Principal's News

Dear Parents and Families,

This Saturday, our Year Six students and the Parish children, will receive the sacrament of Confirmation at two Masses celebrated by Bishop Thinh Nguyen, the Bishop for the Eastern Region. The students have prepared well, selecting and learning about their chosen saint, and they are now ready to become full memebers of the Church through this sacrament. Thank you to the teachers, Robyn Vorster, Teresa Michelangeli, Taylah Burns and Elaine Mullins, with Gayle Carrazza, Cristina Grande and Fiona Henderson supporting, as well as Marita Anderson, our Religious Education Leader, for preparing the Masses. We are wonderfully supported by our Parish, and thank Fr Michael for his support, Sr Maria, the Parish staff and the Catechist Team, as well as the musicians and singers, sacristans and altar servers.

We congratulate:

Alaska A, Orla A, Ariel A-M, Gianluca B, Giorgia B, Gabriel B, Josh B, Olivia B, Sophie B, Abigail C, Adele C, Charlie C, Harry D, Isabel D, Jesse D, Rory D, Sam D, Violet D,

Marcus D'A, Mila F, Amelie G, Lola G, Madeline G, Tully G, Abigail H, Alan H, Liesel H, Zane H, Sebastian J, Dain K, Harper L, Jacob L, Tiago L, Fabian M, Noe M, Sophie M, Victoria M, Xavier M, Emmi T, Amelia P, Chloe P, Ethan P, Jackson P, Sienna P, Jude R, Oliver R, Raya R, Bailey S, Clara S, Oscar S, Stephanie S, Genevieve T, Riley T, Alfonso U-V, Alessia V, Eva V, Isabella V, Atticus W, Noah W, Siena W, Evie Z, Maddison Z, Mila Z.

May they use the gifts and fruits of the Spirit wisely in their own life and to help others.

EUCHARIST COMMITMENT MASSES

On Saturday 23 May at 5.30pm and Sunday 24 May at 10am, the Year Four students are requested to attend a Mass to make their commitment to preparation for the sacrament of First Eucharist. This is an important part, beginning the readiness to learn about the sacrament, with your family and the parish community. 

EUCHARIST WORKSHOP

Following this, on Tuesday 2 June, each child is requested to attend the Eucharist Workshop with you from 5-6.30pm in the GECCO.

CROSS COUNTRY

It was great to see our students participating in this event yesterday! Following our Cross Country Trials, 60 students will be selected in their age groups to attend the District Cross Country event next Tuesday at Banyule Flats. Thank you to Peter Koulaxizellis for setting up the track, the staff and to the parents who volunteered to mark off students as they ran.

EXCURSIONS

In the next fortnight, the Year One students are going to Edendale Farm and the Year Fives are attending the performance of Midnight at OLMC. These are great opportunities to get out into the community. Swimming has one week to go before it swaps to the older classes, Years 5 and 6.

CAMPS

I have communicated with Year Three, Four and Five parents regarding some changes to our Camp program in 2027. These decisions were not made lightly and have been based on the data of the last two years. These have primarily come about due to increasing costs - from the Camps themselves, bus costs and the related costs of replacement teachers and Time in Lieu from the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement which we must abide by. As an example, I had to increase the cost of the Year 5 and 6 camp by $200 this year, which is a significant increase, and this was prior to the petrol issues we now have. 

In 2027, we will not hold a Year Four Camp, but will liaise with the current parents of Year Three and Four students to gather ideas regarding another special activity to replace this which can be conducted during the day. The Year Five students will attend a Camp on their own to Sovereign Hill for one night and the Year Six students will continue to attend Phillip Island for two nights (taking 140 students all together and at least 16 staff is a logistical issue).  Further details and dates will be shared regarding the Camps in due course.

MOTHER'S DAY - THANK YOU!

We are most grateful to our PFA Presidents, Committee and parent volunteers for all their efforts last week to ensure Mother's Day was a success in every household.  The Stall, the Raffle and the Night Out were all well planned and a huge hit. Now you can breathe a little until Father's Day!

WINTER UNIFORM

From next week, please make sure your child is wearing their Winter uniform. The St Martin's Beanie is a great addition at this time of the year. 

NEW STAFF

Next week we welcome two new LSOs to our team, Holly Boucher and Bridget Bult. They will mainly be working in Year Five.

PRAYER FOR OUR CONFIRMATION CANDIDATES

God our Father, 

We thank you for our young people who are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. You call each one of them by name and promise that whatever happens in their lives, you will be with them always. 

