Sacrifice

During Lent, Catholics talk about Sacrifice. It is something shared with many different faiths, and also popular culture today, with initiatives such as Feb Fast.

A student told me that they were going to ‘Give up their Playstation’ last week. I replied, ‘Wow, that’s a big step.’ The student then informed me they preferred their Switch so they just wanted to play that.

Children can struggle with the concept of sacrifice, but really, as adults, we can struggle with it too. Or do we? Sometimes, we consider ourselves not able to sacrifice, but maybe that is not so true. I see sacrifice within our families every day. Families who work to ensure that they have food on the table. Families who drive their kids to sport. Families who pay fees to prioritise their kids' education. Kids who have new shoes while their parents have old ones.

I believe we can be our own worst critics, and it is to our own detriment. What I see at this school, and why I am so proud to belong to it, is kids who are grateful for what they get. Kids who find joy in small things.

This is unusual in the world today, and it comes from you. So thank you for instilling the ability to sacrifice in your wonderful children. Be kind to yourselves.

Catholic Education Week BBQ

Next week, we will have a BBQ to celebrate Catholic Education Week. We welcome everyone down to the BBQ area on Thursday at 3pm to share a sausage. There will be beef, chicken or vegetarian available. Feel free to stick around and let the children play, or you can also visit your child’s classroom. We are praying to Saint Medard, who Catholics pray to to protect us from storms, because every event we have held lately hasn’t just had poor weather, it has had vicious storms!

Our Year 6 leaders will have the opportunity to attend Mass with the Archbishop and a special concert in the city.

NAPLAN

Next week NAPLAN starts. I have a different view to many in the education sector about NAPLAN. I actually find it beneficial to understand how we need to improve as a school. I want students to try their best, but I want that everyday. It provides a photograph of how your child is going, nothing more, nothing less. Students are used to being assessed, so as long as we place no additional pressure or importance on it, my experience is students cope very well. If you have any concerns, please notify one of your child’s teachers.

Federal Member Visit

We thank our Federal Member of Parliament, Julian Hill, who replaced our flags damaged in the storm. Julian also accepted an offer to speak to the students about leadership next Wednesday, which we are very grateful for.

Vision For Learning

As part of Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, we are focused on improving how we teach students. A new document has been launched to ensure a clear vision for the improvement of our teaching and learning within the school. You can find more about this by visiting Vision For Instruction

Principal Induction

I think I have to shake the term ‘new Principal’ now. Recently, I completed my 8 session Principal Induction and was fully commissioned as a MACS Principal. This photo is of our Executive Director, Dr Edward Simons and Debra Egan, our Regional Manager, alongside a very proud Principal of Holy Family. I am grateful to the community for the welcome in the first year. As a team, we have achieved a lot, but we have just scratched the surface of what is possible!

Important Dates for School Closures

We have tried to ensure that our school closures that are allocated to Staff Professional Learning cause minimal disruption to families. You will have noticed we started back earlier than most schools, as part of our commitment to supporting families.

Open Day:

Our second Open Day will be held this Wednesday 14th March. We already are seeing an increase in enrolments for next year. We invite everyone to attend next Wednesday at 9:30am.

School Closure Dates for 2024

The School will be closed on the following dates:

Friday April 26: School Closed (Aligns with Anzac Day)

Friday June 7: School Closed to Students.

Teacher Professional Learning Day: Mental Health in Schools

(Aligns with Kings Birthday for Families)

Monday July 15: School Closed to Students.

Teacher RE Curriculum Focus Day (First day of Term 3)

Monday October 7: School Closed to Students.

Staff RE Formation (First Day of Term 4)

Monday November 4: School Closed to Students.

Teacher Professional Practice Day (Aligns with Melbourne Cup)

The Final Day for students is Tuesday 17th December 2024.

The Teachers have a planning day for 2025, First Aid and Clean Up in the days that follow.

The School Term Dates are:

2024	Start date	Finish date
Term 1		28 March
Term 2	15 April	28 June
Term 3	16 July	20 September
Term 4	8 October	17 December

Dates for other events including Parent Teacher Interviews and Graduation will be posted soon.

Kind Regards,

Paul Sharp

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