Celebrations of Learning

GREEN and GOLD Day & Potato Olympics

Last week’s newsletter featured a number of upcoming school events. The first of a number of exciting activities for the term will begin with next Friday 2nd August. Our School will host a GREEN and GOLD Day & Potato Olympics. Students are asked to bring their own special potato (washed and not cooked) and encouraged to wear green and gold colours to support the day’s celebrations as potatoes compete in various activities. A flyer is going home with each student today with further information.  Please note a special Assembly will be held in the morning. No Assembly on Friday afternoon.

Schedule Overview for Friday 2nd August 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Special Potato Olympics Assembly in Allen Hall  [Parents and families welcome to attend] 

Students are encouraged to wear Green and Gold colours

• Opening Ceremony 
• Presentation of potato athletes  
• Each class has been designated a country participating in the Olympics. 
• Environmental leaders message
• Closing with the National Anthem.
• 11:10 - 12:40 pm - Each level participates in their activity rotations

OLHC - School Family Mass

Don’t forget - All families are invited to attend the annual School Family Mass to be held on Saturday 3rd August at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Church at 6.00pm (please refer to the information below in the section -The Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop).

Kaboom Olympic Sports & Subway Lunch

The following week on Friday 9th August a KABOOM OLYMPICS SPORTS extravaganza will be held on the small oval 11.30-1.00pm. Parents and families are welcome to spectate. Bring your own picnic blankets and chairs. A subway lunch or picnic lunch will follow. Subway orders must be received at the office by 1st August - no late orders will be accepted at Subway.

Students can wear their sports uniform on this day. Assembly in the afternoon will commence at 2.15pm due to the altered timetable for the day.

Car Park

Many thanks to the families who appropriately utilise the after school pick-up lane system. The efficient operation of the pick-up lane system is made possible by your participation and responsible use. Thank you!

Parents who pick up their children at the Lowry Court access are reminded to note the locations designated as no standing zones. Since council parking officers frequently visit the area to conduct inspections, strict adherence to the notice is vital.  Drivers who park or pick up students in the bowl area will be subject to fines.

Student feedback

An integral part of our cycle of teaching and learning is student feedback.  Every week, staff record and acknowledge feedback to students and this is shared with them in class and  via the school newsletter, at Assembly and in MMPS News on Wednesday mornings. Read on for this week’s feedback to students.

• Thank you Year 3 students in sharing the ways teachers show care towards students at school. We really enjoyed the discussion on what care looks like from a teacher, such as helping students in achieving their goals, taking the time to listen to students, giving feedback on your work and taking the time to have brain breaks when teachers can see you need one. 
• Amazing effort to all Year 1 students who have started Term 3 in a positive manner! It is great to see you engaged in your Share Time by completing your family trees at home! Keep up the fantastic work!
• Thank you to all our Grade 6 students for being responsible by sitting neatly and appropriately in roll order lines outside the classrooms when the bell goes. Well done for demonstrating these procedures to the rest of school and setting the standard for other levels. Great work Year 6’s, let’s keep it up!
• Well done to all the Year 2 students for the enthusiasm they have shown for our Classroom Museum. It is fantastic to see all the historic items you have brought in from home, which tell a story about your family's past. We look forward to hearing all about them during your presentations later in the term.
• Well done Year Fives on your MMPS News presentation this week. It was fabulous to see student voice and agency in action as you worked collaboratively on different sections of the presentation.

