Community Engagement

Walk Safely to School Day  

We had a fantastic start to the day last Thursday morning as we celebrated Walk Safely to School Day. Students and parents met staff at the corner of Malvern and Glenvale Roads to begin the trek up Gelnvale Road, which for our students is quite a climb when you're carrying a school bag! We were delighted to be joined by two police officers Emma and Elise from the Prahran Pro active unit this year. 

The walk was worth the effort as there was time to chat with friends, get some exercise in which we know is so good for our minds and bodies and have a mini muffin to refuel once we arrived back at school. 

Thanks to all the parents who dropped their children to meet one of the three 'walking school buses' or joined us for the walk to school. Huge thanks to the staff who supported this event by walking with students, supervising street crossings, handing out stickers, temporary tattoos and serving muffins. Thanks  to our Community Leaders Maddie Setiawan and Kimmy Cheng who promoted this event across the school. 

National Walk Safely to School Day is in it's 26th year and encourages all primary aged students to walk safely and regularly to school with their parents and carers, if not all the way then part of the way. 

We know there are many social, emotional, physical and mental health benefits to being active everyday. Regular physical activity, especially walking can improve self-esteem and confidence, help concentration and improve overall fitness.  

We were great ambassadors for this initiative and with all the chatter and laughter as we walked up Glenvale Road, I'm sure the neighbours were cheered by our energy. 

Reconciliation Week 

Today is National Sorry Day and this week is Reconciliation Week. We began Morning Greeting today with a prayerful reflection. Thank you to the Year 6 students and some of our Preps for their contributions. 

Here is some of of what was included in our reflection... Today is National Sorry Day. It’s a day for all Australians to remember the Stolen Generations — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were taken from their families. It’s a time to stop, reflect, and say: we are sorry.

National Reconciliation Week this week, which is held from the 27th of May to the 3rd of June. National Reconciliation Week is a time for us to learn more about our shared history, to listen to First Nations voices, and to take steps toward fairness, healing, and friendship.

 The theme for Reconciliation Week this year is “Bridging Now to Next”. It reminds us that reconciliation is an ongoing journey — connecting the past, present, and future. It's about learning from our history, acting in the present, and building a better future together.

This year's theme encourages us to reflect on how we can contribute to reconciliation in our daily lives. Whether it's through learning, listening, or standing up for what's right, every action counts.

During our Buddy Time the Preps and Year 6’s read a story about the importance of saying sorry. Afterwards, we reflected on the times we have said sorry to others.

At break time this week our Year 6 Sports Leaders, supported by Mr Pinchbeck and Miss Allen will be running Indigenous Aboriginal Games for all students in Prep - Year 6. 

Year 6 Mecwacare aged Care Visit

Our Year 6 students along with Miss Allen and Mr Pinchbeck visited Mecwacare for the second time today. Our students prepared posters of their Camp to Canberra to share with the residents. These were met with with great enthusiasm as the residents reminisced about their visits to Canberra and asked the Year 6 students about their favourite places. 

Our students are certainly learning the value of sharing and connecting with older people in our community and are bringing much joy into the lives of the staff and residents.  This experience helps build leadership, empathy, and a strong sense of community as students connect with and support older generations. Engaging with elderly community members provides students with a meaningful opportunity to learn compassion, patience, and respect. By spending time with older adults—listening to their stories, offering support, and sharing activities—students develop stronger communication skills and a deeper understanding of different life experiences. These interactions help bridge generations, reduce loneliness in the elderly, and foster a sense of responsibility, kindness, and leadership in young people. It’s a beautiful way to grow both hearts and minds.

Year 5 & 6 Camp Canberra  

We took our 28 senior students to Canberra in Week 4. It was an exciting week to be in Canberra after the recent election! The students were outstanding. Our expected behaviours of respect, responsibility and resilience were evident throughout the week. Many students pushed out the boundaries of their comfort zones as they were challenged in different ways.  They showed us their leadership strengths and qualities while they were away and deepened their relationships with each other and staff.  We were very proud to spend four days away with this group of students.  We received many compliments from tour guides at each venue we visited.  

Parliament and Civics Education Rebate 

Year 5 & 6 students from St Roch's will soon be undertaking, an education tour of the national capital. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage, and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding to our school in the amount of $45.00 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Open Days in Term 2 

We had a very successful and well attended open morning last Friday.  Our student leaders accompanied the prospective families with confidence and happily explained what they love about St Roch's. We thank Jess Nichols for joining these tours as a member of the School Advisory Council. Her presence is invaluable as she is a great ambassador of St Roch's. 

Term 2 Chess Club   

Chess Club is on every Wednesday at 11.00am for all interested students. Please consider registering your child for this great lunchtime club. See details about registering in the Extra Curricula page of the newsletter. 

Gardening Club

Gardening Club is held every Wednesday at 1.50pm and is open to all students from Prep - Year 6. This is such a beautiful time for our students to increase feelings of wellbeing while learning about science as they dig in the soil and tend to the garden. 

Recently, in Gardening Club, we have been planting and tending to the beans and peas. There is also lots of parsley, nasturtium, marigolds and strawberry plants that need regular watering and weeding. We have also explored the ‘colours of Autumn’ using found nature items and some paint chips. Some children were involved in an activity to compare and contrast and make observations on the changing colours of leaves in Autumn. 

We look forward to watching the students and Mrs Meseha's  autumn vegetables growing in our veggie patches.

Dance Club

Dance Club with Maddie from Dance Fitness Victoria is held every Thursday at lunchtime. Dance Club is open for all students from Prep to Year 2. Registrations for Term 2 are now open. 

Art Club

Art Club is being run by our very own Arts Leaders Michael and Evie and our Art Specialist teacher Ms Boers. This week there will be an activity especially designed for students in Year 3 - 6 with art activities on offer for students in Prep to Year 2. There is always a lot of fun being had in the Art Room. 

Icy Pole Friday  

Icy poles will be on sale at 3.30pm on Fridays after school.  Thanks to our school and vice captains and to Miss Allen and Mr Pinchbeck for supporting this initiative.  

Nadine Bolton 

Deputy Principal, Learning Diversity Leader and Student Wellbeing Leader