We pray that this journey to Confirmation will be an opportunity for them to deepen their faith and renew their hope in you so that your love may shine through them to the world. Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. 

Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgement and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence. 

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Have a wonderful weekend!

IMPORTANT UPDATES 

TWO SURVEYS TO COMPLETE - 

Holiday Programs 

I have been asked by some parents about our ability to host a Holiday Program on site. In order for this to occur, we need data from you about how many families would use it and on how many days of the holidays. This is not a school decision, as OSHC is operated by MACSEYE, but the holiday program service may get over the line if other local MACSEYE schools send their students to ours. Please complete the survey via the attached link by 15 May and an update will be provided in due course.

https://forms.gle/uimkoLda6SDnHStK8

Additional Activities

We are always considering ways to encourage the growth of our students through 'extra' activities. We have been contacted by some external organisations who would like to offer programs either before school or during break times, including tennis and coding. We would like to gather your opinions/interest in these types of programs, as they are 'user pays' options. Please complete the survey via the attached link by 15 May. 

https://forms.gle/75oinkjHYwVQVDMG7

SWIMMING

The Year 3 and 4 students have almost completed their program at Watermarc. The Year Five and Six students will commence their program from Weeks 6-9. The program has been extended as we are required to teach swimming skills and water safety as part of the PE curriculum. Being a country surrounded by water and with a range of environments, students need to build their skills to achieve a competent stroke level and safety strategies by the end of primary school. This is a life skill.

ENROLMENT FOR 2027

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

We would like to thank Lewis Real Estate for sponsoring the advertsing boards that families will see around Macleod and Rosanna.

Upcoming Tour Dates for this term are as follows:

Thursday 21 May, Wednesday 27 May, Monday 1 June, Tuesday 16 June, Thursday 25 June.

We are also holding an Afternoon Tour and Talk session on Thursday 21 May from 4-5.30pm, for those parents still exploring school selection for 2027. 

I have started meeting with current families and new families will meet with Fr Michael and myself in the coming weeks. 

UNIFORM - JUMPER SALE

Academy Uniforms, our school supplier, has advised that there will be a SALE on our woollen jumpers for the next few weeks, with a discount of 20%! If you need Winter stock, perhaps a visit to the Showroom over the break will benefit you.

Blue Shirts ~ We have clarified the style and colours of our uniform shirts for you, with the school's shirt colours being School Blue (Boys) and Sky Blue (Girls).

Girls winter pants are now available for sale at Academy Uniforms.

ASSEMBLIES 

Our Assemblies for Term Two will be held on 25 May (Wk 6), 15 June (Wk 9). Please join us on Top Yard at 8.50am. 

CLASS MASSES

Please check the list of dates for Class Masses at the bottom of this page. 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.

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 one parent coordinator already!

We are looking for 2-3 parents who might take on the role of Playgroup Coordinators. We are thinking of starting up a Playgroup for those of you who have younger children to get to know each other better and to enable the children to play together. This could be held in the OSHC Room or the Community Centre once a week from 9-10.30am during the school terms. It would also be open to families who live in the Rosanna area, which could be another way to build enrolments at the school. A small cost for tea and coffee would be charged, with snacks provided by the child's parent due to allergies. 

Playgroup provides an opportunity for the children to play freely with minimal structure.  It is also an opportunity for the parents (and sometimes grandparents) to meet with other adults for a cuppa and a chat in a very friendly and casual atmosphere. Everyone is most welcome – children 0-5 years of age. If you have an interest in leading this, please call me on 8458 7500. 

PRODUCTIONS AT SECONDARY SCHOOLS

There are a number of performances coming up, shared by our secondary colleges. 

It is fabulous to see the talents of the students in these shows. 

Six: The Musical – Teen Edition is a lively, high‑energy pop‑concert retelling of the stories of Henry VIII’s queens, adapted especially for young performers. The production showcases the creativity and talent of our students and is suitable for school‑aged audiences.

Performance details:

Friday 15 May – 7:00pm

Saturday 16 May – 1:00pm and 4:00pm

Catholic Ladies’ College, Eltham

Ticketing information: https://clc.vic.edu.au/upcoming-events/

BALL GAMES AND SAFETY ON TOP YARD

We are working on safety, particularly in the Top Yard space where ball games sometimes begin, and where there are lots of younger siblings moving around who are not used to so many students. We do NOT want ball games happening in this space before or after school please.

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL 

We are looking for two new parent reps.

So what does the SAC do? 

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