Our Explicit Improvement Agenda

Student Voice and Agency

Planning for improved student learning - key focus in Mathematics

Celebrations of Community

Father’s Day Celebrations

Thank you to everyone who attended our Father’s Day Breakfast, Prayer time and Assembly last Friday.  We had over 400 dads, grandpas, pops and students attending this very special event.  It is a time where our community gives thanks for the love, support and guidance provided by the male figures in our lives. 

A very special thank you to Mary MacKillop Staff for assisting with the planning, preparation, cooking and DJ Kipp.  A very big thank you to our mums - Johanna, Sylvia, Emma and Harry (partner of Ms Nelson) and Sam (husband of Mrs Knight) for their assistance and support with serving.  To all our dads, grandads, uncles in our school community, we hope you all had a very happy Father’s Day on Sunday with your family and loved ones.

Celebrations of Learning

Celebrating Child Safety Week - https://www.napcan.org.au/ncpw/

This week we have been celebrating 2024 Child Safety Week where we continue to embrace the message “Every child, in every community, needs a fair go.”  This message is complemented with the theme “Every conversation matters” which highlights the importance of conversations as powerful tools to keep our students and young people safe and well.  We are very proud of our Child Safety annual plan and foci each term which supports our students’ feeling safe and provides them:

• with an understanding of their body clues, body boundaries and identification of their network of people who support them
• with the knowledge, vocabulary and tools to take appropriate action (if necessary)
• to thrive in an increasingly complex world including online - cybersafety and navigating social media
• to grow up being connected to, and supported in, their family, school community and culture.  

A special mention and note of thanks to Lize Privitera - our Child Safety Champion for her work and commitment in ensuring our students understand how to take actions to keep themselves safe.  Students also participated in Australia’s Biggest Safety Lesson produced by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.  Thank you to parents who joined in with the class viewing of these live streamed events.  Please see further information in the newsletter below.

Welcome Interviews - 2025 Foundation students

Over the next few days we are welcoming our 2025 Foundation students in their Welcome Interviews.  It is a highlight of our school year to be able to welcome our newest students to our school and to begin their process of transition to primary school.  It is also a privileged opportunity to meet with new and existing families and to share their hopes and dreams for their child and the many exciting learning experiences on offer in our school community. 

Thank you to Marita Glass, Sally Lane, Gabby Di Biase and Kim Lardner for their organisation and planning of the transition packs handed out to our families and students at the Welcome Interviews.

Term 3 Student Learning Portfolios

Term 3 Student Learning Portfolios will be sent home on Wednesday 18 September. The Term 3 Student Learning Portfolios includes the Parent Feedback sheet.  We respectfully ask parents to take the time to complete the Feedback sheet with their child after going through the portfolio samples of student learning. We are very proud of our students efforts to document their learning journey and hope families take up this opportunity to acknowledge their child’s efforts.  Term 3 Student Learning Portfolios are due back at the beginning of Term 4.

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.

Well done to the senior students during Australia’s Biggest Safety Lesson as part of the Daniel Morcombe's Foundation. You listened with respect and had genuine discussions around enthusiastic consent and boundaries.

Fantastic work to Year 3 and 4 students with your efforts and knowledge that you shared during the Australia’s Biggest Safety Lesson during National Child Safety Week. You were able to recognise your boundaries and those who can and cannot enter your personal bubble. 

Congratulations to our Year 6 students on the way you lead MMPS News each Wednesday morning.  Our year 6 leaders did an amazing job this week leading and sharing our news - thank you!

Dates to the end of Term and the School Year

Confirmation Celebrations 30 August and 31 August 2024

Congratulations to the following candidates who received the SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION.

Cruz C, Leo D, Hanisi F, Mason L,  Eliza P,  Adrian P, Tiffany A, Romeo B, Imogen D, Alannah H, Keira J, Ashlee J, Sophie L, Emily P, Archer P, Alannah X,  Alyra C, Jaden C,  Dior I, Keira K, Andrew G, Raffael P.

Andrew Chinn Concert held last week. A few photos to share...

Bravehearts Day -  Friday 6 September TOMORROW

Children are invited to wear a splash of purple to support this annual campaign dedicated to the prevention and awareness of child sexual abuse. 

