Principal's News

Dear Parents and Families,

Can you believe we are at the end of Term Two and close to the end of June! The time flies by so quickly, but these holidays can be a great chance to slow down, hibernate a little and enjoy the time indoors. The students (and staff) are quite tired and need to rest in order to be physically and mentally ready for next term. 

CONGRATULATIONS MARITA!

Marita concluded her time as DP here today and will commence her appointment to the Acting Principal position at Our Lady's from the start of Term Three. Obviously, her time at St Martin's has prepared her well for this role. It is a secondment, so the position changes this brings within our school are temporary too. I will inform you of the role changes here once finalised.

In the meantime, we wish Marita every success in her new role at Our Lady's in Surrey Hills from the start of Term Three. 

NEW POLICIES FROM THE START OF TERM THREE

There have been changes to the Attendance and Behaviour Policies in all MACS schools. A separate letter will be shared with you outlining these changes when we return.   

JUNIOR TOILETS PROJECT - IT'S EXCITING!

In the Term Two holidays, the Junior toilets, which are located in the Specialist Building, will begin a process of demolition and will then be updated. This is going to be a fabulous change for our students, to have bright, modern new toilets. This project will take approximately six weeks and so there will be a change in routine for the entry to the Specialist Building.  There are toilets on the second floor of the building and in the Middle Area, as well as at the end of the corridor outside the Year Two classrooms, so all will be used by the P-2 students for this short amount of time. Obviously, a number of trades people will be on site, and are WWCC cleared to do so. The area will be fenced off and deliveries will be done when the students are not on site (morning and afternoon) or when they are in class.

This project is being funded by the school and is a significant improvement to these facilities, used mainly by the P-2 students.

There will be mesh fencing installed across from the Planning Room to prevent the students trying to get into the building via the normal door.  Access will be at the other end of the building and the Specialist teachers will need to make some adjustments and meet classes outside on the rubber surface near the PlayPod shed so that the entrance is less crowded. 

When in the Specialist Building for lessons, the students will be shown the toilets upstairs in that building so that time is not wasted walking to the Middle Area toilets.

The P-2 students will need to use the Middle Yard toilets at break time, making these busier. The teacher on duty will be a visible presence around that area.

In class time, the Prep and 1LA students will go down the stairs to the Middle Yard toilets and the Yr 1 (DC and GW) and 2 students will use the toilets outside the Yr 2 rooms. This will be monitored in the first week to see how it goes and adjustments made if required.

The students who ride bikes/scooters to school have been shown an alternative storage space.

A further update will be provided to you just prior to the return to school, so we can share the latest information. We look forward to the new, brighter toilets being completed part way through next term!

EUCHARIST PREPARATION MASSES

Thank you to the families who attended the Eucharist Preparation Masses last weekend. It is great to see the students learning about the parts of The Mass with Fr Michael's guidance. The second Preparation Mass is held on the Retreat Day, during school hours. 

The Retreat Day is to be held on Friday 24 July. 

If you have any queries regarding First Eucharist, please speak with your child's teacher/s or myself.

FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART - WINTER APPEAL

Thank you for your contrbutions to the Vinnies Winter Appeal. It is so important that we teach the students to 'pay it forward' and share what they can with others less fortunate. It teaches gratitude for what we have and compassion as we never know what we may need at a difficult time in our own lives. Today was the final day for donations, as the Vinnies volunteers have collected the food, blankets and coats we have donated through the Parish and school. 

HOMELESSNESS INITIATIVE

As you are aware, St Vincent de Paul assists many individuals and families within our community who are experiencing hardship. With winter now upon us, we are seeing an increasing number of vulnerable people sleeping rough and living without adequate shelter. Banyule Council has started a valuable initiative aimed at supporting people experiencing homelessness. The program is not restricted by municipal boundaries and is designed to help connect vulnerable individuals with support services.

Attached is an information card that can be used by any member of the community. If someone encounters a person who appears to be homeless and in need of assistance, they can scan the QR code on the card and complete a short form. This information is then directed to MOSS (Merri Outreach Support Services) social workers, who can follow up and provide assistance at the reported location.

