offers will be sent out to families who meet the enrolment criteria by Friday 18th March.

Opening the Doors

From Monday parents are able to enter the building, including classrooms. All staff are up to date with vaccinations and this helps us to ease the restrictions somewhat. You no longer have to QR to come in. I do request that you do not storm the building on Monday morning! Visitors inside the building must wear masks and be double vaccinated.

The teachers will be putting the call out for parent helpers to assist with pancake making in the classrooms this coming Tuesday. We would be most grateful for the help, so look out for messages from your classroom teacher.

RATs

The new batch arrived this morning and have been sent home with your child in a labelled box.

Net Set Go!

LEARN TO PLAY NETBALL WITH NET SET GO

Net Set GO is Australia’s official starter program for girls and boys aged 5 – 10. It’s a chance to learn the netball basics, get outside and make some friends. For a lot of kids, this is the first time they’ll pick up a netball or chuck on a bib. It’s a learning experience and a lot of fun!

VENUE: St Joseph’s Primary School, Malvern

SESSION DATES & TIMES: Thursdays (during school term) from 3.45pm – 4.30pm

START DATE: Sunday, 13 February till 18 June 2022 for 15 weeks (excludes school & public holidays)

COST: $250 (includes registration fee, participant pack and insurance)

REGISTRATION through Sarah Gerrand: saintsnetty@gmail.com

Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent

Ash Wednesday (2nd March) marks the beginning of the Church’s season of Lent. The marking of the ashes on our foreheads on this day is a public expression of our faith and humility. It is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through prayer we come closer to God so that we are better able to realise the promises made for us at our baptism, to live justly as Jesus teaches us. Fasting joins us in solidarity with people experiencing poverty who often have no choice but to go without basic human needs. Sharing what we have, or ‘almsgiving’, is a sign of our commitment to justice and our thanks for all that God has given us.

Lent prepares us for the season of Easter, the most important time in the Church’s calendar. By praying, fasting and giving alms, we are reminded of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus brought the promise of hope to all people so that we may “Have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) As we live into that fullness, may we also be challenged to act with love and hope, now and for all future generations.

We will hold two liturgies on Wednesday, one for the Junior school and one for our Seniors, where staff and students will receive ashes on their forehead. This will be the first time classes have been together in the hall since last year and is a special way to begin the season of Lent.

Wishing you all a relaxing weekend ahead,

Michelle

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