Term 1 Week 9 of 10
Friday, 28th March 2025
Message from the Principal
Dear parents and carers,
In the following pages of our newsletter are excellent examples of the new learning both our teachers and our students have been doing around the “Science of Learning” and the “MACS Vision for Instruction”. Our teachers have been learning more about explicit instruction in teaching and checking in for understanding and are using this check in to make changes to their teaching, where needed, to meet the needs of your children.
We are passionate to make sure all our children are proficient and continue to develop their reading, writing and maths skills. We are ensuring that these subjects are taught daily, and we are using daily reviews to go over previously learnt material so our students progress with their learning. I’m pleased to say that our reading support programs introduced this year are well underway and beginning to have an immediate effect.
On Monday 31st March our Year 3 to Year 6 students will be having a wonderful day competing in our Senior School Sports at Keilor Athletics Track. A warm welcome to any parents who wish to come and watch.
Best wishes,
Deputy Principal: Learning & Organisation
Look at our 1A Superstars!
Supporting Learning at Home
Looking for educational activities to support your child’s learning at home?
We love that our families are so supportive of the learning that takes place during the school day. Our children work really hard throughout the day and for most, a break from this learning is needed at home in order to reset and recharge for another big day of learning at school the following day. A full day of learning requires a large cognitive load for our learners and so we encourage you to have some other activities and experiences planned for your children. Our wonderful teaching teams also give some suggestions for supporting learning at home which are detailed in our family curriculum overviews sent out at the beginning of each term. You can find these located on Seesaw!
Last week, I wrote about take home readers and why we have moved away from traditional levelled readers which rely very much on students predicting what the text says instead of decoding and deciphering the sounds in each word. Students will come home with books, either decodable texts or books borrowed from the library each week.
The expectation for reading at home is that children are reading each night for the suggested amount of time:
In Years Prep to Year 4: 20 minutes a day
In Years 5 & 6: 30 minutes
Your child has a reading log if they are in Prep, Year 1 or Year 2 and a student diary in Years 3 all the way to Year 6. They are to record their daily reading, and we ask for you to sign this to confirm that they have completed their daily reading. This is a great way for our students to develop their organisational skills and to take responsibility for their own learning.
IXL - Literacy and Maths
This year we purchased a subscription to a resource called IXL where students can practice both Literacy and Mathematics skills. Students can also access this at home if they wish, however, this is not an expectation.
Some other fun links:
Toy Theatre (https://toytheater.com/) - For Maths and Literacy interactive games!
ABCya (https://www.abcya.com/) - Lots of educational games across different learning areas.
Behind the News (BTN - https://www.abc.net.au/btn) - a great way for older primary school aged students to keep up with current affairs!
Wellbeing, Child Safety & Community Leader
Easter Hampers
The fundraising committee are asking all students to bring in donations of the following items:
Chocolate Easter Eggs
Hampers or Baskets
Ribbons / Cellophane
Anything else Easter related!
We are asking students to bring these items into school by Monday 31st of March.
The raffle will be drawn after Mass on Friday 4th April.
Easter Raffle
SOMETHING EXCITING IS COMING!
In the classroom, teachers have access to a program called Classwize. Classwise is an app designed to help teachers monitor their students' laptop screens during class. It allows teachers to view what each student is doing on their device in real time, ensuring they stay focused on the lesson. Teachers can also send messages, lock screens, or guide students if they're off-task. This tool helps improve classroom management and keeps students engaged, while giving teachers a way to quickly address any distractions or issues.
In the coming months, we will be setting up Linewize to allow parents to monitor their child’s screen time at home! This app is called Linewize. In the coming weeks, we will be giving you information about what this application means for you at home and how you will be able to use it. This application will be a fantastic tool to assist with monitoring your child’s device usage and give you an idea of what they are doing on their devices at home.
BIG UPDATE: Linewize for parents will be turning on in Term 2! Please ensure that your email address is correct and up to date at school, as you will receive an email to set up your account very shortly!!
2026 Prep Enrolments Are Now Open
We are already receiving many enrolment applications from new families, which is a wonderful sign!
To assist us in our preparation and planning, we are encouraging our current parents to please collect and complete an enrolment form and to return it as soon as possible.
SUNDAY GOSPEL
This Sunday’s reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 15:1-3. 11-32
Your brother here was dead and has come to life.
The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘A man had two sons. The younger said to his father, “Father, let me have the share of the estate that would come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.
‘When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled his belly with the husks the pigs were eating but no one offered him anything. Then he came to his senses and said, “How many of my father’s paid servants have more food than they want, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants.” So he left the place and went back to his father.
‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly. Then his son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate.
‘Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about. “Your brother has come” replied the servant “and your father has killed the calf we had fattened because he has got him back safe and sound.” He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out to plead with him; but he answered his father, “Look, all these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his women – you kill the calf we had been fattening.”
