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2021 Review
This week from Wednesday 3rd to Friday 5th we have been engaged in School Review with DOSCEL Staff. The aim of school review is to understand our impact of our school improvement strategies and to identify where we are in our improvement journey. Over these three days, DOSCEL staff will interview students, parents, teachers and Mary MacKillop staff and as a result of the feedback we receive we will evaluate and plan our next steps forward. This will be captured in our goals set out in our 4 year Strategic Improvement Plan and Annual Improvement Plan. Thank you to everyone who participated in our school Review and for being a part of this very exciting journey of improvement.
Year 4 Camp – Waratah Bay
As mentioned in the newsletter last week, we are very excited to have DOSCEL approval for our Year 4 students to attend Waratah Bay Beach camp on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 March, 2021 (last week of Term 1). Information for the camp has been sent home via Operoo today and we look forward to the learning opportunities camp experiences provided for our students. Please ensure that you complete the eform by the due date. We wish all our Year 4 students the very best as they count down the weeks and days to camp.
FOMM – Friends of Mary MacKillop Parent Fundraising Group
We held our first FOMM meeting for the 2021 school year and, with the easing of restrictions, were able to plan some fundraising events for the 2021 school year. Some of these events include:
Term 2 Mother’s Day Stall - Wednesday 5 May
Term 3 Mary MacKillop Feast Day – Thursday 5 August
Father’s Day Stall - Thursday 2 September
Footy Day lunch – Friday 17 September
Term 4 Student Disco – Friday 26 November
We look forward to a very exciting year ahead where we can celebrate within our community.
ONLINE NAPLAN – National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy
The online National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) 2021 for Year 3 and Year 5 students will be held on the following days:
NAPLAN assesses student knowledge and skills in Writing, Reading, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy. The results of NAPLAN provide information on student learning for students, parents, teachers and principals.
All students are expected to participate in the online NAPLAN tests. During test week, catch-up tests will be available for individual students who are absent on test days. These students may undertake catch-up tests on the days in the test week after the scheduled test, up to and including Friday 14 May, 2021 for Year 3 Writing and Friday 21 May for all other online NAPLAN areas. Please note the Year 3 Writing test is a paper based test and all other NAPLAN tests for Year 3 and Year 5 are completed online. Students will be provided with their allocated Chromebook and earphones for their online NAPLAN testing.
A more detailed letter regarding NAPLAN will been sent home to parents of our Year 3 and 5 students. For more information about NAPLAN, please visit the VCAA website https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/f-10assessment/naplan/Pages/Index.aspx or the National Assessment Program - NAP website https://www.nap.edu.au/ If you have any questions, or concerns, regarding NAPLAN, please contact your child’s class teacher.
LABOUR DAY HOLIDAY
Just a reminder to families that Monday 8 March is the Labour Day Public Holiday. We hope all families have a relaxing long weekend.
- WELLBEING -
Seasons For Growth - Learning to live with change and loss
Change and loss are issues that affect all of us at some stage in our lives. At Mary MacKillop School we recognise that when changes occur in families through death, separation, divorce and related circumstances, young people may benefit from learning how to manage these changes effectively.
We are therefore offering a very successful education program called Seasons for Growth which will commence next term for students in Years 1-6. This program is facilitated in small groups and is based on research which highlights the importance of social support and the need the practise new skills to cope effectively with change and loss. The program focuses on issues such as self-esteem, managing feelings, problem-solving, decision-making, effective communication and support networks.
A notice in the near future, with more details about the Seasons for Growth program, will be communicated via this newsletter. If you think your son or daughter would benefit from Seasons for Growth we would encourage you to talk to him/her about participating in the program. Mary MacKillop School is pleased to be able to offer this important program and we are confident that it will be a valuable learning experience for those who request to be involved. If you require further information please contact Lize Privitera.
National Day of Action – Parents
Friday 19 March 2021 is the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. This is an important day where Australian school communities stand together against bullying and violence.
To support the initiative eSafety has scheduled new March dates for the Cyberbullying and online drama webinar for parents and carers. This webinar looks at how to support young people to have safe and respectful online relationships and what to do if things go wrong.
These webinars will provide parents and carers with the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe, positive online experiences.
Please visit https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars to register for the following sessions-
- Tuesday 16 March 7.30 to 8.30 pm
- Wednesday 17 March 12.30 to 1.30 pm
- Wednesday 17 March 7.30 to 8.30 pm
- Thursday 18 March 3.30 to 4.30 pm
- Monday 22 March 12.30 to 1.30 pm
For more about cyberbullying visit e-Safety Commissioner
Parenting Ideas - Supporting boys in upper primary school
Boys can battle their physiology in the later primary school years. With understanding, realistic expectations, warm communication, and some lightness and kindness, parents can ease their struggle. Read the full article as attached.
Woolworths Discovery Garden
If you happen to shop at this supermarket and are in a position to forward any of the collectable seedlings to the school, the donated seedlings would be appreciated to help us get our garden areas looking great again.
- RELIGIOUS EDUCATION -
Second Week of Lent
This week through Project Compassion, we learn about 39-year-old Margret, a teacher at a vocational school for deaf students in the Solomon Islands. She was born deaf, so she knows the challenges it poses to education and employment. Apart from the difficulties the students all have, the school also faced water shortages, with not enough to supply staff and students with safe water for drinking, cooking, washing and growing vegetables.
Then Tropical Cyclone Harold damaged the school and its vegetable garden, amidst the threat of COVID-19. Staff and students rely on the vegetable garden to provide food for their meals.
With Caritas Australia’s support, the school installed water tanks, provided cyclone-proof building materials and helped to implement COVID-19 prevention measures. Margret’s school now has enough water for its students and the capacity to cater for more, with plans to boost food security, through increased agricultural production. Around 60% of people in rural areas in the Solomon Islands don’t have access to piped water, while about 80% don’t have access to latrines or toilets.
“Aspire not to have more, but to be more.”
Please support Project Compassion. Boxes are located in each classroom. Thanking you for your generosity.
Sunday, March 7, 2021
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear about Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem, a special holy place for the Jewish people.
The Gospel tells us that Jesus’ disciples would later have a different understanding about what he said. Jesus is himself the Temple that will be destroyed, but in three days, God will raise him up again, referring to Jesus’ death and Resurrection.
After Jesus was raised from the dead, the disciples knew that Jesus was present with them when they gathered for prayer. Our churches are holy places because we experience Christ’s presence when we gather for prayer. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ is also present with us each day. We show reverence not only at church, but also in our actions each day.
- PARISH NEWS -
Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Information
Mary MacKillop Primary School is one of the three Parish Primary Schools belonging to the Parish of Our Lady Help of Christians, Narre Warren within the Diocese of Sale. Fr Brendan Hogan is our Parish Priest and Fr Isuru Weliwatte is our Assistant Priest. We are grateful for their ongoing prayers, involvement and support of the students, families and staff of Mary MacKillop School.
Click on the link for Mass times and to download the weekly newsletter Parish-Bulletin
こんいちは、
In Japan, March 3rd is ひな祭り(Hinamatsuri) or the Dolls festival. On this day, young children dress up in traditional clothes, eat special foods and look at displays of dolls. The dolls are dressed to look like an ancient Japanese court.
In Japanese this week, we celebrated Hinamatsuri by creating some Emperor and Empress dolls. Grade 2 students made festive headbands and practiced writing Hinamatsuri in Japanese characters.
Marshall Sensei
マシャール先生
Scholastic Book Club