Dear Parents,

Bishop Thinh visits Grade 5/6

The 5/6 class and in particular our Confirmation candidates, enjoyed a lovely and informative visit from Bishop Thinh Nguyen on Friday 9th August. Bishop Thinh will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation with our school and parish candidates on Friday August 29th at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne. I would like to thank the Bishop for taking the time to share his wisdom with our students and we look forward to the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation later in the month

Feast of Mary MacKillop

On Friday we had our first offical Mass with Fr Jacob Alvares our new Parish Priest. It was wonderful to join parishioners to celebrate the feast day of Australia's very first saint, Mary MacKillop.

Mary's story is amazing, and her legacy is still obvious right across the country. Her work with the poor and providing education to children inspired generations of Catholics to join the Josephite order to follow in her footsteps and carry out God's work. You can read more about her story here. This is an excerpt that explains the impact she had on Catholic education is Australia:

"The fledgling colony of Australia into which Mary was born in 1842 was expanding. Education systems were beginning to take root. However, access to these schools varied, and was largely dependent on one’s social class and economic resources.

As a sensitive and intelligent woman, Mary was deeply aware of what Vatican II called “the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties” (Gaudium et spes) of the people of her time – the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She knew that people being born or migrating to this new land carried hopes and dreams for a better future. Yet many were at risk of exploitation and without systems of guidance and support, found themselves in the cycle of poverty.

Mary rightly believed that the way to break this negative sequence was through education. From very humble beginnings in Penola, South Australia, Mary along with Father Julian Tenison Woods, set up a vast network of schools. She was intentional in establishing these schools in the country areas. Her hope was to provide education to the underprivileged, particularly in Australia’s outlying regions.

Thus from its inception, Catholic education was an act of prophetic courage, defiance and an alternative vision of social inclusion. It came into existence because – in the words of Mary MacKillop – our pioneers ‘saw a need and decided to do something about it’. That unmet need was the poor, the unmarried mothers, the underprivileged, and whose who could not have afforded a quality education for their children, otherwise."

Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart / St Mary MacKillop: Reading the Signs of Her Times (8/8/25).

100 Days of School

Our youngest students celebrated 100 days of school as Preps! They dressed up with all sorts of references to 100 and engaged in numerous fun activities. Some dressed as a hundred year old person, some had 100 stripes or dots and others had other fancy references to 100. It was an exciting day for our Preps as they celebrated this milestone and it was capped off with their assembly on Friday. Enjoy some of the photos from their big day on Friday!

Save the dates!

Feast of the Assumption Mass

Friday August 15, 11.30am at St Christopher's Church. Parents and families are welcome to join us.

Art Show Evening

Thursday October 30, 7pm -9pm

Venue: In the Hall

Theme: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Prayer

Annunciation of Mary Prayer

Saint Mary MacKillop Prayer