Dempsey's Digest

There is no doubt that we have hit the ground running this year, with loads of community engagement and connection. You may not be aware, but following Covid, it took a long time for us to coax families back on site. You might have noticed it in other community settings as well; your churches, sports groups, community clubs. It took time for people to get back into a rhythm of seeing and being with others. Here at MECS we have actively been trying to encourage people back on site, to fellowship and connect and it’s working. Yes, we know that parking is a challenge (and we continue to be seeking solutions for this), but getting together is a priority for our community. If you haven’t been onsite for a while, we hope to see you soon!

Prep’s visit to my office

The Prep’s visit to my office is probably the thing I look forward to the most at the beginning of the year and each year I’m so delighted by their inquisitive minds and desire to learn. This year, we made 'welcoming chickens' that are now roosting on the windows of my office. Come and check them out!

Prep Information afternoon

We also had a Prep information session recently which was well attended and full of interesting things to learn about having a little person in our Prep. I was delighted to see a number of Dad’s attend this session.

Prayer Team

You might not be aware, but we have a prayer team that meets on site once a fortnight, upholding our parents, students and staff in prayer. I am personally so grateful for this group of committed prayers.

Staff devotions, Worship and Pastoral Care Groups

Did you know that our staff gather together in some form every morning before school? From 8.20am onwards, our staff have devotions together, or on Fridays we have prayer, worship in song or pastoral care groups on rotation. We love to gather and dedicate the day to the Lord!

Welcome Week!

We had the most wonderful week of celebration last week as we practiced being welcoming advocates across the school! Our Secondary Parent Evening on Monday night was so well attended and provided lots of options for parents to engage with. Even though it was hot (the building fund is welcoming donations for a big fan for our gym..) it was so good to gather together!

The Pastor’s Breakfast saw around 30 pastors who are connected to our community gather for a yummy breakfast and good conversation. It was just lovely to be able to get to know them. Some familiar, some less so, but for us, the partnership between home, school and where possible, church is really important.

The Primary Family Picnic on Wednesday evening was delightful. Perfect weather, 700 snags cooked by primary staff and a visit from Mr Whippy and a very generous family in our community sharing from their donut shop! It’s just good to get together and meet new people.

On Thursday, our new Primary Leaders were awarded with their badges that identify their area of responsibility. It was a great joy to celebrate this with these keen young leaders.

The Whole School Assembly was the highlight of the week, kicking off with our staff sharing a mash up of songs and joined by senior students and the primary choir. Who knew that Mr Mahoney, Mr Noy and Mr Clark had such great dance moves? We were pleased to have Aaron Violi join us (he clearly enjoyed himself!) and the assembly was studded with various acknowledgements of achievement, performances and thoughtful presentations. Thanks so much to students and staff and particularly to Mrs Bradbury who put so much effort into coordinating a simply outstanding week.

Board Meetings

Our board had their first meeting on Tuesday, and we are pleased to welcome back the following board members;

· Ally Osborne (Chair)

· Steven King (Treasurer)

· Cathy Cook (Secretary)

· Paul Bouma

· Allan Long

· Tim Van der Veen

We are blessed to have such great board members and look forward to the year ahead!

Visit from ISV

It was a pleasure to welcome two representatives from Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) to meet with our Executive team last week. Steven Wishart and Julie Christopolous joined us. As Principal Consultants, our focus was on Child Safety and reviewing new Child Safety changes, as well as checking through our own practices. It was a very encouraging meeting.

Qustodio App

Look out for your personalised report from Linewise around your child’s use of technology. This is a great feature of our partnership with Linewise as we seek to continue our commitment to providing safe access to technology for our students. If you are not sure of what I am talking about, you might like to contact our IT department.

Farewell

Sadly, this week we have farewelled the much-loved Robyn Turner from our Community Advancement role. Robyn was a dynamo, full of joy and warmth as she coordinated this area of school life and brought much creativity and strong organisational skills to the fore. Robyn will be missed by our community and we are so grateful for the time that she shared with us. May God bless you and your husband richly in this next phase of your life.

That’s another wrap for our newsletter! 

Thanks for your partnership, it’s much appreciated.

Cheers, 

Michelle