Dear Parents and Families,

Welcome back to Term Three! I hope you had a lovely holiday break with your children, whether that was a sunny escape somewhere or a snow experience. We are right in the midst of Winter and whilst it can be more difficult to get out of bed, once here, our classrooms are cosy and warm.

NEW POLICIES FROM THE START OF TERM THREE

Thank you for reading about the changes to the Attendance and Behaviour Policies which began from the start of the term. Particular thanks to those who have left me know if going on holiday during term time. If you need access to the documents, they are on our website and can also be found here:

JUNIOR TOILETS PROJECT

Behind the barricade, progress is occurring! The demolition was all completed during the holidays. Now the transformation begins.

Congratulations to the P-2 students on their ability to manage this change and use the Middle Yard toilets at break times.

Thanks to our Novcon team for their work so far.

We look forward to the new, brighter toilets being completed part way through next term!

EUCHARIST RETREAT DAY AND MASS

Tomorrow, the Year Four students will all gather for the Retreat Day, to prepare for their First Eucharists, coming up over the next two weekends - 1/2 August and 8/9 August.

The list of students for the first weekend of Masses is below. We wish all students and their families a special and memorable day.

Giorgia B, Alexander B, Harriet C, Luella C, Donovan C,

Mae D G, Roya D, Katia F, Edison F, Emily F, Evie G,

Agata H, Clara H, Elise H, Ava L P, Valentina L, Harvey M, Hudson M, Bronte M, Aidan M, Eva O'C, Eve P, Zoe P, Amelia P, Amy Q M, Isabelle S, Avaleigh S, Emilia T, Zoe T, Teddy V, Valentino Z

PLAYGROUP - Starting Monday 27 July

Thank you to our two parent volunteers - Elizabeth Davies and Madeleine Omizzolo who are going to coordinate the new Playgroup commencing on Monday in the OSHC Room from 9-10.30am. This allows the playgroup a chance to play outside and use the sandpit before the 'big' kids arrive for their first break.

The Playgroup is registered with Playgroup Victoria. A small cost for tea and coffee will be charged, with snacks provided by the child's parent due to allergies. Please note as this is held on school grounds parents must have a current WWCC to attend playgroup.

Thank you to those of you who have generously donated toys and items for the Playgroup. This will continue to build over time.

BASKETBALL COMPETITION

We wish our Year Six Basketball Teams all the best as they participate in the Hooptime Competition on Monday 3 August. The teams were selected back in Term One when the other trials were held. Thanks to Peter Koulaxizellis for coaching the team on the day.

CSPV Re-ESTABLISHED

Catholic School Parents Victoria – Supporting Families in Catholic Education

Catholic School Parents Victoria (CSPV) has been re-established to strengthen the voice of parents and carers in Catholic education across Victoria, recognising parents as the first educators and key partners in their child’s learning, wellbeing and faith journey.

CSPV is guided by a Council of parent representatives from across the state, ensuring that the diverse perspectives of families in Catholic schools are reflected in its work and advocacy.

We invite you to explore the CSPV website at www.cspv.catholic.edu.au where you will find a wealth of information and resources to support your parenting journey within Catholic education, including guidance on wellbeing, faith, learning and key issues impacting families. You can also subscribe via the website to join the CSPV community, receive the quarterly newsletter and be invited to upcoming events.

You can also connect with CSPV on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook to access valuable insights, updates and practical resources.

Together, we can continue to strengthen the partnership between families, schools and the wider Catholic community.

SYNOD

What is a synod? It's a consultation.

The purpose of the Synod is to help shape the evangelical and missionary priorities for the Archdiocese of Melbourne for the years ahead.

WHAT ARE WE CONSULTING ABOUT?

Our consultation will focus on the three themes identified by the Archbishop:

• Young Discipleship

• Missionary Leadership

• Formation and Participation.

Three theme papers have been prepared to assist in focusing on the themes.

At the conclusion of each theme paper, there are prompt questions for reflection. Responses to these questions can be uploaded via the QR code which can be found at the end of each paper. Alternatively, feedback can be emailed to: Synod2026@cam.org.au.

All responses from this consultation process need to be uploaded by August 21st. The first of the Theme Paper is shared below for you to read and provide your own feedback.

CARITAS THANK YOU

Thank you so much to you and the entire St Martin of Tours Primary School community for being a part of Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion 2026.