On Wednesday 28th August, the Year 4 students went on an excursion to the Polly Woodside to connect to our Inquiry topics around History for Term 3. Here are a few of the students’ experiences from the day: 

“I loved the Polly Woodside because I thought that experiencing what it was like to be on the ship back then was really cool! And the fact that everything looked so old and dirty made the ship look alive. I loved learning about it too because we learnt about things like how risky it was to live on it and all the hard work the people did on it” (Teebel)

“I loved the Polly Woodside because the ship had many cool and wonderful things, like that it was a cargo ship and needed 20 people to sail it. It was so cool how we got to see how life was like living on a ship in the olden days, and also how much work the sailors had to do all the dangerous things they had to do just to keep the ship going and clean” (Isabel)

“I really loved the Polly Woodside because it was really cool and fun. We got to see what it looks like and where they put the cargo and we got to see where they went to the toilet. We had to scrub the deck and we saw where the captain sleeps and the cook and the navigator. Then we saw where the workers sleep. We got to ring the bell on the ship and go to the museum. We went in this tunnel and it felt like a moving ship. It was really cool. There were mini Polly Woodside ships and we got to steer the wheel of the ship. I was paired with Tahlia” (Natasha)

“When we were on the ship, we were doing jobs that the sailors did. Our first job was to steer the wheel at the back of the ship. I was paired up with Jocelyne and when we were steering the wheel it was easy. I did all the steering but anyway next we had solved a secret word it said “Polly woodside rocks”. Then after a while we were scrubbing the deck and we got to cheer up the other team while they were scrubbing the deck on their side. The two first mate’s Addi and Lize showed us where the cargo sailors would like sleep for a bit and make food. In fact they would only sleep on their breaks then they would work and they would share the workload. At the end we saw where the cargo was stored. We also saw an optical illusion and it was when people are sea sick. When we had our lunch we saw some black swans and then we went on the bus and went back to school” (Brighty)

“Once grade 4 got to Polly Woodside we hopped on the ship and we went to the back of the ship. Once we got there we had to steer the wheel. My partner was Nakira. We had to ring the bell and then we saw where they went to the toilet. Then we saw where they stored the cargo, where the captain, navigator, cook, ships boy and the rest of the 16 people slept. We saw the captain’s quarters. We also had to scrub the deck. When we sat down to eat our lunch two big black swans came for a snack of our food but we did not let them. Then we got on the bus and went back to school” (Caleb)

CHILD SAFETY

Daniel Morcombe - Biggest Child Safety Lesson - 3 Things we learnt

Enthusiastic and affirmative consent

Consent is when you give someone permission to do something. Sometimes you might have to double check consent if you are not sure.(Bailey)

Boundaries

Be friends with people who respect your boundaries. Make sure that no-one blurs or crosses your boundaries. (Toby)

Body Clues 

You know something is wrong if your body gives signs such as butterflies in your tummy, sweaty palms, your heart beating fast or shaky hands (Rachel)

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

What are you learning?

In Religion we have been learning how to represent scripture and quotes using different ways such as, drama (curtains up, curtain down), drawings (lunch wrap analysis) and echo mimes. 

We are learning about Mary MacKillop’s life and how she helped to shape the Australian Catholic Church as a teacher. - Thomas

We are learning about different Mary MacKillop quotes and how they have interesting means behind them. – Katya 

How are you doing?

We are doing good because we can understand the concepts about Mary MacKillop’s quotes and how she lived as a significant person. – Wuri

We are doing well because we know how she helped teach the poor and she wouldn’t allow special requests from the rich because everyone should be treated equally. – Noah .A & Noah .C

How do you know?

We know this because our school exists because of Mary MacKillop, and we have done lots of research about her. – Cecile

We use our resources to help us like posters around the classroom. – Gurgeet

We know because of how much research and work that we have done. - Thomas

Where can you go for help?

We can go to different websites and our daily slides to help us. – Hus

We can ask for support from our teachers and those on our table. – Coral

How can you improve?

