At St Mary's we hold the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of our school.

We acknowledge the Yaluk-ut Weelam clan of the Boonwurrung – as the Traditional Owners of Port Phillip, the land where St Mary’s is situated, and we pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their Elders, both past, present and future.

Welcome back!

We loved seeing the Year 3 and 4s on Tuesday and Wednesday and popping into class to catch up with them. They have all shot up! It is with great excitement and relief that we open up our St Mary's Primary School to all our students on Wednesday 3rd November.

Having been in lockdown for so long it feels as though things are opening up very quickly as Mary and I work through the updated guidelines that come through most days at the moment. Please know that we plan to give our students as many opportunities and experiences as we can this term.

We have our first surprise next Friday 5th November from 1:00-1:30 pm. Together with the help of the P & F parents the school is having a special celebratory lunch of Margherita pizza and an icypole afterwards. Our Semester Two Student Representative Council (SRC) students are going to assist with this. We thank the parents who are picking up our order and delivering it to school. Mrs Borghese and Mr Scott are going to get their DJ on as we dine alfresco!

For many of the events coming up, in accordance with the guidelines parents helping onsite will need to show myself or Mary their digital Vaccination certificate on their phone and we will record having seen it. As the school opens up next week parents can come inside the grounds to collect their children and I thank you for using the QR code on entering. Please ensure that you are physically distanced as you gather and have a long awaited chat. Masks are no longer required outside as of 6pm tomorrow, unless you are unable to physically distance. At this stage parents/carers are still unable to enter classrooms, but as soon as we are able to, we will invite you into your child/children's learning space.

Last Sunday in Father Jerome's homily he spoke about World Mission Sunday. The overarching message was be kind to yourselves and be kind to those around you. These words are timely as we return to our normal lives and process the impact of the last eighteen plus months. Fr Jerome invites us to pray for patience.

But when we pray for patience, let us realise our place in today’s gospel. Like the blind man, we persist in hope. This is not patience tinged with melancholy. It is patience tinged with hope, because our God is with us and he wants to heal us and through us heal our neighbours. So, let’s pray with confidence. Let’s pray with faith. Our God has come to get us. And so we can live from that knowledge. We can live from that peace.

Pope Francis in his address calls us to:

Universal openness to love has a dimension that is not geographical but existential. Always, but especially in these times of pandemic, it is important to grow in our daily ability to widen our circle, to reach out to others who, albeit physically close to us, are not immediately part of our “circle of interests” (cf. Fratelli Tutti, 97). To be on mission is to be willing to think as Christ does, to believe with him that those around us are also my brothers and sisters. May his compassionate love touch our hearts and make us all true missionary disciples.

May Mary, the first missionary disciple, increase in all the baptized the desire to be salt and light in our lands (cf. Mt 5:13-14).

Tomorrow is World Teacher's Day, but we are calling it World School Staff Day. I thank the P & F led by Rian and Kasia for making each staff member feel valued and appreciated on behalf of the community. World Staff Day is a chance to recognise and celebrate the incredible contributions staff have made in Victorian communities. Mary Craven has also created a surprise for the staff from some of the students and thanks to the families who contributed to this.

This year, Victorian education staff have continued to show their resilience, leadership and adaptability throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff have adapted their learning environments, supported their students and school communities, and continue to share their knowledge with students across the state. World Staff Day 2021 is an opportunity to celebrate the staff who are making, or have made, an impact on our lives.

Whether you're a current student, have children in school, or have been out of school for many years, World Staff Day is a chance to say, ‘thank you’(Department of Education & Training, Victoria).

On the school front it has been wonderful seeing the children engaged in their learning. Our Foundation students seem very grown up and full of delight as they make themselves at home with Miss Jacquie, Melody, Kate and Melissa. Yesterday they discussed how being yourself is best and that we are all spectacular and unique, through sharing 'Feathers for Phoebe'. Can you see how Phoebe inspired these creations?

Our prayers and thoughts are with Anthony, Donna and Nekatrios with the loss of Anthony's grandfather and name sake Anthony Lizos and to our staff member Janelle Adams and her family with the passing of her mother in law. Please feel the support of our community at this time.

Please make sure you read through the newsletter as there is lots of information about the times of our return to school and the process for returning devices, online NAPLAN 2022 practice and the upcoming Sacraments to name a few.

Finally, I announce that Mary Craven finishes up at St Mary's Primary School on Friday 19th November. Whilst she leaves big shoes to feel and many empty hats for others to wear, we wish her all the best and will thank her appropriately closer to the time. In her two years at St Mary's she has had a big impact and supported and guided many, especially myself. We wish her every success in her role at Mentone Grammar as she begins the transition later this term.

Take care and wishing God's blessings and peace upon each of you.

Mrs Cathy Ferrari

TheirCare Program