‘The father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it is only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”’
Gospel Reflection
Today’s gospel is perhaps the most famous of the parables that are unique to the Gospel of Luke. Sadly, what is often overlooked is the accusation aimed at Jesus that leads into the telling of this and two other shorter parables (the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin – Lk 15:4-10). The Pharisees and scribes accuse Jesus of what they regard to be abhorrent behaviour in relation to the purity code that dominated 1st Century life: not only does Jesus welcome sinners, he actually shares meals with them. This would be absolutely scandalous behaviour. Who you ate with was a reflection of who you were. To eat with sinners and the unclean effectively made you a sinner and unclean.
The three parables Jesus tells in response to this accusation are all about the lost being found and great rejoicing over the finding of the lost sheep, lost coin, or lost son. The Gospel of Luke – more so than any of the others – has a very strong focus on the message of Jesus being addressed to and welcomed by the outcasts and marginalised; in other words, the ‘lost’ of his society. Rather than being embarrassed by the accusation that he ate with sinners, Jesus would have worn those words like a badge of honour. It was exactly what his mission and ministry was all about – being one with the poor; the outcast; the sinful; the lost. The three parables, and particularly the parable of the lost son, demonstrate the joy of a loving God when one who was lost returns. The extravagant welcome the prodigal son receives from his father is symbolic of the extravagance of God’s love that will be poured out for any ‘sinner’ who returns to God.
Historical Context - Customs and culture
The parable of the lost son is a fascinating study of Jewish culture and purity laws. The son could not have distanced himself more from Jewish custom. Firstly, he demanded his inheritance, effectively treating his father as dead. Secondly, he travels to a pagan land and then in despair finds himself feeding pigs – animals whose meat was forbidden to Jews. He knows that his actions have alienated him from his family and culture and yet when he returns, his father gives him a fine robe and a ring to wear – signs of a father claiming a son as his own.
Have you thought? The Prodigal
Because the only context in which most people ever hear the word prodigal is in relation to this parable, there is a common misunderstanding of the word. Because the parable is also referred to as the parable of the lost son, many people think prodigal means lost. However, to be prodigal means to be wastefully extravagant. When the son took his father’s money he adopted a prodigal lifestyle. However, the irony of the story that is often lost is that the father too was prodigal in the extravagant welcome he gave. The father’s extravagance echoes God’s extravagant and abundant grace and love.
From the perspective of … The Older Brother
We might have a little sympathy for the position of the older brother who has stuck by his father and done all that was required of him. All of a sudden, his wayward brother returns, and his father pulls out all the stops to welcome him home. The older brother is like the Pharisees and scribes who criticised Jesus for dining with sinners. They were sticklers for the rules and had no sense of compassion if it involved moving outside the requirements of Law. Like the older brother, they could not comprehend a God who could be extravagant in expressing his love.
Student of the Week Awards
Week 9
Two C
Elizabeth Micallef
Ayom M - For being a persistent and resilient learner who always gives every task a go - even if it is hard. Well done, Ayom!
Denis N - For always listening to instructions and being an active learner in the classroom. Keep it up, Denis!
Japanese:
Yumiko Aiki
Natalie L (2C) - For being an excellent thinker and applying prior learning to discover new Japanese words and sounds. Keep up the good work Natalie!
Performing Arts:
Jody Banks
Sajana K (2C) - For demonstrating her singing voice during Performing Arts lessons and growing in confidence when participating in class activities. Well done Sajana!
Visual Arts:
Emma Lyons-Pell & Tosh Kaan
Jaiden M (1A) - For showing resilience and creating an amazing collage inspired by the artist Henri Matisse. Well done Jaiden!
S T E M:
Joanne Abos-Padilla
Aubrey R (2C) - For demonstrating outstanding collaboration and leadership, guiding her team in building LEGO robots and solving challenges with creativity and teamwork!
P.E:
Nathan Koprek
Luna T (1A) - For always offering help in PE lessons and displaying a high level of respect. You are an excellent learner and a great team role model.
Prep A
Olivia Duvcevski
Emma C- For always participating in her learning and putting in effort in her work. Keep it up the good work, Emma!
Prep B
Kurt Caguin
Abishek T - For being respectful - asking for help and using manners when speaking to others. Well done Abishek!
Prep C
Carla Krsticevic
Elissia C- For being a resilient learner and always showing a willingness to attempt tasks independently. Keep up the fantastic effort!
One A
Thomas Pham
William L - For always trying your best in-class and answering over 1000 questions on IXL. Congratulations William!
One B
Sophie Dillon
Dakota G - For your hard work and independence in the classroom. Thank you for being a positive and responsible student.
One C
Dorothy Hall
Hugo O - For being a resilient learner when listening to the teacher and focussing on his learning.
