Our Explicit Improvement Agenda

Student Voice and Agency

Planning for improved student learning - key focus in Mathematics

Celebrations of Learning

Our warmest congratulations to our students from Year 3-6 who competed in the Berwick District Athletics at Casey Fields last Friday.  Please see Mr. Tim’s section of the newsletter to read about our students successes.  A special congratulations to the 18 students who will progress to Division Athletics.

Celebrations of Community

Today we acknowledge R U OK? day, where this year’s focus is highlighting that a ‘conversation can change a life’.  R U OK? is a time to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life.  You don’t need to be an expert to reach out - just a good friend and a great listener.  There are fantastic resources on the https://www.ruok.org.au/  website.  Remember 4 steps to have a conversation can make a big difference to someone you care for:

• Ask R U OK?
• Listen
• Encourage action
• Check in

Today we have a special visitor from the 2024 Olympic games.  Through the Good Village AID Problem Solvers Program, we warmly welcomed Rhydian Cowley - Australian Bronze medalist for the mixed relay race walking.  Rhydian shared the highlights of the Olympics with our students this afternoon.  A big thank you to Lize Privitera for organising this very special event.  Congratulations Rhydian on your medal.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

EMP - Drill SIP (Shelter in Place)

Each term we are required to practice EMP Drills to ensure student, staff and community safety.  Tomorrow we will practice the Shelter in Place (SIP) drill.  Our SIP is located in the Allen Hall.  This venue is chosen as a SIP as it has all the amenities (water access, kitchen and toilet facilities) for our school community to shelter inside in the event of an emergency situation.  As per our usual practice, students are prepared for EMP Drills with a Social Story explaining why these drills are necessary as well as how to stay safe and what to do during an emergency.  Classes are encouraged to provide information on ‘what worked well’ and ‘even better if’ feedback after the drill so that we are continually revising and refining our processes. 

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.

Fantastic work Year 3 students with your enthusiasm towards our Inquiry topic. You have worked really hard on your passports and using Google Earth to explore parts of Australia - we are very proud of you!

Thanks and well done to F-LL for their sportsmanship when playing our class sport Kick Ball game over the last few weeks. It is so nice to see the fielding team share retrieving the ball and returning it to the bowler, and so nice to hear the batting team encourage each other to make some runs. You all did a great job following the game rules and being fantastic sports. 

Well done to the Year 3 students who play soccer. We have noticed that you stop the game when someone gets hurt and make sure everyone is clear on the rules. Keep it up!

Well done Year 5's on a positive and engaging start to your multimodal posters on a country in Asia. You have all shown dedication to improving your work each day.

Important dates and events

Footy Day

It’s that time of year again to celebrate all things YELLOW and BLACK with our annual Footy Day and sausage sizzle on Thursday 19 September.  Footy Day Assembly will begin at 9.00am in the Allen Hall.  We invite parents to join us in their favourite Footy jumpers. 

Whole School Athletics Day

Our whole school athletics day will take place on Wednesday 16 October at Casey Fields.  Please see Mr Tim’s section of the newsletter for more information and how you can assist on the day.

Term 3 finishes THURSDAY 19 SEPTEMBER at 3.10pm

Friday 20 September - Staff Professional Learning Day (student free day)

Next Thursday is FOOTY DAY! Students can wear their footy colours. A special assembly will be held at 9.00am in Allen Hall. Parents and friends are welcome to join in the fun. Wear your footy colours! A sausage sizzle will be held at lunchtime.  If your child/ren would like to order sausage/s and/or a juice box, payment and orders for the special Footy Day lunch must be received by 10pm TONIGHT - via CDF pay (click on link below) - unfortunately we are unable to accept any orders after this date.   

NB:  Please check that you receive the confirmation email for your order.  No email means the order did not go through!

 https://marymacnarre.cdfpay.org.au/monitoronline/Account/AddToMyCart/12?itemType=3

Parents and friends can visit the MMPS Art Gallery next Monday 16/9, Tuesday 17/9, and Wednesday 18/9 from 3.10pm to 3.30 p.m. Students are very excited to showcase the work they have completed this term. You are welcome to stroll through the gallery and take part in the celebration of student learning with your child/children.

This afternoon, Australian 2024 Olympic race walker Rhydian Cowley spoke to the students about his journey into professional sport. Rhydian participated in the Men's 20km Walk competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, placing 12th overall. He also won the Bronze Medal in the inaugural Mixed Marathon Walk Relay. In order to achieve personal goals, Rhydian talked on the significance of an athlete's surroundings, technology in high-performance sports, and surrounding yourself with a community of support. The students were captivated by Rhydian’s achievements and showed great interest in seeing Rhydian's bronze medal. Congratulations Rhydian from all your friends at MMPS!

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Mark 8:27-35  Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus teaches that those who would follow him must take up his or her cross.

 In next Sunday’s Gospel, Peter recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah, or Savior. Peter knew that this meant God the Father had sent Jesus to save us. He had expectations about what this would mean. He knew it was good news, but he didn’t understand what would happen. Peter didn’t want to hear what Jesus taught his disciples—that he would suffer, die, and rise from the dead. Jesus knew that his suffering, Death, and Resurrection were God’s plan for our salvation. He taught us that God’s plan for us is far greater than we can know or expect. We can trust in God’s plan for us.

Year 6 Term 3 Learning

What are you learning? Why?