Thank you for your support in helping reach and assist some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

REPORTS

The Semester One Reports were released last Friday. Thank you to the teachers for providing detail about the learning progress of the students. If you have any queries, please speak to your child's teacher/s. 

CHANGE OF STAFF 

Today, Lauren Scarfo (currently in 5VS) concludes at St Martin's after three years here.  We thank Lauren for her experience and flexibility here, and wish her all the very best for the future! Who knows, we may see her back as a CRT at some stage. 

We have employed a new teacher for the 5VS class, Mrs Kristina Montagna. Kristina met the class one day last week when she was here for planning/induction. 

AUSTRALIA'S BEST TEACHERS

This initiative was supported by MACS last year and Catholic school teachers were well represented in the mix of teachers across Australia. Each state looks for its own 'Best Teachers', so if you or your child would like to nominate one of our staff, please feel welcome to ask who they have enjoyed being taught by and why, and complete the form through the QR code.  

Have a wonderful break and travel safely if heading away. See you on Monday 13 July for the start of Term Three!

IMPORTANT UPDATES 

ENROLMENT FOR 2027

Tours continue next term, with our Year Six students doing a magnificent job taking visiting parents around our school. 

Upcoming Tour Dates for Term Three are as follows:

Wednesday 15 July, Thursday 30 July, Tuesday 11 August, Friday 28 August and Tuesday 8 September

Please make a booking for a tour through the Office. All Tours commence at 9.30am.

In Term Three, we invite our Prep 2027 students to a Library Session and a PE/Games Session to help them get to know others who are coming to Prep in 2027 and to see the school spaces. It's a lot bigger than Kinder!

The Library Session is on Wednesday 2 Sept at 2.40pm

The Games/PE Session is on Wednesday 16 Sept at 2.45pm

ASSEMBLIES NEXT TERM 

Our Assemblies for Term Three will be held on Mondays - 20 July (Wk 2), 3 August (Wk 4), 17 August (Wk 6), 24 August (Wk 7 - Book Week Parade), 7 September (Wk 9). 

Please join us on Top Yard at 8.50am. 

PFA FUNDRAISING

The focus of the PFA fundraising this year is the replacement of the Senior Adventure Playground. As you can imagine, this is a costly enterprise, so we are gearing all our fundraisers to this. The students will have input into the components to be included, so we want to be able to get as much for them as we can. 

                                 We are aiming for a $100,000 AMAZING play space! 

Please help us to get there across the year by sharing our fundraising activities at work, with friends and with your extended family. Some of them may also make lovely gifts! 

PLAYGROUP INTEREST - We have TWO parents to coordinate this!

Thank you to our two parent volunteers - Elizabeth Davies and Madeleine Omizzolo who are going to coordinate the new Playgroup commencing later in Term Three. The day and time of our Playgroup is likely to be: Monday from 9-10.30am. This allows the playgroup a chance to play outside and use the sandpit before the 'big' kids arrive for their first break. 

Now, we need some toys for them to play with! If you are having a clean out over the holidays, could you please see whether you have anything in the 0-5 year old bracket which is not damaged or dirty, just no longer played with as it once was. Please do not donate scooters, however three wheel trikes are ok.  We would be happy to receive your donations to the Office after the holidays, so we can then see what else we need to supplement the activities for the Playgroup.  

The Playgroup will be registered with Playgroup Victoria and advertised via the Council, so there will be other parents who will have this time to meet others and see our school. A small cost for tea and coffee would be charged, with snacks provided by the child's parent due to allergies. 

Thank you for your support in this initiative.

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL 

We are still looking for two new parent reps. Here are the current SAC members.

The SAC is the body which advises on matters concerning the school. It can assist with school promotion, provide information to the school community and skills and perspectives on matters of interest to our parents. You may have a particular skill set which will help on the SAC, or be interested in learning more about our programs and initiatives. Everyone is welcome to apply for a two year term, which will be decided by Fr Michael and myself if we have more applicants than positions. The SAC meets twice a term for approximately 1.5 hours. Please read the Expression of Interest information. 

CLASS MASSES

Please check the list below for your child's Class Mass. Your child's teacher/s will be in touch prior to the Mass, but please also note this date. There can, at times, be changes to these dates, if Fr Michael has a funeral to preside over.