Principal's News

Dear Families,

Welcome to this edition of our school newsletter. Over the last fortnight, we have marked some wonderful occasions within our school community, including our focus on Bullying No Way Week and the much loved Book Week celebration. Book Week was a fantastic, fun-filled day; students and staff alike embraced the spirit of reading, with everyone dressing up and even the teachers going all out with their costumes, adding to the excitement of the occasion.

We also hosted a Story, Drama and Dance session, which was open for visitors to attend and added a special cultural experience to our calendar.

We thank our families for their ongoing support, which helps make these events such memorable experiences for our students.

MACSSIS 2025 – Have Your Say!

In 2025, our school is once again participating in the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS). This annual survey invites students, families, and staff to share their thoughts and feelings about how our school can continue to grow and improve.

Families will soon receive an email with details and a link to complete the Family Survey. The more families who take part, the stronger and more valuable the feedback will be for shaping our school’s future directions.

The survey:

• Opens Monday, 1st of September and closes Friday, 19th of September 2025
• Can only be completed once per family (please focus on your eldest child at the school)
• Is online, anonymous, and confidential. There are no right or wrong answers.

To thank you for your time, all families who complete the survey will go into the draw to win a $100 gift voucher.

Your voice matters, and we strongly encourage you to take part. Thank you in advance for helping us continue to improve our school for every student.

Important Notice – Upcoming Senior Building Roof  Works

Building works will be taking place on the Senior Building roof this week. Scaffold installation is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, with materials delivered on Thursday morning. Workers will be on-site Thursday and Friday to complete the repairs.

During this time, there may be minor disruptions, and entry to the Senior Building may be redirected through the undercroft. We will be closely monitoring noise levels and any disruptions to minimise impact on learning.

Parents are asked to remind children to stay safe, follow school rules, and listen to staff instructions.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we carry out these important works.

St Kevin’s Whole School Performance

Our students are busily preparing for the upcoming St. Kevin’s Whole School Performance, and excitement is building across the school. The performances will take place on Wednesday, 10th September (matinee session 11:45am – 1:15pm), and Thursday, 11th September (evening session 6:45pm – 8:00pm), with two shows in total.

Tickets, as advertised in our previous newsletter, are available via TryBooking. We encourage families to secure their seats early, as this event is always a highlight of our school calendar.

Ticket link: https://www.trybooking.com/DEJVP 

The performances will be held in the Glendalough Stadium at St. Kevin's Primary School, with 200 tickets available for each show. Please note there is no allocated seating. Ticket pricing details are available once you click on the link.

Any questions, please email  gleone@sktemplestowelr.catholic.edu.au or contact the school office on 9273 9999.

Personal Toys at School 

We understand that students sometimes like to bring personal toys to school. While we respect their choice, please note the following:

• Students are responsible for looking after their toys.
• The school cannot take responsibility for any items that are lost, damaged, or broken while at school.
• Bringing toys can sometimes cause upset, particularly if they are misplaced or damaged during play.
• To avoid disappointment, we encourage families to carefully consider whether valuable or special toys are brought to school.

Thank you for supporting us in helping students enjoy a safe and positive school environment.

Planning for 2026

As we begin preparing for 2026 class structures, it is important for us to know of any families who may be relocating or moving schools. If your family is planning to move in 2026, we kindly ask that you notify the school office as soon as possible. This information greatly assists us in planning class groupings and ensuring smooth transitions for all students.

We thank you for your support and cooperation.

Football Day 

We are excited to celebrate Football Day on Thursday, 18th September. Students are encouraged to come dressed in their favourite team colours or jerseys to show their support and join in the fun. This is always a much-loved event on our school calendar, bringing lots of colour and excitement to the playground.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the spirit of teamwork, fair play, and community. We look forward to hearing the school filled with team songs and seeing everyone proudly wear their colours!

Father’s Day Breakfast

We warmly invite all fathers (and father figures) to join us for a Father’s Day Breakfast in the Gathering Space on Thursday 4th September, from 7:00am to 8:30am.

Menu:

• Cereals
• Muffins & Croissants
• Juice
• Tea & Coffee

Each attending father will receive a small gift as a token of our appreciation.

We look forward to celebrating this special morning with you!

School Photos – Tuesday, 2nd of September 2025

A reminder that our School Photo Day will take place on Tuesday, 2nd of September 2025.

Ordering: School photos can be ordered through the Compass Portal. Please ensure you have your login details handy.

Sibling Photos: These must be ordered before midnight prior to photo day. Siblings will be photographed at the allocated school time.

Reminder for Students: Please come prepared and ready with your best smiles!

If you need assistance with ordering or login details, please contact the school office. For queries about photo packages, call MSP Photography on 03 9466 7331 or email admin.nem@msp.com.au

Our new school uniform supplier

St. Kevin’s school uniforms are now available at Lowes, Eastland.

Italian

Ciao a tutti,

I hope all students and families had a wonderful weekend! For the next couple of weeks students will be revising our new topic, 'Cosa ti piace mettere?'.

Cosa ti piace mettere? (what do you like to wear?) 

Mi piace mettere ... (I like to wear...) 

