Dear Parents and Carers,

Prayer for the New Term

Loving God,

As we begin this new term together, we thank you for the gift of our school community. Bless our students, staff, and families with wisdom, kindness, and a spirit of curiosity. May we grow in faith, friendship, and learning each day. Help us to see you in one another and to act with compassion and courage in all we do.

Amen.

Welcome back to Term 3! It’s been a wonderful start to the new term, filled with energy and a strong sense of community. We hope the holidays brought rest and renewal to all our families, and it’s been a pleasure to see the children return with such enthusiasm and readiness for learning.

Over the holiday break, we were fortunate to have significant work completed around the school. Four of our classrooms underwent major renovations, creating brighter, more engaging spaces for our students and staff. In addition, a great deal of work was done on the trees in our playground to ensure they are safe and secure for our children to enjoy. We extend a heartfelt thank you to the dedicated team who worked so hard to make sure everything was ready for the first day of term. Your efforts are deeply appreciated by us all.

This term has already seen some wonderful community events. Our recent Art Show was a highlight, showcasing the creativity and talent of our students. A very special thank you goes to Kim Nelson, our gifted Art and STEM teacher, who inspired and guided the students in creating the incredible masterpieces displayed throughout the school. Thank you also to all the families who came along to celebrate their children’s work. It was a fantastic afternoon filled with colour, pride, and community spirit.

Last week, we held Pyjama Day to support the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal, and once again, our community responded with generosity and compassion. Thank you for your donations of food and winter goods. Your kindness is making a real difference to those in need.

On Monday, we celebrated one of our most cherished days, Grandparents Day. The church was absolutely full for our beautiful prayer gathering, and it was heartwarming to see the joy on the faces of children and grandparents alike. Our visitors loved the time spent in classrooms, and the morning concluded with a delicious morning tea, generously prepared by our amazing staff. Days like these highlight the strength and warmth of our school community.

I would also like to express my gratitude to all families for the respectful and patient way you continue to use our Kiss and Go system. We know the morning and afternoon drop-offs can be busy, and your cooperation helps to keep things running smoothly and safely for everyone.

This week and next, we are holding our Parent-Teacher Meetings. These conversations are such an important part of the home-school partnership, offering valuable time to discuss your child’s learning and wellbeing. Thank you to those who have already attended, and a reminder that there are still spots available next week for those who haven’t yet booked.

As always, thank you for the many ways you support our school and contribute to the life of this vibrant and faith-filled community. We look forward to another term of learning, growth, and connection.

Warm regards,

Lisa

On the 19th of June our foundation students attended Myuna Farm. 

They had a fantastic Day and saw lots of animals.

On Friday 25th July, we had Pyjama Day at St Mary's and we asked for donations of non-perishable foods so we could donate them to the St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal Food Donation.

Everyone enjoyed a relaxing day in their pyjama's and a big thank you to everyone who donated food items, they were very appreciative of our contributions.

What a fabulous turn out we had for our Grandparents day on Monday. A lovely prayer gathering to start off the day, with the grandparents being showed into the classrooms to see their work so far this year. Finished off with a lovely morning tea in the staff room. It was really nice to see so many grandparents attend and the happy faces on the children showing off their work.

 News from the Italian Room

Buongiorno!

I often get asked by the students “why do we have to learn Italian?” The simplest answer is that learning a second language is fun. It also unlocks parts of the brain that you would not otherwise use as well as also helping with learning everything else.

The curriculum is delivered focusing on three components of the language which help us to speak, read and write in Italian. 

These areas are:

• Phonics which focuses on the pronunciation of sounds which make up words.
• Vocabulary, the meaning of words and their translation to English.
• Grammar where we explore formal and informal language, the gender of nouns, the order in which we write words and the construction of simple sentences using the correct structure. 

Last semester, the students worked on speaking, reading and writing something about themselves. Sentence writing in Italian evolves from a word, to a phrase and then a simple sentence with more complex sentences being written by the time a student reaches Year 6. 

The junior classes introduced themselves and wrote about their feelings while the middle and senior classes introduced themselves and wrote about the activities they might like and dislike to do at home and school. 

Cosa ti piace fare a scuola? What do you like to do at school? Cosa ti piace fare a casa? What do you like to do at home?

The following work is an example of the progression of written language from Foundation through to Year 6.

Ayla competed in the Morwell dance eisteddfod on the holidays and she performed her national dance which is an Italian dance performed with a tambourine. 

Ayla is very proud of her dance/song being Italian because she is learning Italian at school. She place 1st in her dance at this eisteddfod.

She also performed in another ballet eisteddfod over the holidays and received a special award it was called the Spirit of Strzelecki award, it was for showing kindness, encouragement and support to her competitors.

Well done Ayla on your fabulous achievements.

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PAM (Parent Access Module)

September 2025

• Wednesday 3rd - 3/4 MCG Excursion
• Thursday 4th - Disco
• Friday 5th - Father's Day Stall
• Monday 8th - Father's Day Prayer Gathering/Breakfast
• Friday 12th - Footy Day (BBQ)
• Tuesday 16th - Division Athletics Carnival
• Friday 19th - Last Day of Term 3 (1pm Finish)

October 2025

• Monday 6th - First Day of Term 4
• Wednesday 22nd - Production Day Matinee (Time TBC)
• Thursday 23rd - Production Day Evening 4pm & 6pm
• Monday 27th to Wednesday 29th - 5/6 Camp 
• Thursday 30th - Regional Basketball 

November 2025

• Monday 3rd - School Closure Day
• Tuesday 4th - Melbourne Cup Public holiday
• Wednesday 5th - School Closure Day