Term 1, Week 9, 2023

Dear Families,

As we near the end of the Season of Lent in our church year we begin to look forward to the Season of Easter. I wonder how you might have challenged yourself over the recent weeks to  be a better person. Life can be very busy, challenging and complex for lots of different reasons. No story and no person is the same and no one is really in any position to judge the way anybody else lives. For this last week of Lent, I encourage you give some thought to the things about you that you wish you could change. Would you like to be a happier person? Would you like to be more patient? Would you like to mend a relationship that has broken down, within your family or within your friendship circle? While there are no simple solutions or easy answers, sometimes we need to be brave and with courage, take small steps to do something positive about it. Easter is all about ‘new life’ and is an opportune time for each of us to show ourselves to be better, in a new way! I saw a great quote yesterday ~ “Aspire not to have more but to be more”.

You would probably have heard that the state government has banned mobile phones in Secondary Schools so that children can concentrate on their learning and not be distracted. I am sure there are a whole lot of other reasons why this might be a good move. It surprises me therefore that some primary school children bring mobile phones to school. I wonder why this might be, especially when most primary school students are driven to and from school by one of their parents? Our students are asked to hand any phone they have, into the front office for the day. I can’t see the need for a phone while they are at school. Any contact during the day can and should be through the front office. Where I do see the possible need for a mobile phone, is when a student is walking or riding to or from school on their own. I encourage you to give this some thought if your child does have a mobile phone or you are considering providing them with one.

Recently our Year 3 and Year 5 students undertook the annual NAPLAN tests. I would like to thank and congratulate each of our students on the way they went about sitting these tests. This is much earlier in the year than previously and hopefully we receive the results by the middle of next term. I would like to thank Mrs Menadue for coordinating our 2023 NAPLAN tests. I trust that she is now enjoying her two weeks leave that she has well and truly earnt.

This coming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we will hold our Parent Teacher Learning Conversations. You would have received a ‘slip’ of paper with your child’s interview time and day on it. This is an opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher and discuss how they are progressing to date. Remember we are not quite at the end of Term 1 and these are only 10 minute time slots. If you find that you are not able to complete the discussion within 10 minutes, then you will need to make another time with the teacher for some later stage.

Please remember that the school gate officially opens at 8:30am. Before this time children should be booked into Before School Care. Please don’t just drop your children at the gate and hope or rely on other parents supervising your children. I am concerned that unsupervised children may well ‘play’ in the staff car park, which I’m sure you understand, could be quite dangerous. Thank you for your understanding with this matter.

Congratulations to our newly announced Sports Captains: Callum (McAuley), Janzen (Fitzpatrick) and Tina (Coolock). We are very proud of you! Our students have voted you to lead their house teams throughout the year and especially for Sports Day in Term 4!

At assembly this week I announced the ‘Mercy Cup’. This is a trophy that is based around our six Mercy values: Compassion, Courage, Hospitality, Justice, Respect and Service. In each classroom, out in the yard and in OSHC staff will reward students with a ‘Mercy Card’ which they will then place into a box in their team colour. These boxes will be emptied on a regular basis and teams will be awarded points. These will be tallied throughout the year to see who wins the Mercy Cup at the end of the year. Thank you to the many parents, grandparents and friends who joined us for our assembly this week.

On Friday of this week, given it is the Showdown on Saturday, children can wear their favourite football team colours (and football does not have to be just the AFL).

Please remember that Daylight Saving finishes this weekend. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep!

Kind regards

Peter Mercer
Head of Campus
Shaping our future together

“A true leader never stops being a student. Always learning, improving. Don’t listen to know it alls.” – Lakeisha Williams

Holy Week 

Our Lenten season has come to an end, and we enter Holy Week, the most sacred week in the Liturgical Year. A week that begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday. 

Palm Sunday is a time we remember Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem, like a King, by an excited crowd. People grabbed branches and waved them. They laid down clothing for Him to walk upon. I wonder, where in our lives we might have waited in excitement for someone. On Holy Thursday we remember Jesus’ Last Supper. This was the last meal he was to share with his disciples before he died. Before the meal, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. He held up the bread and then the wine, He gave thanks and blessed them. He asked his disciples to remember Him each time they do this. Today in the Catholic Church, through the celebration of the Eucharist, we are invited to partake in this meal and to remember His story. On Good Friday, we remember Jesus’ journey to his crucifixion. This is a time when we can reflect on the way we or others carry crosses in our everyday life.  

Every week, we join with St. Thomas More School via Microsoft Teams to lead prayer. We would like to invite you to our Holy Week Prayer Service during Week 10 on Wednesday April 5. Please see the flyer enclosed with this newsletter for more information. 

Classroom Learning

This term staff in our school have been learning about Christian Meditation. Mrs Drewett and her Reception students have been exploring this during morning prayer. Ayda (Rec LD) shared that during meditation we think about the people we love. Mrs Drewett explained that they are learning to meditate a little longer each day.  

Christian Meditation is a universal spiritual wisdom and a practice found at the core of all the great religious traditions, leading from the mind to the heart. It is a way of simplicity, silence, and stillness. It can be practised by anyone, wherever you are on your life’s journey. Children are born contemplative. They have a natural capacity to meditate, and they do it easily and simply.  They have the ability to sit in silent prayer and respond with awe and wonder. We are committed to practising Christian Meditation as part of our school prayer life.  

Elizabeth Catholic Parish Sacramental Program

We had our first Sacramental Program session on the weekend with the focus on Baptism and Confirmation. Both candidates and their parents joined us for the session. Included in this newsletter is the outline of sessions, days, dates and times, including the celebrations of the Sacraments. If you would like your child to be involved in the program, please contact Melissa Musolino for enrolment paperwork before the start of Term 2.  

The students call me Mrs Daniele, I am the Receptionist at St Mary Magdalene’s School.

I began working at SMM’s in 2006, after a long stint in the insurance industry, and then 7 years at home raising our two children.

When I first started here, I was employed to run a reading programme called 'Rainbow Reading'. After a couple of years, I was placed in the classrooms where I worked with various students in all different year levels. In 2007 I was asked if I would like to do the Work Health and Safety role at the school. I undertook the WHS role each Friday, while still being able to spend the other days in the classroom. In 2019, the previous Receptionist, Mrs. Nottage retired from the role. I applied for the position and was fortunate enough to be appointed.

During my time at St Mary Magdalene’s, I have worked with lots of people, some of whom I feel very fortunate to call my life-long friends.

I love working at the school and especially love my role at the front desk.  I feel very blessed that I can get-to-know the students well, along with their families.  Some of the conversations I have with the students at the front desk are so funny, they really make me laugh. There is one story that always is fun to tell and I have a giggle every time I tell it… A few years ago, I asked one of the little students if he knew what my name was, and he said that he did know my name, when I asked what it was, he replied with....… “Office”!

My love for this job is motivation enough to come into work each day – but if I manage to make a small difference to one student’s morning – just by having a friendly chat – then it’s even better!

In the Year 1 class this term, we have been learning how to write a 'Procedure Text'. We know that we need to have a title that matches our writing, equipment/ingredients and we have had a very good go at writing the steps that we need to follow.

We have written procedures on 'how to wash our hands', 'make a potion', 'make fairy bread' and 'make a cold Milo'.

Our faces really show how excited we were to eat/drink the many things that we got to make in the classroom.