Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to all of our students, parents, and guardians for the start of Term 3! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful, restful winter break and were able to enjoy doing the things your family loves. Personally, I spent time with my family exploring our beautiful Melbourne. We spent days traveling into the city exploring Eureka Skydeck, the Winter Wonderland at South Wharf, Docklands, ACMI and the State Library. It was lovely to have slower days, enjoying the beautiful winter weather.

It has been incredibly pleasing to witness such a calm, positive and settled start to Term 3 right across the school. Walking through the classrooms over the past two weeks, it is clear that our students have returned showing our PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) values of Respectful, Resilient, and Safe in their classrooms and out on the yard. This calm start with a focus on learning has set a great tone for the rest of the term.

A Warm Welcome to Mr Matt Galea!

I am thrilled to extend a very warm Mother Teresa welcome to Matt, who joined our staff team this term. Matt brings a wealth of enthusiasm and expertise to our community, and we are incredibly fortunate to have him on board in the role of Deputy Principal: Wellbeing. If you see Matt out and about on the school grounds during drop-off or pick-up on yard duty, please take a moment to introduce yourself and help us make him feel right at home in our community!

Fundraiser to Pankind in memory of Teresa Doria

Last Thursday, our school community came together for a very special cause as we held a fundraiser for Pankind in honour of our beloved Teresa Doria. It was truly wonderful to see our students and staff embrace the spirit of the day, filling the school with vibrant purple or Disney themed outfits to show our collective support.

Throughout the day, I couldn't help but think how much Teresa would have absolutely loved the energy, joy, and colour on display. I want to extend a huge thank you to our incredibly generous community; together, we were able to raise an incredible $657.35 on behalf of Teresa to support pancreatic cancer research. The generosity of our community reminded me of Mother Teresa's quote:

"It's not about how much we give, but about how much love we put into giving."

RE Symposium - Inspired by Faith

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, myself, Sophie and Heath had the pleasure of attending the MACS RE Symposium where the theme for the two days was 'Inspired by Faith.' The symposium was a wonderful opportunity for us, as Catholic school leaders, to reconnect with our faith, learn more about our distinctly Catholic heritage & traditions, learn more about the the new RE curriculum (of which we are a trial school) and remind ourselves of the connection of the Scriptures in all that we do in Catholic Education.

The first day of the conference was opened by Archbishop Peter Comensoli with his keynote speech titled, God saw what he made and indeed it was very good (Gen 1:31); the Catholic vision for the human person and what difference it makes. Archbishop Peter inspired us with his words on the Catholic vision for the human person. Stating that "...education is not just about forming minds, but forming the whole person. Transforming (students) to have the will to choose good and to love as Christ loves." He ended his speech reminding us of the uniqueness of the individual, sharing what Pope John Paul II sums up about human dignity in his quote...

"The human person is a unique composite – a unity of spirit and matter, soul and body, fashioned in the image of God and destined to live forever. Every human life is sacred, because every human person is sacred.” Pope John Paul II

Personally, I left on Thursday afternoon, with a renewed spirit in my role as Principal of our community, reminded by Professor Brother David Hall that ..."Catholic Schools need to be intellectually rigorous AND spiritually wise places." In each of the newsletters this term, I look forward to sharing with our community, the messages and learning that I gained from the MACS 'Inspired by Faith' symposium.

Grandparents' Day

Just a reminder that on Monday, we have our Grandparents' Day Open Classrooms & Morning Tea! This occasion offers a wonderful opportunity for the children to express their gratitude and affection for their grandparents.

Our celebration follows the Feast Day of Saints Anne and Joachim (observed on July 26th), the parents of Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. Within our Catholic tradition, Saints Anne and Joachim signify the vital role that grandparents play in transmitting faith, wisdom, and unconditional love. I look forward to welcoming our parents and grandparents into our school community to thank them for all they do for our students.

On Monday, our morning will commence at 8:30 AM with open classroom sessions concluding at 9:15 AM. During this time, students will guide their visitors through their learning environments, share their current schoolwork, and engage in collaborative activities. Following the classroom visits, from 9:15 AM to 10:30 AM, our guests will gather in the Prayer Space for a morning tea hosted by our Parents & Friends (P&F) Association.

Please note that in strict accordance with MACS child safety and visitor policies, all guests must register via the sign-in sheets provided in each individual classroom upon arrival.

Here are some photos from last year's celebration

100 days of Prep

Can you believe it? Our littlest learners are officially approaching a major milestone. On Friday, 31st of July, our Preps will celebrate having been at school for 100 days!

To celebrate how much they have grown and to show off how they are "100 days smarter and older," our Prep teachers have planned a full day of exciting, hands-on activities centred around the number 100.

As part of the festivities, our Prep students are invited to come to school dressed up as a 100-year-old! We look forward to a fantastic day celebrating our wonderful Preps and their incredible achievements so far this year.

Prep parents, please see the Compass post from Mrs Zorzi for more details!

Regards,

Jess

Child Safety Standard

Child Safe Standard 5