Dear Parents,

The next two weeks are overflowing with activities! The many activities to celebrate Book Week are listed in the timetable from Sandra Tieppo, and the following week is the Year 5 and 6 Camp, with approximately 140 students and 16 staff heading to Phillip Island for some outdoor adventure activities and fun!

Whether it be the Dress Up Day, the Creative Minds Competition, the Great Book Swap or the PJ and reading favourite books afternoon, there's an avenue of interest for everyone.

I'm sure there will be LOTS of preparations over the weekend for the Book Week Parade on Monday, which I will unfortunately miss as I am heading to Cairns for the Australian Catholic Education Commission (ACEC) Conference with many Principals from across Melbourne. During my time in Cairns and at the Conference, I hope to be immersed in the indigenous culture of the area and look forward to some excellent national and international speakers. In my absence, Marita Anderson is Acting Principal and Jamie Atherton is Acting Deputy Principal. I will have some access to emails when not in Conference sessions, but if you need to communicate anything regarding your child, please do so to Marita and Jamie.

The Year 5 and 6 students will be excited about their Camp experience on Phillip Island from 25-27 August, and I will be back to attend that. The time on Camp is a chance to see students experience a different environment and build relationships with others out of their class and level. The students will visit Churchill Island this year, which is a connection for the Year Five students to their work on Colonial Australia. Whilst often a little cooler in Gippsland, the trek to watch the gorgeous fairy penguins is enjoyed by all ages. With so many staff attending Camp, Sandra Tieppo will be Acting Principal and Renee Loprevite will be Acting Deputy Principal at school. If your child's class teacher is attending Camp - Lil Mosbauer, Elaine Priest and Lauren Addati - an experienced CRT will be placed in their class for the week.

FIRST EUCHARIST MASSES - THANK YOU!

We had two beautiful Eucharist Masses last weekend, with the students so well prepared and participating in their roles so well.

We congratulate...

Oliver, Jessica, Lucia, Ayesha, Audrey, Archie, Harry, Eva, Alice, Noah, Archie, Anna, Hazel, Miles, Owen, Chiara, Ava, James, Hailey, Janice, Maryam, Michael, Gabriel, Ivy, Alyssa, Orlando, Olivia.

We also thank the following for their support and contributions during this sacramental time:

Fr Michael for sharing the Masses with us and guiding the children through their Commitment and Preparation Masses;
The Year 4 teachers for preparing the students for this sacrament - Elaine Priest, Rachael Hutt, Aspasia Catsamas, Chloe Jones and Jamie Atherton, and special thanks to Marita Anderson, our Religious Education Leader, for preparing the Mass and the program of preparation with the teachers
Sr Maria and the catechists for preparing the children from the Parish
The office for the preparation of the certificates for the children;
The wider group of St Martin’s staff for their attendance to support the students and their colleagues
Altar servers, sacristans, commentators, musicians and singers, PowerPoint creators and operators, and all those from the school and Parish who assist with the organisation and Mass
Parents and families for your support throughout the preparation time and on the sacrament day

Congratulations to all the children for their preparation and attitude towards this special occasion. We pray that they always remember the first time they received Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist. May God bless these children always.

PFA DISCO

Special thanks to Michelle and her team of helpers for organising todays disco for the students. The children always look forward to this activity, they enjoy the music and the zooper dooper at the end.

PERFORMANCE - 18 SEPTEMBER - GET READY!

As you have seen, we are beginning the preparations for our Dance Performance at the end of this term at Parade College in Bundoora.

The classes have had a few weeks of practice now and are making progress. They are learning about the choreography and need for working together so that the dance looks uniform as the term progresses.

Ticket information is provided in this edition of the newsletter and costume requirements will be shared with you in the coming weeks.

PREP 2026 - TERM THREE LIBRARY VISIT

We look forward to welcoming our Prep 2026 students for their first library visit on Wednesday 3 September. This is not very far away, so I'll need to get ready for this exciting time.

