Principal's News
Welcome Back to Term 4
I wish all our children, families, and staff a very warm welcome back to school following the holiday break. I hope you all enjoyed some time to rest, recharge, and spend quality moments with family and friends. It has been wonderful to hear about the events of the week and to know that our beautiful school has come alive again with the energy and enthusiasm of our students as they settle back into learning and reconnect with one another.
As you all know I am away from school for the first two weeks of this term as I am attending the Principal Pilgrimage in Rome with Fr. Gallacher, and 16 other principals from the Archdiocese of Melbourne.. I would like to sincerely thank our Deputy Principal Dean Butler for his leadership and care of our school community during my absence. His support, along with that of our dedicated staff, ensured everything has continued smoothly, and I am most grateful for his commitment and dedication.
On the next page I have shared some significant moments from the Principal Pilgrimage across this week in Rome. I look forward to sharing with you my stories, experiences photos and videos with you all when I return next week.
I look forward to a productive and faith-filled term ahead, filled with meaningful learning, growth, and shared celebration as we continue to journey together as a school community.
Prayer
This week, as we head into the month of October, Pope Leo XIV invites us to pray the Rosary:
"Dear brothers and sisters, the month of October is now approaching and in the church it is dedicated in a special way to the Holy Rosary. Therefore I invite everyone, every day of the coming month, to pray the Rosary for peace: personally, in the family, in the community" - Pope Leo XIV
We pray the rosary in October, because the month is dedicated to Mary our mother and in honour of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary,
Parents and Friends Trivia Night
A huge thank you to our wonderful Parents and Friends (P&F) Committee for all their hard work in organising this year’s Trivia Night. This event has been led by Jess Dennis, Kate Tehan and Laura Kay with the support of many other committee members and families, and we sincerely appreciate your dedication and creativity in bringing our school community together.
Events like this are such a great celebration of our school’s community spirit, teamwork, and friendship. We’re so grateful for the time and effort you’ve put into making the event a success, and we wish you all the best for a fantastic and fun-filled evening this Saturday night!
I would also like to thank our staff for their work and support of these events - to Lynnette and Dean for their ongoing support of the P&F, and to our dedicated Art Teacher Marta Cummings for her work with the students in creating the art works to be auctioned.
Have a wonderful night everyone- I am sorry to miss it!
School Closure Day
Whilst it might seem like a long time away, I would just like to remind you that our next School Closure Day takes place on Friday 31st October. This date has been marked on our family calendar, as well as in our school newsletter's calendar of events. This day is a professional learning day for our staff, where we will take a deep dive into MACS' Vision for Instruction and Vision for Engagement, as well as analysing student and school data, so that we have a strong focus on learning, as we begin to plan for 2026. The date of this school closure is timely, as families are afforded an extra long weekend with the Melbourne Cup Public Holiday the following week.
The school will be closed on:
| Friday 31st October | School Closure- Professional Learning for Staff |
| Monday 3rd November | School Closure Day - Report Writing TIL |
| Tuesday 4th November | Melbourne Cup Public Holiday |
School Review
On Friday 17th October we commence the first stage of our school review process. On this day the school reviewer will meet with myself, our leadership team and Fr Gallacher. He will also spend some time in our classrooms and around our school. This is an exciting opportunity to discuss with him our successes over the last 4 years and to plan for our next 4 year school improvement cycle. He will be with us again in Week 4 where he will spend two full days in our school, meeting with students, staff and parents. I look forward to keeping you updated when we receive the reviewer's report with his recommendations for our school later this year.
What's On Next Week
Finally...
A reminder that I am away from school until the end of Week 2 as I will be on the principal pilgrimage in Rome. In my absence, the school will be left in the very capable hands of our Deputy Principal, Dean Butler. I thank Dean for his strong leadership in my absence. I will be checking my email from time to time, however, I may not have access to the internet at all times. Please reach out to Dean if you have any questions or concerns. He can be reached on his email dean.butler@sjmalvern.catholic.edu.au or by contacting the office on 95976300.
I look forward to seeing you all when I return on Friday 17th October.
With warmest regards,
Annabelle Marinelli
Principal