Our Explicit Improvement Agenda

Student Voice and Agency

Planning for improved student learning

Celebrations of Learning

Congratulations to our school community on surviving Term 1 with our first full term of school since the COVID pandemic began.  While the Term unfolded with some restrictions in place, we were very grateful to be able to offer our Student Learning Conversations face to face and for our student to participate in Footsteps Dance Incursion and presentation a few weeks ago.  We look forward to further easing of restrictions in Term 2 and celebrating our Mother’s Day Breakfast with the school community. 

Just a reminder that Term 1 Student Learning Portfolios will be sent home to parents in the first week of Term 2.  As Term 2 is considered a ‘short’ Term, the Term 2 Student Learning Portfolios will be sent home in the first week of Term 3.  Semester One Student Reports will be uploaded into PAM at the end of Term 2 and the mid year Student Learning Conversations will be in Week 2 of Term 3.

Mother’s Day Stall and Breakfast

As a school community, we are very much looking forward to honouring and celebrating all our school mums on Mother’s Day.  The Mother’s Day Stall will be held for students on Wednesday 4 May and our Mother’s Day Breakfast will be held at 7.30 am on Friday 6 May.  More information regarding the Mother’s Day Stall and Mother’s Day Breakfast will be sent home at the beginning of Term 2 via PAM.

Whole School Photos

School photos were taken today.  If you wish to order photos, please ensure that you do so by midnight tonight.

End of Term Dates

Term 1 for students concludes today at 3.15 pm.  Tomorrow, Friday 8 April is a student free day - Staff Professional Learning Day.  

Vaccination Clinic - Narre Warren North Community

A vaccination clinic will be set up at school for students and anyone in the Narre Warren North community who would like to be vaccinated.  St. Mark’s Medical Centre will administer the COVID-19 vaccinations at school on Saturday 9 April, 2022 from 3.00 - 4.00 pm.  Bookings can be made via the link below.  Children must be accompanied by their parent.

https://www.hotdoc.com.au/medical-centres/cranbourne-north-VIC-3977/st-marks-medical-centre/doctors/mary-mackillop-primary-school-covid-19-vaccination

Plenary Council continues and the local Synod process ends

The local diocesan consultation phase for the Synod of Bishops on Synodality received hundreds of submissions from across the country that are now being gathered to support the preparation of diocesan reports. Based on the diocesan reports, the National Centre for Pastoral Research will prepare a national synthesis that will be finalised during three sessions with the bishops in May and June.

The Church in Australia will provide its consolidated report to the Holy See in August, and the Australian bishops will later engage with other episcopal conferences in the Pacific to prepare a regional contribution. 

The overlap between the Plenary Council and the Synod processes have their emphasises on the Holy Spirit, the participation of the faithful in the life of the Church and the need for dialogue between all the faithful.

The four-year journey of discernment for the Fifth Plenary Council took a step forward this month, with Council Members invited to reflect on proposals emerging from the Council’s first assembly, held last October.  Members spent the month of March in personal and shared reflection on the document, prepared in four sections by expert writing groups, "Fruits of the First Assembly" published in December 2021. The document articulates the first assembly’s raw proposals, gathered into four themes: 

•   A Deeper Communion Enriched by Diversity; 
•   Ecclesial Leadership and Governance – Growing as Disciples and Servants of the Gospel; 
•   To Witness to Faith, Hope and Love as Missionary Disciples in the World; 
•   To Proclaim God’s New Creation as People of Prayer, Healing and Hope.

As a member of the Fifth Plenary Council I look forward to the final stages of discernment and voting during the Second General Assembly to be held in July 2022.

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, Cycle C

Sunday, April 10, 2022

Next weekend begins Holy Week. This is the holiest week in the Church year because during this week we remember Jesus' death on the cross for our salvation. On Palm Sunday we hear two Gospel readings. The first Gospel tells us how Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was greeted by the crowds who shouted praise to God because they thought Jesus was coming to save them from their political oppressors.

In the second Gospel reading for this Sunday, which is also called Passion Sunday, we hear the details about Jesus' passion and death on the cross. This year, we read the passion from Luke's Gospel. Unique to Luke's Gospel is the detail about the words spoken by Jesus and the two criminals who were crucified with him.

ANZAC Service

Anzac Day is a time when Australians come together to honour our service personnel and the sacrifices they have made. It’s a sacred day upon which we remember the more than 1.5 million men and women who have served our country in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.  (The Hon Andrew Gee MP Minster for Veterans’ Affairs and Minster for defence Personnel)

Parents are welcome to join us on the small oval as we gather for an ANZAC Day service on Tuesday 26th April, 2022 at 3.00pm. Students will have their bags packed and brought out to the oval ready for dismissal at the end of the service.

