Principal's Report 

Principal’s Report

Shrove Tuesday 

Shrove Tuesday is traditionally a day for some merry-making - a last 'fling' before the long fast. It is best remembered by making pancakes. For most people it is just Pancake Day and nothing more, But the custom arose through the need to use up food items, which were forbidden during Lent.  

An epic pancake breakfast was hosted at St Kilian’s yesterday with a queue that stretched around our beautiful buildings, luckily it moved quickly to reward us all with pancakes.  We thank Mr Podosky for leading our staff to produce a memorable experience for all.  

Caritas Launch 

Congratulations to our wonderful choir who represented our school at the Project Compassion Launch yesterday.  Project Compassion is a national fundraising campaign that spans across the six weeks of Lent every year. It is an initiative of Caritas Australia, a Catholic agency for international aid and development. Project Compassion supports people living in poverty around the world by funding long-term development programs that promote justice and dignity.  Our school raises money by participating in Caritas Ks which will be held later in the term, Friday 28th March (details to follow). 

Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent 

This morning our school community acknowledged the start of the Season of Lent.  Lent is a 40-day period of reflection and preparation leading up to Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and commemorates Jesus Christ's sacrifice and 40 days in the desert. Through prayer, fasting, and acts of charity, Christians seek to grow closer to God during this time. During mass we were marked with ashes.  In the Catholic tradition ashes are a symbol of death and new life.   

The ashes are prepared by burning palms from the preceding Palm Sunday. The idea comes from Old Testament times when mourners or penitents clothed themselves in sackcloth and sprinkled their hands and faces with dust or ashes (Jonah 3).  Thank you to Fr Junray, Mr Podosky and the Grade 6 Catholic Identity group for leading our mass today. 

St Kilian’s Swimming Carnival  

As we approach the St. Kilian's Swimming Carnival for 2025, enthusiasm is building among our students. On Friday March 7th, all students will have the opportunity to participate in various swimming races and novelty events at the Bendigo East Swimming Pool, earning points for their respective Houses. The primary goal of the day is to foster enjoyment, and we encourage students to engage in any events they wish to try. We warmly invite members of our school community to join us throughout the day to support our participants. 

NAPLAN 

Over the next two weeks our Year 3 and Year 5 students engage in the National Assessment Program of Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).  NAPLAN assesses skills important for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. It is essential to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress. It is also important to remember that NAPLAN does not assess all the ways that your child is a learner and a contributor to life. 

Every day we celebrate the learning growth your child is making; during NAPLAN our Government agencies use a standardised assessment to measure growth. It gives some important information about how we are travelling as a school community and how our students perform in standardised testing scenarios.  I thank Miss Holmes for the support they have provided to teachers and students in setting up for NAPLAN. Your efforts are much appreciated. If you have any questions about NAPLAN please don’t hesitate to ask your child’s teacher or Miss Holmes. 

Catholic Education at St Kilian's Primary School 

Catholic Education Sandhurst have produced a beautiful video advertising 'Choosing Catholic Education'. We are honoured to be part of such a wonderful organisation and encourage all to join us. We are delighted to see featured a few of our students and parents Catholic Education at St Kilian's. The video is on our Facebook page, we would be grateful if you shared this. 

Why are we asking you to ‘Choose Catholic Education?’ Because the decision of where to send your child to school is one of the biggest you will ever make. We asked families what was important to them and the values that families seek, are the values that Catholic schools offer. When you Choose Catholic Education, you choose a community that welcomes all families. With inclusive school fees and no hidden costs, the perfect choice is closer than you think. Contact St Kilian's Primary school to find out more. 

Public Holiday - Labour Day 

The school will be closed on Monday 10th March, as it is the Labour Day Public Holiday. 

Pupil Free Days Term 1 

The staff are participating in a Professional Learning with the Knowledge Society on Tuesday 1st April.  The YMCA will be offering care on this day, see information in the newsletter regarding this.  This day will focus on the Behaviour Curriculum and the way we interact with each other. 

Grade 6 Camp 

Grade 6 Camp is a valuable experience that provides students with an opportunity to further their learning and social skills development in a non-school setting. The Canberra camp focuses on the Civics and Citizenship curriculum area incorporating an understanding of how we’re governed and our Australian identity. Students develop independence, social skills and deeper conceptual understandings through the direct experience of appropriate camps.  Students from our school 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 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. Dates: Tuesday 12th March (arrive at school at 7:00 am for a 7:15 am departure) - Friday 15th March (approx 5:30 pm). 

Week 7 

10th March Labour Day Holiday  

11th-14th March Grade 6 Camp  

11th March Regional Swimming  

Week 8 

17th March St Patrick’s Day  

21st March Harmony Day Dress Up  

21st March P&F Trivia Night 

God Bless 

Kimberley McSweeney 

Principal