This Lent, your school has stood hand in hand with thousands of others across the country to raise a phenomenal $10.26 million and counting in support of vulnerable communities around the world. We couldn't be more grateful to you for choosing to Unite Against Poverty with us and helping to create a brighter, more just future. As a token of our deep appreciation for your incredible efforts, we present you with your Certificate of Appreciation. We hope it serves as a reminder of the amazing impact that St Martin of Tours Primary School has helped to create. With the campaign now officially over, we also invite you to take a look at our latest blog post, which includes just some of the standout moments from another year of generosity, faith and action. Click here to see how communities across Australia got involved and helped create real, lasting change for people living in poverty around the world.

EVENTS OVER THE COMING TWO WEEKS

Sat 25 July - Year Two Level Mass at 5.30pm

Wed 29 July - 100 Days of Prep

Thurs 30 July - Year 3 and 4 Dance Classes begin for the Basket Supper night

- Year Three visit to Calvary Care Nursing Home

Fri 31 July - ISS vs Rosanna PS

Sat 1 / Sun 2 Aug - First Eucharist Masses at 5.30pm and 10am

Mon 3 Aug - Assembly at 8.50am

- Hooptime Competition

Thurs 6 Aug - Year 3 and 4 Dance Classes begin for the Basket Supper night

Fri 7 Aug - Mass for the Feast of Mary of the Cross MacKillop at 9.15am

- ISS vs Heidelberg PS

- Year Four Excursion to the Museum

Sat 8 / Sun 9 Aug - First Eucharist Masses at 5.30pm and 10am

Have a wonderful Term Three and a fabulous weekend!

IMPORTANT UPDATES

ENROLMENT FOR 2027

Tours continue this term, with our Year Six students doing a magnificent job taking visiting parents around our school.

Upcoming Tour Dates for Term Three are as follows:

Thursday 30 July, Tuesday 11 August, Friday 28 August and Tuesday 8 September

Please make a booking for a tour through the Office. All Tours commence at 9.30am.

In Term Three, we invite our Prep 2027 students to a Library Session and a PE/Games Session to help them get to know others who are coming to Prep in 2027 and to see the school spaces. It's a lot bigger than Kinder!

The Library Session is on Wednesday 2 Sept at 2.40pm

The Games/PE Session is on Wednesday 16 Sept at 2.45pm

ASSEMBLIES NEXT TERM

Our Assemblies for Term Three will be held on Mondays - 3 August (Wk 4), 17 August (Wk 6), 24 August (Wk 7 - Book Week Parade), 7 September (Wk 9).

Please join us on Top Yard at 8.50am.

PFA FUNDRAISING

The focus of the PFA fundraising this year is the replacement of the Senior Adventure Playground. As you can imagine, this is a costly enterprise, so we are gearing all our fundraisers to this. The students will have input into the components to be included, so we want to be able to get as much for them as we can.

We are aiming for a $100,000 AMAZING play space!

Please help us to get there across the year by sharing our fundraising activities at work, with friends and with your extended family. Some of them may also make lovely gifts!

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL

Here are the current SAC members.

The SAC is the body which advises on matters concerning the school. It can assist with school promotion, provide information to the school community and skills and perspectives on matters of interest to our parents. You may have a particular skill set which will help on the SAC, or be interested in learning more about our programs and initiatives. Everyone is welcome to apply for a two year term, which will be decided by Fr Michael and myself if we have more applicants than positions. The SAC meets twice a term for approximately 1.5 hours. Please read the Expression of Interest information.

CLASS MASSES

Please check the list below for your child's Class Mass. Your child's teacher/s will be in touch prior to the Mass, but please also note this date. There can, at times, be changes to these dates, if Fr Michael has a funeral to preside over.

Term 3	Class

Thursday 30 July	1LA
Monday 3rd August	1GW
Friday 7th August - Mary MacKillop Mass (school)	6RV
Monday 10th August	4GH
Friday 14 August - Feast of the Assumption (school)	6BM
Thursday 20 August	3CJ
Thursday 27 August	4CJ

Term 4	Class
Thursday 8 October	2MT
Thursday 22 October	2JB
Tuesday 27 October	PJL
Thursday 5 November	2AD
Wednesday 11 November - St Martin of Tours Feast Day (school)	6EM
Tuesday 17 November	PGO
Thursday 19 November	PMA

Macleod Level Crossing Removal