TERM 0NE DATES 2025
Week 10
Monday - 31/3
Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival - Parents Welcome
No Assembly today due to the Athletics Carnival
Tuesday - 1/4
Wednesday - 2/4
Thursday - 3/4
Whole School: Stations of the Cross run by Year 5. Parents Welcome
Friday - 4/4
End of Term Whole School Mass at 9am
Last Day of Term 1 - Students finish at 3.15pm
Saturday - 5/4
Sunday - 6/4
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Sunday - 23/3
Third Sunday in Lent
TERM TWO DATES 2025
Week 2
Monday - 28/4
Years 3-6 Assembly at 2:30pm
Tuesday - 29/4
Formation Session at 7pm - 8pm
Wednesday - 30/4
Thursday - 1/5
Whole School: Stations of the Cross run by Year 5. Parents Welcome
Friday - 2/5
Resurrection Day - Whole School Mass at 9am and House Activities run by student leaders Principal’s Network
Saturday - 3/5
Sunday - 4/5
Third Sunday of Easter
Week 4
Monday - 12/5
Years 3-6 Assembly at 2:30pm
Tuesday - 13/5
Formation Session at 7pm - 8pm
Wednesday - 14/5
Fr Gerard visiting Senior School classes at 10am School Advisory Council (SAC) at 7pm
Thursday - 15/5
2025 School Photos
Friday - 16/5
Senior School Year Level Mass 9am
Saturday - 17/5
Sunday - 18/5
Third Sunday of Easter
Week 6
Monday - 26/5
Years 3-6 Assembly at 2:30pm
Tuesday - 27/5
Wednesday -28/5
Thursday - 29/5
Fr Gerard visiting Middle School classes at 10am
Friday - 30/5
Middle School Year Level Mass 9am
Deputy Principal network
Saturday - 31/5
Sunday - 1/6
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Week 8
Monday - 09/6
School Closure: King’s Birthday Public Holiday
Tuesday - 10/6
Parent support group meetings (PSGs)
Wednesday -11/6
Parent support group meetings (PSGs)
Fr Gerard visiting Junior School classes at 10am
Thursday - 12/6
Parent support group meetings (PSGs)
Friday - 13/6
Junior School Year Level Mass 9am
Deputy Principal network
Saturday - 14/6
Sacrament of Eucharist 6pm
Sunday - 15/6
The solemnity of the Holy Trinity
Sacrament of Eucharist (9am & 10:30am)
Week 10
Monday - 23/6
Years 3-6 Assembly at 2:30pm
Tuesday - 24/6
Wednesday -25/6
Reports returned to teachers
Thursday - 26/6
Friday - 27/6
Year 5 Dance Battle (Prep to Year 4 audience)
Saturday - 28/6
Sacrament of Eucharist 6pm
Sunday - 29/6
The Solemnity of Saints Peter & Paul, Apostles
Week 1
Monday - 21/4
School Closure: Easter Monday Public Holiday
Tuesday - 22/4
Term 2 begins for all students
Eucharist Sacramental Passports due
Wednesday - 23/4
Thursday - 24/4
Eucharist Link emailed to families that have returned their passport
Friday - 25/4
School Closure: ANZAC Day Public Holiday
Saturday - 26/4
Sunday - 27/4
Second Sunday of Easter
Week 3
Monday - 5/5
Mother’s Day Stall all day in the hall
Prep - Year 2 Assembly at 2:30pm
Tuesday - 06/5
Wednesday - 07/5
School Improvement Network - leadership team (off-site)
Thursday - 08/5
Friday - 09/5
Mother’s Day Mass & Morning Tea: Open classrooms till 10:30am
Saturday - 10/5
Sunday - 11/5
Fourth Sunday of Easter Mother’s Day
Week 5
Monday - 19/5
SCHOOL CLOSURE: All staff professional learning - Resurrection Way
Tuesday - 20/5
Wednesday - 21/5
National Simultaneous Storytime at 12pm Executive Team Leadership Huddle 3 of 6 School Advisory Council (SAC) at 7pm
Thursday - 22/5
Friday - 23/5
Saturday - 24/5
Sunday - 25/5
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Parish and Middle School Family Mass at 10:30am (First communion focus)
Week 7
Monday - 02/6
Prep - Year Assembly at 2:30pm
Semper Dental Van onsite
Tuesday - 03/6
Semper Dental Van onsite
Wednesday - 04/6
Semper Dental Van onsite
Thursday - 05/6
Friday - 06/6
Saturday - 07/6
Sacrament of Eucharist 6pm
Sunday - 08/6
Pentecost Sunday
Sacrament of Eucharist (9am & 10:30am)
Week 9
Monday - 16/6
Prep - Year 2 Assembly at 2:30pm
Dynamic Youth Citizens Excursion (Ms Marie & four student leaders)
Tuesday - 17/6
Wednesday -18/6
Reports due to leadership
Thursday - 19/6
Fr Gerard visiting Prep classes at 10am
Year Prep (Buddy) Year Level Mass 9am
Friday - 20/6
2026 Prep applications close today!
Saturday - 21/6
Sacrament of Eucharist 6pm
Sunday - 22/6
The Solemnity of the most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Sacrament of Eucharist (9am & 10:30am)
Week 11
Monday - 30/6
Prep - Year 2 Assembly at 2:30pm
Tuesday - 01/7
Wednesday - 02/7
Thursday - 03/7
Friday - 04/7
Year 5 Dance Battle (Prep to Year 4 audience)
Saturday - 28/6
Last Day of Term 2
Whole School Mass at 9am
Semester 1 student reports sent home Dismissal Time 3.15pm
Sunday - 29/6
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