Sacrament of Confirmation

Before enrolling in the Sacrament of Confirmation, children must have been baptised in the Catholic Church and have received the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist.   PARENT FORMATION NIGHT (Parents only) TONIGHT Thursday, July 25th and Wednesday, July 31st, 2024.   Arrive at 6.45pm for a 7pm start Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Centre A $50 levy is payable via CDF online at https:// olhc.cdfpay.org.au. Making a payment through CDF confirms your participation in the Parent Formation Night. CDF Payment is open and will close on Monday, June 17, 2024, at 10:00am, and Friday, July 2, 2024, at 10:00am.  For all enquiries, please contact our Sacrament Coordinator, Vea, by phone (03) 9704 7935 or email sacrament@olhc.org.au

Sacrament of First Eucharist

Congratulations to the following students receiving the Sacrament of First Communion during Parish Masses last weekend:

Liam in 4FW, Jocelyn in 4FW, Eva in 4CM & Caleb in 4CM

28 July: 4th World Day of Grandparents 

This weekend's parish masses will feature contributions from the three parish schools toward a collection of cards intended for grandparents. This weekend, during mass, these will be distributed. As the church year commemorates the Feast Day of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Jesus' grandparents, we are grateful to the students in our school  who made the heartfelt cards and messages. Please read a message of his holiness Pope Francis for the IV World Day for Grandparents and the elderly:

A Blessing Prayer for Grandparents by Greg Sunter

God of all the generations

Your gift of faith and gift of love have been handed down to us

through parents, grandparents and great-grandparents

for all of time.

Look with favour on all our grandparents and bless them.

Bless their eyes that look on us with love and affection.

Bless their ears that listen to our questions and our stories.

Bless their knees and laps we sit on.

Bless their arms that hold us and their hands that help us.

Bless their legs that walk beside us.

Bless their hearts that swell with pride for us.

And bless their faces that bring us joy.

Bless them and keep them as they bless and keep us.

We make this prayer through Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

Amen.

Masses and Reconciliation celebrations

Parents and friends are welcome to join students when celebrating mass or reconciliation celebrations. Please refer to the Term 3 schedule. below:

The Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop

Our Feast Day celebrations are fast approaching. A letter has been sent to families outlining the forthcoming activities celebrating the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.  

A School Family Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady Help of Christians Church on Saturday 3rd August 2024 at 6.00pm. Students and families are invited to attend. It would be wonderful to see many of our school families at this Parish mass time. Students and their families are welcome to take an active role in the mass by being part of the Offertory procession, reading a prayer of the faithful or joining in a school choir. If you are interested please email lprivitera@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au  A few families have sent in their expression of interest – a few more students are needed to read, be part of the choir and the Offertory procession. Send an email to secure your role!

Our whole school Mass will be celebrated on Thursday 8th August beginning at 9.00am in Allen Hall. A family is invited to be part of the Offertory Procession during our school mass on Thursday 8th August. Please email lprivitera@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au if your family will be attending the school mass on this day and would like to participate in the Offertory Procession. 

Further Feast Day activities are listed on the letter sent to families last Friday.

Project Compassion

Project Compassion 2024 has wrapped up for another year, and extend gratitude for the incredible commitment and compassion demonstrated by our school throughout Lent. Project Compassion 2024 has raised an astounding $9.7 million to help vulnerable communities globally. Our school has played a vital role in fostering hope, standing in solidarity and acting as a beacon of hope, for all future generations to come.

As a token of the organisation's  heartfelt appreciation, a Certificate of Appreciation is attached. This certificate is a small way to acknowledge the significant contributions our school has made towards creating a more just and compassionate world.

The Project Compassion organsiers express their sincere thanks for our active participation in Project Compassion 2024.

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Sunday, July 28, 2024

In next Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus invites his disciples to help him do a wonderful thing. But the disciples don’t think they can help Jesus do this.

Seeing the crowd approaching him, what did Jesus want to do? What did Philip answer when Jesus asked where they could buy food?  What did the disciple Andrew tell Jesus? Did Jesus think that this was enough? 

Jesus gave thanks to God for the food that was given to him and fed more than 5,000 people. All the people ate and had their fill. Then what did Jesus tell his disciples to do? Jesus accepted the contribution of food that was given to him, and this small offering became more than enough to feed the crowd.

This miracle teaches us about the great gift we receive in the Eucharist, when the gifts of bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. When the bread and wine are offered at Mass, we offer ourselves as well, giving thanks to God for all that we have been given. God has given us many gifts to share and can do amazing things when we offer these gifts in service to others.

Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Information

• Parish 2024 Sacramental Booklet Link - https://olhc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Sacrament-Program-Booklet-2024-A4.pdf
• Parish Bulletin Link - https://olhc.org.au/parish-bulletin/
• Our Lady Help of Christian Website - https://olhc.org.au/

Students are due to complete The Australian Maths Competition on Thursday 8th August and Friday 9th August 2024. An exact time is not available at present.  We received the AMC strict guidelines on instructions and student expectations. The Guidelines include:-

• Maintain silence at all times during the competition.

• Stay in your seat during the competition.

• If you have a question, raise your hand and wait for a teacher.

• You may not borrow equipment from other students.

• There is no extra time to complete this paper.

• You must follow instructions on how to record answers, scribbles on the answer sheet will invalidate the entry. 

Please ensure your child is familiar with the above AMC rules they are required to adhere to.  NB If your child is unable to adhere to the above rules, they will not be able to complete the competition and unfortunately be sent back to their class.

Below are examples of the type of questions given for both Middles and Seniors.  If you have any questions please contact your child’s teacher or email me at  hfourna@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au

Introduction to interoception and self-regulation

Parents may be aware that teachers frequently engage students in interoception activities in the classroom. Interoception: What is it? Research has shown that self-regulation requires interoception, often known as "mindful body awareness." Some students may find it difficult to recognize when a strong emotion is rising inside of them until it overwhelms them or interferes with their ability to learn if they lack good interoceptive awareness. To assist students in developing self-regulation skills and engaging in mindful bodily awareness, many of our teachers incorporate brain breaks into their scheduled instruction. The attached information sheet provides further information that can be implemented at home.

We are a Happy Families School!

Our school is subscribed to the Happy Families School Membership! Owned and run by Dr Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s leading parenting experts, the membership offers a wealth of parenting education and resources. We will regularly share resources available through our membership with you, including Insight Articles and Webinars. You can also access your resources at any time using the below URL (unique to our school) and password.

Unique URL - https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/mmnwn

Password - happymmnwn

We recommend bookmarking this link. You should only need to put the password in once and the site will remember you.  

The latest weekly Insight Article is attached below:     Parenting on the Same Page 

https://marymacnarre.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news

Special Report: Eating Anxiety

The complexity of eating anxiety stems from a combination of social, psychological, and environmental factors. Young people may develop this anxiety due to social pressures related to eating in front of others, fears about body image, or due to more ingrained issues such as eating disorders. Additionally, cultural norms or dietary restrictions can also play significant roles, as can direct experiences like bullying or teasing related to food choices or eating habits.

Whilst not a formally recognised condition, eating anxiety is a genuine and often overwhelming experience that can significantly hinder a young person's ability to participate in everyday activities comfortably. This condition can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies and social withdrawal, impacting overall health and academic performance.

Recognising and addressing eating anxiety is crucial for parents, carer, and educators. Through education, policy changes, and community support, we can help young people manage their anxieties and improve their relationship with food, thereby enhancing their overall well-being and social interactions.

This Special Report will help you understand how best to support a child experiencing anxiety around eating.

Here is the link to your Special Report https://marymacnarre.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-eating-anxiety-au

Child Safe Standards

Our school is safe, student centred and animated by our school values.  

We aim to Inspire Hearts and Minds.

"Children are the future of the human family: all of us are expected to promote their growth, health and tranquillity." Pope Francis 2021

At Mary MacKillop Primary School, we believe that ensuring the safety of the students in our care is an integral part of who we are as a Catholic faith community. We adhere to Victorian Child Safe Standards and Ministerial Order No. 1359.  We embed a culture of child safety and the matter is taken very seriously.

MMPS Child Safe Standards

Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV)

The updated CECV Statement of Commitment to Child Safety - A safe, nurturing and empowering culture for all children and young people in Catholic schools, is attached to this newsletter.  This statement has been updated in light of the revised Child Safe Standards coming into effect from 1 July 2022 and the supporting Ministerial Order No. 1359