Dear Families,

We have had another very busy week at St Leonard's with our Year 5/6's and a number of staff enjoying an exciting camp at Rumbug and our preparations for the Art Show in full swing with just one week to go! Don't forget opening night for the Art Show is Thursday 5th September from 6pm - 7:30pm.

Happy Father's Day

“The quality of a father can be seen in the goals, dreams and aspirations he sets not only for himself, but for his family.” R. Markham

Father’s Day is a day of commemoration and celebration of Dad – the special man in our life. We often forget the sacrifice of our fathers and the roles they have played in shaping our lives. Father’s Day gives us the opportunity to show and express our love and care to our fathers and thank them for being there for us.

At this time we also give thanks to God for our Grandfathers who are an inspiration in our lives. We also recognise all those who have taken on the role of ‘Father’ to us and provided support and encouragement. We keep in our prayers those fathers and grandfathers who are no longer with us.

We pray for Fr. John and all the clergy at this time. Priests have dedicated their lives to God and to caring for the members of their Church. As our spiritual fathers, they are part of our family and need our prayers and support too.

Please use this Father’s Day to let these special people know what place they have in our lives and what influence they have on us.

Father's Day Breakfast

A reminder that the Father's Day breakfast is happening tomorrow. For all the details see the PFA page. We look forward to sharing this special morning with you all.

Wakakirri

On Friday 23rd August we took 37 students (Year 3-6) to Frankston Art Centre for Wakakirri. Congratulations to all students, parents and staff who were involved in making the event so successful. A highlight was winning the public speaking award - Kaitlyn, Ranaya and Julian spoke well and the whole group represented our school with enthusiasm and pride. A special thank you to Ms Cathy Ellis for her hard work and dedication in organising this event for our school. We could not have entered had it not been for her commitment to the performing arts and giving every student a chance to shine!

See the Performing Arts page for more information and new details about upcoming choir events.

Below is the feedback from the judges:

St Leonard's School "The Magic Faraway Tree"

Ambassador comment

"A magical expression of imagination, performed with joy! " - Lauren Jimmieson, Wakakirri Ambassador.

Show Awards

Storytelling Award for a Great Story

Production award for Soundtrack

Creative production award for Overall Costume Design

Ensemble Award for Dance Performance

Stage Managers award for Teamwork (on-stage and off-stage)

Best Public Speaking Award

Ambassador feedback

"Wow, what a magical performance. I love the way you have taken a classic tale and given your own flair, highlighting the important message of the power of imagination! Some exciting and expressive dance moment which showed great skill and technique - this was supported by some fantastic and powerful song choices which segued seamlessly into one another!! I could see some inspiring teamwork on the stage throughout the day. Those who were more confident beautifully supported others which is so encouraging to see. Story-dances should make us feel something and certainly, out in the audience we were feeling your happiness radiate from the stage. Continue striving for clean transition and evenly spaced positions on stage - this will take your performance to an even higher level! Wow so much time, effort and detail has gone into creating your far-away tree, set pieces and costumes. Thank you for using projections to add to your story telling - this was very useful for the audience. I loved your costumes - constructed beautifully and looked very striking from the audience. A beautiful and inspiring submission from our young professionals. I appreciate the great deal of time that has gone into creating your piece! Congratulations to all involved! " - Lauren Jimmieson, Wakakirri Ambassador.

Prayer

This week’s prayer focus is "Walking in Your Footsteps".

Gospel Reading:

John 6: 60 - 69 The Words of Eternal Life

Many of his followers heard this and said, “This teaching is too hard. Who can listen to it?”

Without being told, Jesus knew that they were grumbling about this, so he said to them, “Does this make you want to give up? Suppose, then, that you should see the Son of Man go back up to the place where he was bef

ore? What gives life is God's Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God's life-giving Spirit. Yet some of you do not believe.” (Jesus knew from the very beginning who were the ones that would not believe and which one would betray him.) And he added, “This is the very reason I told you that no people can come to me unless the Father makes it possible for them to do so.”

Because of this, many of Jesus' followers turned back and would not go with him any more. So he asked the twelve disciples, “And you—would you also like to leave?”

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. And now we believe and know that you are the Holy One who has come from God.”

Reflection Question to consider this week:

What does it mean to "walk in Jesus' footsteps"?
What are some examples of Jesus' actions that we can follow?
What are some obstacles that might prevent us from following Jesus?
How did Jesus overcome obstacles in his life?
How can we overcome the obstacles in our own lives?
What does Jesus say about the importance of a pure heart?
What steps can we take to purify our hearts?
How can we seek guidance from Jesus as we walk in his footsteps
What role does prayer play in following Jesus?
How can we develop a deeper relationship with Jesus?

Prayer:

God of all,

As we try to be kind and generous,

to share with others and to show our love for you,

give us strength when it is difficult,

courage to keep trying and hope that

through our actions we may make a difference to the lives of others.

Amen.

MACSSIS Surveys 2024

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS) are conducted annually for schools in the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. This year’s MACSSIS window is from Monday 2 September to Friday 20 September 2024. MACSSIS produces perception data. This data tells us about what different people in the school community think and feel about their learning environment. We invite all families to complete the family survey using the link and pin that will be sent via Operoo/email this week. All students in Year 4-6 will complete the student survey during class time. If you do not want your child to complete the survey, please contact the office before the 30th August. Our staff will also complete the survey. St Leonard's views MACSSIS as a positive opportunity for gathering feedback and engaging the community in ongoing school improvement efforts.

ICAS Results

ICAS results are starting to become available. Digital Technologies results are available now and other results will be released over the next few weeks.

Parents and students can access their own results using their TAP-ID and PIN:

Students that have sat ICAS at St Leonard's before can find their TAP-ID and PIN on the back of a previous year's certificate.
Students that have sat ICAS at St Leonard's for the first time this year, can request their TAP-ID and PIN via this form.

Please note we will send home certificates once we receive all certificates for all tests. This may take some time as the Writing and Mathematics certificates always take a lot longer to arrive.

Briefly

Carpark reminders: When using the Allen Street car park, please do not park in the middle lane as this blocks traffic coming in to park. Students should only be dropped off in the drop off zone or walked to the gates if you are parking in the designated bays. Please follow the yellow markings when walking through the car park.
The 2023 Annual Report to the School Community is now available on our website at: https://www.leonardsgwav.catholic.edu.au/our-school/annual-report-to-the-community/
The Australian Girls Choir will be offering an assessment workshop on Tuesday 3rd September for girls in any year level who might be interested in joining the choir. We have a number of our girls who have joined the choir after being involved in these sessions. If you would like your child to participate please complete the registration form that has been sent home or register online at https://ausgirlschoir.com.au/schoolworkshop/

Wishing every family a very happy week ahead.

Aimee Gale

Acting Principal

Guardian's of St Leonard's