Dear Parents and Carers,

Feast of the Assumption of Mary

Tomorrow we celebrate a very special day in the life of the Church, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. This feast reminds us of the belief that at the end of her life, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken body and soul into heaven to be with God.

For our students, it’s an invitation to reflect on Mary’s life as a model of love, trust and saying “yes” to God. Mary lived with faith even when things were uncertain. She cared deeply for others and placed her hope in God’s promises.

In our world today, with its busyness, worries and challenges, Mary’s example encourages us to:

Trust when life feels uncertain

Be kind and generous to those in need

Keep hope alive, even in difficult times

I invite you all to join us tomorrow at 9:15am Mass to pray, sing and reflect on how we can live with the same courage and kindness that Mary showed.

First Eucharist

At 5:30pm Mass on Saturday and 11:00am Mass on Sunday our Year 4 students will receive their First Eucharist. Please keep these students and their families in your prayers during this special occasion.

Thank you to Fr John for celebrating these special Masses, thank you Justin McFarlane for all the behind the scenes work organising this sacrament, thank you Hannah Vickers and Frieda Mallis for preparing the students in their RE classes, thank you to the school staff that have attended these Masses in support and to the families for working with us to prepare your children.

On behalf of the community I would like to congratulate all the Year 4 students that have received their First Eucharist in 2025, may they feel blessed, loved and always remember this special occasion in their faith journey.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

On Monday 18th August, we will be hosting some Melbourne Archdiocese Schools (MACS) staff to observe the great work we are doing here in PBL. They are interested to see the classroom and school-wide routines that support respectful behaviours in action and to learn about the journey St Bede's has taken over the last 4 or so years develop these practices. Although PBL at St Bede's is a work in progress, being invited to host other staff is both a valuable opportunity and an acknowledgment of the strong practices we already have in place.

School Closure Days - Friday 22nd and Monday 25th August

Just a reminder that next Friday 22nd and Monday 25th August are school closure days. Friday 22nd is a Time in Lieu day to acquit some of the time staff work outside of school hours attending meetings, school events and activities.

On Monday 25th August staff will engage in Professional Learning about cognitive science and maximising learning, analysing 2025 NAPLAN data and completing Warden training for our Emergency Management plans and procedures.

I hope you all the students enjoy this 'mid-term' break to recharge for the remainder of the term.

God Bless

Kathryn

MACSEYE (MACS Early Years Education)