YEAR 6 GRADUATION

Our Graduation dates and activities are as follows:

Monday 8 December - 9.15am Graduation Mass in the Church Graduation Dinner at the Manningham Club

Wednesday 10 December Year Six Big Day Out

LEARNING CONVERSATIONS

On Monday 8 September, we will hold our Learning Conversations session, with parent/s, the student and teacher/s coming together to discuss strengths and next steps in learning.

This is a great time for this to occur, as there is plenty of time to focus on the goals across different learning areas during Term Four. Further information will be shared as the term progresses, but please note that as these meetings are of 15 minutes duration, we need a longer time period. As such, the students will NOT attend school on this day, but should accompany you to their Learning Conversation.

As a support to parents who do not have the option of attending during the day, we will commence these meetings at 10am and finish at 6.30pm. If you need longer than that, please book a separate time with your child’s teacher/s. This is NOT classed as a school closure day, rather a chance to spend time in important dialogue about learning.

Our OSHClub will be operating that day, so please book into that if you need care for your child / children.

CLASS MASSES

Please note that the days and dates for Class Masses have been included in the Diary Dates. Please check your child’s class as some of these may have changed. Teachers will send you an alert approximately three weeks prior to the Mass so you can change work if you would like to attend.

SCHOOL CALENDAR AND PUPIL FREE DAYS

Our Pupil Free Days (School Closure Dates) for the rest of the year are:

Monday 1 September, Monday 3 November and Monday 1 December

Please note all dates on the school calendar, as there are sometimes changes from the Level Newsletters which are sent out at the start of the term. Thank you.

‘COME AND SEE’ SESSIONS

The next ‘Come and See’ session for Term Three is: Wednesday 20 August

There will also be a chance to come along to the Book Week Parade and a Story afternoon in Book Week - see the information later in the Newsletter.

BAPTISM

If your child has not yet been baptised, please consider whether you would like to celebrate this sacrament prior to them reaching the sacramental years.

Please contact the Parish Office on P: 9401 6338 to arrange this with Fr Michael.

ALTAR SERVERS

A training session for those from Years 3-6 interested in Altar Serving, will be held on 28 August at 3.45pm for approximately an hour. I’m sharing the date so you can add it to your calendar if your child is wanting to learn how to become a server.

GOSPEL REFLECTION

The theme of this Sunday's gospel is 'opposites'. Jesus said "I have come not to give peace, but discord." This doesn't sound like the person we recognise most commonly in the gospel.

As shared by Dianne Bergant CSA Liturgy Help), the following reflection is a reminder of the challenge of being a Christian.

As disciples we commit ourselves to values and principles that are not always cherished by others. We can be misunderstood for our beliefs, even ridiculed. Our lives may be a reproach to those who do not share our aspirations. There may be times when we must stand in opposition to others. All of this tends to alienate us. It could even place us at enmity with those whom we love. Yet, if we are genuinely committed, we realise that there is also a price to pay if we are not faithful. It is very difficult to live with ourselves when we disregard our deepest convictions and ignore the promptings of God that we experience within ourselves. As difficult as a life of faith may be, we know that it is the only way to live in this world.

Faced with the cost of discipleship we are brought to the realisation that, by ourselves, we do not have the necessary resources. We need assistance. The real support and assistance that we get is from Jesus who came to set the world and our hearts on fire. Paul assures us that there is a vast throng cheering us on as we run the race of discipleship. They are not merely spectators; they have already run or are still running their own race. We are not alone in our commitment, in our struggle. There are many witnesses, many examples for us to follow.

Have a fabulous weekend! God bless.

CLASS MASSES

Term 3	Class
Thursday 21 August	1LA
Thursday 28 August	2MT
Thursday 4 September	2RO
Term 4		Class
Thursday 16 October		2AD
Thursday 23 October		PJL
Tuesday 28 October		PDG
Thursday 6 November		3JM
Tuesday 18 November		PGC

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