Principal's Piece 

Term 2, Week 5

I would like to sincerely thank all the families who have reached out with their kind words, support, and congratulations following my appointment as Principal. Your support and well wishes is greatly appreciated. I feel honoured and humbled by the opportunity to lead and serve our wonderful school community in faith and learning. I look forward to continuing to build upon the strong foundations, vision and legacy established by Paul McEntee. Thank you for your ongoing support, trust and partnership as we continue to work together to nurture the growth and success of our students.

What an incredible day it was today at Merrifield Recreation Reserve for the Craigieburn District Cross Country. We were blessed with beautiful weather, and our students were simply outstanding from start to finish. Competing against eight other schools, students took on either the 2km or 3km course depending on their age group and their effort, determination and resilience were fantastic to see. Just as impressive was the sportsmanship on display, with students constantly encouraging one another and representing Our Lady’s with pride. We came away with some amazing results and are thrilled to have a number of students progressing to the upcoming Woodlands Division Cross Country Championships in a couple of weeks’ time. A special congratulations to our podium finishers: 

Girls 9/10 Years: Chloe Barnes (4C) – 1st, Ruby Barbieri (5B) – 2nd

Boys 9/10 Years: Oscar Oldfield (5C) – 3rd

Girls 11 Years: Abellamary Toma (5A) – 2nd, Lucia Giampietro (6B) – 3rd

Boys 11 Years: Jacob Hanona (5C) – 3rd

Girls 12/13 Years: Angela Mercuri (6C) – 3rd

We also have another nine students who placed in the top 10 and will be moving on to the next round, an incredible achievement! Well done to everyone for your amazing effort. We are so proud of you all and can’t wait to see what you do at the next level. Go Our Lady’s!

Last week, our students participated in theVictoria Rocks Times Tables Rock Stars Competition. Congratulations to all participants for their fabulous efforts. Our school came 19th out of 352 schools in Victoria, a brilliant result! 6B (9th) and 6C (40th) were in the top 50 out of 1 836 classes.

A special congratulations to our top scorers who were in the top 50 out of 23 818 students:

• Manraj Sandhu (6B) – placed 4th
• Ishan Divakaran  (6D) –placed 11th
•  Liam Woodagte (6B placed 21st
• John Baquiran-(6D) placed 44th

The dedication, persistence, and enthusiasm shown by all students made this an outstanding achievement, well done everyone! 

This week, our Leadership Team commenced interviews with prospective and current Prep 2027 families. We value the opportunity to meet families and learn more about each child who may be joining our school community.

In Term 3 we will be transitioning our OSHC to MACEYE. We are aware that families are likely to have questions during this period of change. MACSEYE will be hosting online information sessions where families can meet the team, learn more about MACSEYE OSHC, and ask any questions they may have. The next online session is on : Wednesday 10th June, 6.30pm – 7.00pm. Please register using the QR code on the flyer. 

All schools across Australia are mandated to collect data for the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD). This annual process requires schools to identify students receiving adjustments and support, as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. The data collection helps ensure that schools are meeting the individual needs of students and supports the ongoing development of inclusive practices. It counts the number of students who receive additional adjustments or support at school so that all students have the opportunity to learn and succeed. It also informs government planning and funding to better support students with diverse learning needs. Parents and carers are not required to provide any additional information, and the data collected is de-identified to maintain privacy. For more information about this process please click on the link:   Parent Fact sheet 

School Closure Days this term:  Monday 8th June (Kings Birthday), Tuesday 9th June.  

Please check our school calendar for school closure days for the rest of the year and events happening this semester. 

God Bless and take care

Cinzia Mancuso

Principal