We can keep practising. – Jye

We can use our time at home to learn more about Mary MacKillop if we want. – Chloe

We can research about Mary MacKillop and ask our teacher if we have any questions. – Dennish

We can set a goal and try to accomplish it. When we accomplish our goal we know that we have succeeded – Noah .C & Wuri.

We can help others, and they can help us back. - Kade

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: Present Dads, Healthy Kids:

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

SPECIAL REPORT: R U OK?Day

Understanding the growing challenges related to mental health among young people is an important consideration. Anxiety, depression and self-harm - are all causes for concern. Factors like academic pressure, social media, family dynamics, and societal expectations, are contributing to these issues. It's therefore crucial for parents and caregivers to take action early, remove the stigma around discussing mental health, and offer accessible support to address these issues and the wellbeing of their children.

R U OK?Day is an initiative that focuses on preventing suicide by encouraging meaningful personal connections and helping informal support networks to help recognise the signs of distress. We urge all families to take part, emphasising the value of genuine human relationships and reminding everyone to ask the important question, "Are you OK?"

Engaging in R U OK?Day activities goes beyond the classroom; it's a commitment to our students' overall development. By talking openly about mental health, schools create safe spaces where students feel understood, valued, and supported. As parents and caregivers, you can contribute by fostering open conversations, normalising feelings and breaking down mental health stigmas. Participating in R U OK?Day promotes compassion and shows our dedication to the wellbeing of the entire school community, reaffirming that together, we can truly make a difference.

This Special Report provides guidance on how to talk to your child about mental health and engage in meaningful discussions.

Here is the link to your Special Report: https://marymacnarre.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-r-u-ok-day

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

Child Safe Resources to support Students, Parents/Carers

eSAFETY COMMISSIONER -  https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents.

FOR FAMILIES -  https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/parent-resources/online-safety-for-every-family

CCYP - Commission for Children and Young People  https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/child-safe-standards/

BRAVEHEARTS -  https://bravehearts.org.au

• Bravehearts Day is Australia’s longest-running child protection campaign dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse.
• Funds raised for Bravehearts Day go directly to supporting Bravehearts’prevention programs and child sexual abuse support services.

NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK 

(1-7 September)

In 2024, the National Child Protection Week message that ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’ will be complemented with the theme ‘Every conversation matters’.  Conversations are powerful tools to keep children and young people safe and well.

Conversations can help us understand issues, craft solutions, value community knowledge, and build the brains and social connections of children and young people.

Conversations between
…children and their caregivers matter (from the very earliest days)
…children and their peers matter
…families with teachers, doctors, and other professionals matter
…friends or neighbours matter

…decision-makers and the communities they serve matter.

And, of course, conversations in the public realm and media matter…

So this National Child Protection Week you are invited to  speak up – and speak together – about what needs to change for every child in every community to have a fair go.

This theme provides a platform to:

• engage in important conversations,
• promote the value of conversations, and
• equip us to have conversations that keep kids safe.

NAPCAN Brochures for Parents and Carers https://www.napcan.org.au/napcan-brochures/

Child Safety Week - Diocese of Sale

Child Safety Week in the Diocese of Sale runs from 1-7 September, and coincides with National Child Protection Week, and Safeguarding Sunday (September 8).

The theme for Child Safety Week 2024 is: Every child, in every community, needs a fair go.

Every conversation matters.

In conjunction with the Bishop’s Office, the DOSCEL Secretariat supports the promotion of child safety in our schools and parishes by providing resources that can be used by staff to promote the week.

A range of Child Safety Week Resources 2024 are available to from the DOSCEL website Child Safety Week page. This includes:

• a series of posters, banners and social tiles that promote Child Safety in the Diocese.
• an updated educational /teacher resource pack.
• a video message from Bishop Greg Bennet and the Director to share within the community and social platforms.
• a compilation video of students from our schools sharing what makes them feel safe.

Through the resources, the Diocese of Sale and DOSCEL seek to deepen awareness of child safety in our Diocese and promote the participation and empowerment of children.  Take a look as a few of our students who are featured in the videos.

Child Safety Week 2024 - The Bishop and the Director of Catholic Education Diocese of Sale send a message: https://bit.ly/46R28B5 

Students share a compilation video, 'I feel safe because...' https://bit.ly/3WGmrwo