Dear families,

Welcome to Week 8 everyone.

This Sunday will be the beginning of the liturgical season of Advent and our Gr 5/6 students will lead us in our first Advent Liturgy on Friday morning. During the four weeks of Advent, as a Catholic community we wait in joyful anticipation for the birth of Christ at Christmas. Amid the busyness of Christmas preparations we are challenged to consciously observe the holiness of the season in our everyday lives. I invite all of our community to join us each Friday morning in our Hall as our students lead us in prayer as we await the birth of Jesus. Details of all Advent Liturgies are included in this Newsletter.

St Mark's School Christmas Carols - we hope you can join us next Thursday 4th December at 2:00pm in the Hall for our annual Christmas Carols. Each class will be singing two songs as well as Carols in Italian. Students are asked to wear Christmas colours and accessories on the day.

We look forward to a lovely afternoon together to celebrate a great 2025!

Candle Ceremony - this year we will be holding our Candle Ceremony on Wednesday December 3rd at 2.45pm in our Hall. At this ceremony our current student leaders will hand over the flame of leadership and responsibility to next year’s student leaders. All members of our community are invited to join us.

Helper’s Morning Tea - St Mark’s staff will say thank you to our volunteers and helpers by hosting a Morning Tea at on Friday 5th December at 9.30am straight after our Advent Liturgy at 9.00am. We invite all volunteers who have helped out at St Mark’s this year, in any way, to join us. Please mark this date in your calendar. Through your generous actions volunteers enable rich learning to take place.

Semester 2 Student Reports - Student Reports will go home to all families on Friday 12th December. These reports will provide you with a snapshot of your child, their achievements throughout Semester 2 and the many qualities that assist them in their learning. Congratulations to our students on their wonderful achievements throughout 2025 and many thanks to our dedicated teachers who have worked so hard in recent weeks in producing the reports.

2025 Mercy Spirit Award - nominations closed last Friday and it has been lovely to read the nominations that we have received. It is evident that the Mercy Spirit is alive at St Mark's! The recipient will be announced and presented at the 9:00am assembly on Friday 12th December.

Student Leadership at St Mark’s - our 2026 Captains and Vice Captains will be announced at Assembly this Friday the 28th November. They will be formally inducted at the Candle Ceremony on the following Wednesday December 3rd at 2.45pm. At this ceremony our current student leaders will hand over the flame of leadership and responsibility to next year’s student leaders. All members of our community are invited to join us.

Year 6 2025 Student Awards - the following Awards will be presented to some of our current Yr6 students at the final assembly on Friday 12th December. Our local State Member, MP Kathleen Matthews-Ward has generously donated a certificate and EFTPOS Voucher to recognise remarkable achievements of a number of the Yr6 students in the following categories:

St Mark's Elizabeth Carter Award - for a student who demonstrates hard work & helpfulness.

St Mark's Learning Dispositions Award – for a student who always uses the St Mark’s Learning Dispositions to become the best learner they can be.

St Mark's Peacemaker Award - for a student who promotes peace, cohesion and understanding.

St Mark's Respect Award - for a student who has consistently shown respect for others and their differences, and who encourages others to do the same.

St Mark's Mentor Award - for a student who supports and mentors others.

St Mark's Education Excellence Award – for a student who strives to achieve excellence in all areas of the curriculum.

The 5/6 Teachers will determine the recipient of each of the awards based on their knowledge of the students, and their achievements throughout the year. We thank Kathleen for her support of St Mark’s, and she is invited to attend the assembly to present each award.

Please keep our Gr6 students in your prayers as they attend their Secondary School Orientation Days over the coming weeks. This can be an anxious time for young people, but I have full faith that our students have been very well prepared by their families and teachers for their transition to high school in 2026.

2026 School Fees & Levies - Under the guidelines of the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) and the advice of our Finance Business Partner, it is necessary to increase School Fees by $150.00 per Family in 2026.

This increase is to enable the school to meet the costs of providing a quality education for the students of St Mark’s. In 2026, the Fee for sending one child to St Mark’s will be $1,750.00 and the Family Fee for two or more children will be $1,950.00.

St Mark’s Fees are amongst the cheapest of the Catholic Schools in the local area and we will continue to strive to provide an excellent education at an affordable price to the children and families of St Mark’s.

There will be a slight increase of $20.00 per child for the 2026 Curriculum Levy and the School Development Fund will increase by $10.00 per family in 2026. This fund goes towards playground and facility improvements and servicing of loans taken by the school as our contribution to our Building Programs. I’m sure you will agree that this is a small amount to contribute to enable the continued development of wonderful facilities for our children.

A document containing all details, payment options and eligibility criteria to access Concessional School Fees will be sent home soon.

As always, families are able to utilise a variety of payment options for 2026 designed to minimise financial pressure on families. Please contact the Office directly if you would like to discuss payment options.

St Mark's 2026 Staffing - The students will learn which class they will be in, for 2026 when they attend their Step Up Session on Monday 15th December. It is planned that staffing for 2026 will be finalised soon. A full staff list will be published in the Week 10 Newsletter.

PSW Uniform - there will be an exclusive shopping (& fitting) session for St Mark's families on Tuesday 2nd December from 3:00pm-8:00pm at their store, 71 Potter St, Craigieburn. Bookings are essential.

Good luck Miss Nightingale - next Tuesday 2nd December will be Steph's last day before she begins parental leave. It is not farewell or goodbye, it is a "we wish you all the best" as we are confident that Steph will return to St Mark's when the time is right for her family. We will wait in anticipation for the news of the arrival of Baby #3, a younger sibling for Viviana and Ruben.

It has been great to see so many families attend our weekly assemblies on a Friday morning. Please see the Dates to remember page for assemblies and advent liturgies for the rest of the term. Families are always encouraged to attend to support the children and engage in the wonderful learning that happens at St Mark's.

Our condolences - we offer our heartfelt condolences to Najet (LA8), her parents Sera and Bill and their family on the recent passing of her dear Grandfather Khaled. Please keep Najet and her family in your prayers. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. May perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

Warm regards,

Claire

Miss Claire - Acting Principal and Learning & Teaching/Literacy Leader

claire.white@smfawkner.catholic.edu.au

‘The St Mark’s Catholic Primary School, Fawkner Community promotes the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children.’

St Mark’s Catholic Primary School respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, learn, work and play. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

St Mark's School Fawkner Newsletter

Compassion~Courage~Service~Hospitality~Respect~Justice

Term 4 Week 8 · 26 Nov 2025

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