La maglietta (the tee-shirt) 

Il cappello (the hat) 

La giacca (the jacket) 

Il maglione (the jumper) 

Mi piace tanto mettere (I really like to wear)

Odio mettere (I hate wearing)

We will also practise expanding our sentences by adding colours:

For example:

Mi piace mettere il cappello giallo (I like to wear a yellow hat)

Mi piace tanto mettere la maglietta rosa (i really like to wear the pink jumper)

Odio mettere la giacca nera (I hate wearing the black jacket)

I hope everyone has an amazing week!

Grazie, Signorina Chiara :)

Values

I value the ideas and opinions of others.

(Connect to the performance)

Respect

Weekly Awards—We have moved to weekly awards with daily nominations in all areas of learning, including the playground and during transition times. These awards will be announced over the PA on Friday afternoons.

SEESAW

News from the ACEC Conference

I feel blessed to share highlights from the 2025 Australian Catholic Education Conference (ACEC) in Cairns. The Australian Catholic Education Conference has been an incredible week of learning and networking. Under the theme ‘Hope, Anchored in Faith’, the conference was largely focussed on exploring the strategic vision and mission of Catholic education through the pillars of Faith, Excellence and Access. The program featured a rich variety of presentations, workshops, and panel discussions.   In the opening plenary, Nicholas Moore - chair of the NCEC - provided an overview of the impact that Catholic education has across the nation, where more than 800,000 students attend school.  The conference, 1,400 delegates in attendance, instilled a great sense of solidarity.

Day One – Wednesday 20 August

The conference opened with a warm welcome and bustling atmosphere as we North Eastern Principals arrived. Understanding Faith was positioned at the main entrance, speaking with educators about how our resource supports student learning.

Key moments included:

• A keynote from Sr. Nathalie Becquart XMCJ on how the Synod on Synodality can enrich Catholic education.
• A moving conference Mass attended by nearly 3,000 people, enhanced by beautiful music from school choirs.
• Inspiring sessions on faith leadership, the role of AI in education, and cultivating vision in Catholic schools.

A standout panel on Catholic education’s transformative role, reminding us:  “As we are forming minds, we should also be forming hearts.” – 

Professor Renée Kohler-Ryan

Day Two – Thursday 21 August

The day began with music and prayer, followed by a conversation between Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and Federal Education Minister Jason Clare, who spoke about the value of Catholic education in shaping young Australians.

Highlights:

• A panel featuring leading educators discussed the importance of high-quality teaching and student support.

• Keynote speaker Dr Steve Constantino stressed the vital role of family engagement in education. “Families are the first and most influential teachers of their children.”

Engage Every Family – Dr Steve Constantino

• Workshops celebrated the integration of Aboriginal culture and Catholic faith, and the use of music and liturgy in the classroom.

Day Three – Friday 22 August

The final day focused on the power of storytelling and how it can deepen students' understanding of faith.

Highlights:

• A student-led panel offered powerful insights into the real impact of Catholic education. Students shared heartfelt stories about feeling seen and valued in their learning environments.

• A discussion explored how Catholic graduates tend to experience long-term life benefits in areas like employment, wellbeing and citizenship.

• Dr. Simon Breakspear concluded the conference with a dynamic keynote on the future of AI in education with the strong message to keep our core skills in mind.

   

It was a privilege to be part of this rich and inspiring event. Cannot wait to share all my learning with the school community.

A massive thank you to Eva Tomazos, the Leadership Team, and the super staff for all their efforts while I am away! 

Miss you all! 

Keep well, and God bless!

Gabee Leone

Request for a contribution to St Kevin’s Parish

St Kevin's Parish is delighted to have you in the parish. St Kevin's Catholic community is vibrant, inclusive and caring where children and their families thrive and make lifelong friendships. St Kevin’s school belongs to the parish; this is what makes the school a Catholic school.

What does the parish do?

 Students learn about faith through the sacraments (reconciliation, first Eucharist and Confirmation). Our sacramental program is friendly, accessible and inclusive.

 Special masses for the school children (such as Ash Wednesday, feast days, grandparents; day, graduation, school masses). Special celebrations for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

 Resources for religious education.

 Question and Answers sessions with Fr Charles in the classroom.

 Social justice program (eg. Fire Carriers, blankets for the homeless, Christmas hampers for the needy).

 Youth Group.

 Play Group. How do children and families benefit?

 The children soak up Catholic values (dignity of every person, social justice, service for others and care for our environment) based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

 Catholic values bring about belonging, support and connection in the school community.

 Our faith is the glue that holds us together as a community. It gives meaning and purpose to our life. 

St Kevin's Parish needs your help!

For many years, school families supported the parish through the collection at Sunday Mass. Now, this is rare. The parish runs like any small business. It must be self-sufficient. It receives no funding from other organisations (such as the Vatican or the Melbourne Archdiocese). We need your support to ensure our parish remains financially sustainable now and in the future. stkevinsparish.org.au 

The Parish is asking you for a voluntary contribution of $160 per year. Over 40 weeks of the school year, this averages $4 a week. It makes a big difference to the parish. 

Thank you very much to the families who have already supported the Parish and made a payment.  Seven families have made the payment.  This is much appreciated.

Reminder to all school families to check their junk mail folders for the request for contribution email sent from the Parish.

Payment details are provided below. If you have any questions, please contact David Hii, business manager on 9850 5983 or at templestowe@cam.org.au

Thank you for your support, Gabee Leone