Inquiry - History/Geography -In Inquiry we were learning about Federation in History and in Geography we were learning about maps and continents. We learnt about Federation to understand how Australia came to be a country. At the moment we are learning about navigating maps because  it will help us if we go hiking/bushwalking and when there isn’t wifi. Some of the maps we are learning about are climate maps, heat maps, population maps, choropleth maps, and dot maps  etc..Eliza, Alannah - 6MV

Reading - Class Novels - In reading we have been reading the novel Wonder. Every day we read around 10 or more pages and get assigned a literature circle role. We complete the role with our reading group. Some of the roles that we complete are, Summariser, Discussion Director, Connecter, Illustrator, Travel Tracer, Word Wizard, and Researcher are all Literature Circle roles that we complete.  Each group has a specific day that they work with the teacher and we also have a booklet which we complete comprehension questions in. Alyra, Jeremy - 6JK

How are you going?

Inquiry - History/Geography - We  think our grade is doing great in the topics we have been doing in term 3  because we’ve been able to complete our work and we all understand the topics in the Inquiry lessons- Eliza, Alannah - 6MV

Reading - Class Novels - I think our grade is going really well with reading and filling out the Literature Circle roles. We all have a great understanding of what we are doing and learning. Alyra, Jeremy - 6JK

How do you know?

Inquiry - History/Geography - How we know that our class is learning  is that we are contributing during class discussion and that we are able to add details in our work and also understand it more than our first lesson about our topic and a lot of people are stepping out of their comfort zone and answering questions more.- Eliza, Alannah - 6MV

Reading - Class Novels - We know how we are going in our learning because  we are all on task and we all ask for help when we need it. We all complete our Literature Circle roles at a high quality level. We all work really well together and take turns reading. We also always hand our work over to  Mr Kippen to make sure he approves of it. Alyra, Jeremy - 6JK

How can you improve?

Inquiry - History/Geography - How we can improve our learning is to do extra challenges, push ourselves to our limits and do extra research. We  can also know if we are able to contribute to class discussions and edit your work when you have finished.- Eliza, Alannah - 6MV 

Reading - Class Novels - To improve our learning in reading we can add as much detail as we can and make sure our work is at our highest standard. We could also make sure we are reading fluently and aloud to our reading group. Alyra, Jeremy - 6JK

Where can you go for help?

Inquiry - History/Geography - When we need help we can ask 3 peers before the teacher,we can look around the classroom and use the notes in our books. We can also check the Success Criteria and ask the teacher for feedback when needed.- Eliza, Alannah - 6MV 

Reading - Class Novels - When we need help we could ask 3 before the teacher, or use what's around us on display.  If there is an unfamiliar word or we are having trouble filling out our Literature Circle roles, we can ask our classmates that are in our reading group to help/work with us. If  we need assistance or help, and Mrs Camileri is around we could ask for her help or we could go to Mr Kippen.  Alyra, Jeremy - 6JK

DISTRICT ATHLETICS 

Last Friday, 46 students from years 3-6 competed in  Berwick District Athletics Carnival at Casey Fields in one or more of the following events : 1500m, 800m, 200, 100m, 80m hurdles, 4x100m relay, high jump, long jump, triple jump, discus, shot put.

The following students took part:

D'Angello N, Caleb K Liam J, Ezra K, Noah C, Thomas P, Raf P, Ashton T, Abyei D, Jovan L, Archer P, Liana B, Nakira H, Ceciile S, Tahlia S, Chloe F, Aaliyah B, Dior I, Angelina M, Emily P, Dennish T, Mason L, Kairos P, Teebel H, Tyler Sm, Alex T, Jasmine , Lauren K, Ethan E, Esther G, Isabel M, Leeya T, Cruz C, Andrew G, Jye J, Jeremy P, Kade F, Milania K, Layla M, Katya K, Sophie L, Hanisi F, Jaxon C,    Ashlee J, Tilley, Alyra C.

Special congratulations to the 18 students who qualified for Division Athletics next Wednesday.

WHOLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS DAY

This event will take place on Wednesday October 16 at Casey Fields Athletics track involving all children at our school. Information and consent forms were sent out via PAM this week.   We seek the assistance of parent helpers to assist on the day , so if you have a current working with children check with MMPS as the nominated school and are available , please indicate this on your consent form. Eform consent must be completed by next Wednesday 18 September.  Spectators are also welcome on the day to cheer on the students .

FOOTY DAY

One of the favourite events in our school calendar, AFL footy day will be held on the last day of term, Thursday September 19. All are welcome to join us for our footy themed assembly between 9 -10am on this day. Be sure to wear your footy colours!!!!

R U OK? Day - Thursday 12 September 

Today is a national day of action, when we are all reminded that every day is the day to ask, are you OK?  Every student had the opportunity  to create their own RUOK? Day badge today. We appreciate Jacqui M. from Admin,  taking the effort over the next few days to put the badges together. You are encouraged  to Ask R U OK? any day of the year because a conversation could change a life.

R U OK? Day encourages people to stay connected and to let the people in your world know you are really there through meaningful conversations. A simple conversation could change a life. By having regular, meaningful conversations, you build trust and normalise talking about what’s really going on, so when the people in your world find themselves struggling, they know you’re someone they can talk to.

R U OK? COMMUNITY RESOURCES - visit the website 

• VIEW RESOURCES https://www.ruok.org.au/community#ResourcesList

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

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: The Case for Risky Play in an Age of Overprotection (see attachment below)

School TV 

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

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