ANZAC DAY

25 April 2022

WAR MEMORIAL

BERWICK HIGH STREET

10.45 am for 11.00 am ceremony and wreath laying

STUDENT FUNDRAISING

Alexia:  Hello everyone, My name is Alexia from 6PF.  You may remember me from my Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal last year when I sold badges. I have decided to do my fundraiser a little bit differently this year by doing it together with my mum. 

My mum and I have both put our love of art to good use and have done a painting that we enjoyed doing. We both used acrylic paint on stretched canvas and they have both been sealed with varnish. My mum and I want to do this for the same reason as last year and that is to help the kids get better and get out of the hospital and to raise money for research and equipment to help them do so. It is also our family tradition to give back to the hospital for the help they gave mum when she was younger.  The paintings have been professionally framed and donated by Framing to a T in Hallam.

I would love it if you could please place a bid and not only own the original artwork but know that you are supporting a worthy cause at the same time.  For more information and to start bidding please click on this link

 https://shoutforgood.com/auctions/alexiasmagicalappeal

Donations are also welcome.

Thank you - Alexia and Trish

OLHC Parish

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 Ajin Albarnas is our Assistant Priest. We are grateful for their ongoing prayers, involvement and support of the students, families and staff of Mary MacKillop School. 

Please find attached Lenten Calendar and Easter Services:

Congratulations to the following students who have received the Sacrament of First Reconciliation:

Adiel  Chloe  Layla  Logan  Bailey  Toby  Coral Aaliya  Harvey Gabriel  Jayden  David   Noah  Marina  Aaria    Giuseppi    Kade  Archer   Sophie   Ashlee    Ruben  Sienna    Isaac  Jasmine

Last week the Foundation students shared all about their prayer cloths during assembly. F-CG  shared their Mary MacKillop quote, “Be a gift of love and compassion for one another.” They shared how they show love and compassion to everyone by helping someone who is hurt and caring for their friends. F-SL shared their Mary MacKillop quote, “Find happiness in making others happy.” F-SL say daily prayers for their friends by telling them how they are great, and say prayers for others who need it most. 

Last week in Discovery Center, Grade 2 and 3 students created Easter inspired Pixel art. Grade 3 students also learnt about input and output devices.

YEAR 3 -6 CROSS COUNTRY 

All year 3-6 students will participate in our school Cross Country day on Wednesday April 27 (2nd day back of Term 2) The students will run the following distances 

• Year 3 - 1.2 km
• Year 4- 1.8 km
• Year 5 /6 - 2.4 km

Students should wear their sports uniform including a T shirt , the same colour as their house colour 

• Portland - Blue
• Fitzroy - Red
• Penola - Greeen
• Eden - Yellow 

If students are unsure of their house colour, they should ask their class teacher.  The event will take place at school at the following times:

• Year 6 - 9am
• Year 5 - 9:45am
• Year 4 - 11:20am
• Year 3- 12:00 pm

Please note, all times are approximates and may start earlier or later than stated.

The students in these year levels have been doing some training in Physical Education lessons. It would also be beneficial if they were to do some training over the holiday period if it is possible.  Please note that this is a compulsory event. If your child is unable to participate for a medical reason, please provide your child’s class teacher with a note. The school Cross Country team will be selected from the results on this day. The team will participate in the Berwick District Cross Country Day on May 10.

During Visual Arts in the last couple of weeks, students have been focusing on collage. They are creating a range of different pieces which enable them to use a wide variety of materials to create another image. 

The Senior students have been using materials such as crete paper, card, tissue paper, cellophane, corrugated card and other items to create images of different animals. They have been using different methods such as tearing, ripping, cutting, tracing and slicing the materials to give them different effects in their work. 

The Junior students created a bird using different types of card and tracing stencils to give the bird its features. These look fabulous in the Arts Centre and the students did a wonderful job of completing them. 

This year's garden club has been doing great! Our seeds have turned into seedlings and we are excited to say that we should have some produce ready to sell next term. Some things that are growing include carrots, tomatoes, radish, basil, beetroot, eggplant etc. We are very excited to share our produce with you all soon. 

Ayda & Indie - Environmental Leaders

こんにちは、 

This week in Japanese class, Middle and Senior students investigated Easter celebrations in Japan. Students drew popular Easter themed characters and made Easter inspired origami.

They learned that Easter traditions differ from country to county. Fun Fact: Japanese people eat hot cross cupcakes or donuts, as yeast buns are not popular!