From the Principal 

Dear Families 

A very warm welcome back to Term 2. The weather has been delightful over the break, especially Easter and each of your children have returned looking relaxed, happy and ready to go. We have three families joining our St Mary’s family and know that the community will embrace them and look after them. We welcome Roveena in Prep, Ruhi and Ethan in Year 1and Mareena in Year 4. 

In his Easter message for 2025, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli revisited the moment when the risen Jesus appeared before his disciples and showed them the marks of his wounds. These marks, he says, were not just proof of what Jesus had suffered; ‘they were proof of what he had done.’ Jesus wanted to show his friends ‘that he had taken their wounded lives into his own body.’

Our own wounds, Archbishop Comensoli says, ‘can feel like the end of our story. They threaten to define us, to trap us. They try to tell us there is no way ahead.

‘But Easter speaks another word: a healing word, a forgiving word. Easter tells us that our wounds are not where the story ends. Easter shows us there is a path to healing, and a vista onto a new dawn.’

On Tuesday our senior students supported by Mr Millane celebrated Easter with the Risen Lord and explored the following questions:

   Has anyone wondered why we give each other eggs at Easter?

   What is left behind when a new chick hatches?

   What was left after Jesus rose from the dead?

   How do you think the disciples felt when they found the empty tomb?

We then finished with the song and actions to Rise Up by Andrew Chinn. I hope each of you were able to celebrate this Easter. Together with my family, we attended a dawn service and celebrated Easter morning with the most stunning sunrise. 

This week has also seen the passing of Pope Francis. At our Easter liturgy we prayed for Pope Francis and thanked God for giving him to us, to lead our Church. We also prayed for all of the Cardinals choosing the next leader of our Catholic Church. We prayed that the Holy Spirit guides them in their discernment. Across this week our classes have attended Mass with Father Jerome and afterwards said a special Hail Mary in the Chapel of Our Lady. As always Father Jerome speaks so beautifully with our students and answers their questions so gently and thoughtfully. 

Today we gathered to honour Anzac Day and yesterday the buddies made some delicious Anzac Biscuits, which Mr Millane on the Deputy page will outline further. This year Anzac Day holds special memories for me, as in April last year I was in Turkey and we visited Anzac Cove. To learn more about what happened from varying perspectives and to see how far away the Gallipoli Peninsula is from Melbourne was an experience of a lifetime. On our days the sun shone and the water glistened, and it was challenging  to envisage what it would have looked like from 25th April 1915 to 9th January 1916. This Anzac Day we continue to pray for peace in our world.

Federal Election - Saturday 3rd May 

Next Saturday our P&F is leading our parish community as we prepare to sell lots of delicious democracy sausages and baked goodies.  This is always a fun day with many laughs shared whilst working hard for our community. 

I was also hoping to have a mini working bee, as there are a few small jobs to be done around the school and if you have an hour to help rake, paint, move or weed for an hour please email myself or Heinz. We thank the Fischer family for giving our gardening project a good soaking over the holidays. Our Year 6 Sustainability Leaders have continued to give them a good drink each day this week. We thank Christina, Sebastian and Willem for their dedication. 

Summer/Winter Uniform 

The students may continue to wear their Summer or Winter uniform, with the Winter uniform being worn as of  Monday 5th May.  

First Aid Training 

We congratulate the staff for the manner in which they have undertaken their Level 2 First Aid Training. This required practical and theoretical components takes several hours to complete. This is an important part of our role as educators. 

Imaginarium 

Next Monday we continue to work with Drew Lane as the whole school learns more about their items, songs, dance routines and much more. We have a bust Term ahead in the area of Performing Arts. Please keep Monday 8th September free for a matinee and evening performance. More details will be shared later this Term. As always we thank St Mary's College for allowing us to use their facilities, their generosity is much appreciated. 

HOLT Cross Country 

In the stunning Autumn weather yesterday we took the students to Alma Park to prepare for next Thursday's race. It was great to hear that they had completed a few runs in the holidays. We encourage them to continue training and will do another training session on Tuesday at recess. We thank Mrs Mason for leading our Interschool Sporting program, allowing our students to have these opportunities. We look forward to footy and netball starting in a few weeks time for our Year 5 and 6 students. 

Year 5 Cake Stall 

Next Thursday 1st May our Year 5s will be hosting our next Cake Stall. This is always enjoyed by the community and we thank our Year 5 families in advance. 

Open Morning - Tuesday 29th April 9:30am to 11:00 am

We look forward to our next Open Morning and sharing our beautiful school with prospective families. It has been great meeting with our 2026 Preps and their families, as we prepare for next year and 2027. 

Renown Kindergarten Information Evening 

Next Thursday 1st May from 7pm to 8pm it is our privilege to meet with pre school families and share what our school offers. Together with Mrs Borgese and our Year 6 Community Leaders, Zelie, Jay, Davide and Mia, we showcase our school alongside other local schools. It is always delightful meeting new families and answering questions about St Mary’s, starting school and how we teach Literacy and Mathematics. Our students are always our best advocates on these evenings and we continue to be immensely proud of our authentic and empowering student leadership model at St Mary’s. 

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

Mrs Cathy Ferrari