Term 2 Week 1 of 11
Thursday, 24th April 2025
Message from the Principal
Vale Pope Francis
On Easter Monday we lost our beloved Pope Francis. Pope Francis is perhaps best known for his emphasis on mercy, compassion, and the dignity of every person. One of his first acts as pope was to make clear that the church should be a refuge for all people, especially the poor, marginalized, and suffering. His famous "Year of Mercy" (2015-2016) exemplified this, urging Catholics worldwide to focus on forgiveness and service to others. He will be remembered for his love for all, his true discipleship and his passion for social justice that were amongst many of his wonderful virtues. He lived a life of simplicity and devotion.
During the coming days we will witness the funeral of Pope Francis and the public outpouring of love for him. We will also see the election of a new Pope. We pray for the power and guidance of the holy spirit in this important time.
New Gates
Over the holidays a new gate has been built to mark the boundary of our play areas and keep students away from the staff car park and road. This has been done to make sure our students are playing in a more safe confined area. The gate will be open during class time but closed during play times. I’ve also had a latch placed on the gate near the car park. If you are entering the school at any time other than pick up and drop off times please close the gates by using this latch.
Both these changes will help create a safer environment for our students.
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
Winter School Uniform Time!
Now that Term 2 has started, all students are expected to wear their full winter school uniform.
To help families make the switch, this week and next week will be crossover weeks. This means students can wear either their summer or winter uniform while everyone gets ready. It’s also a great time to buy any new winter uniform items if needed.
Uniforms can be purchased from PSW, either in person at their Ravenhall store or online here: https://www.psw.com.au/schools/resurrection-primary-school.html
Formal Winter Uniform – Boys
Navy pants or shorts with logo.
School blue shirt with logo. (Short or long
sleeves optional)
School Wool Blend Jumper with logo AND /OR
School Bonded Jacket
Navy socks
Black leather school shoes
Runners only to be worn on
specialist and sports days.
Lace or Velcro optional
Sports Uniform- Boys
Sports microfiber shorts with logo
Sports tracksuit pant with logo
Sports polo top with logo (long or short
sleave)
School Bonded Jacket
Micromesh school hat with piping (colour to represent your child’s house colour)
Plain white sport socks (no anklet socks)
Runners
Formal Winter – Girls
School winter tunic with pleats front and
back. (Prep to Grade 6) Navy tights or
socks to be worn with winter tunic.
School winter skirt (winter tunic with top part
removed). (Grade 3 to 6 Only) Navy tights
or socks to be worn with winter tunic.
Navy pants or shorts with logo. (Navy socks
to be worn with pants or shorts.)
School blouse with logo. (Short or long
sleeves optional)
School Wool Blend Jumper with logo
AND /OR
School Bonded Jacket
Black leather school shoes
Runners only to be worn on specialist and sports days.
Lace or Velcro optional
School navy hair ties
Sports Uniform – Girls
Sports microfiber shorts with logo
Sports tracksuit pant with logo
Sports polo top with logo (long or short
sleave)
School Bonded Jacket
Micromesh school hat with piping (colour to represent your child’s house colour)
Plain white sport socks (no anklet socks)
Runners
Family Curriculum Overviews
Keep an eye out for the Term 2 curriculum overviews for families which will be posted to Seesaw for your reference. This gives a great snapshot of what learning is taking place at school and even highlights some helpful tips for you to support learning at home. Special dates are also listed on the overview that are relevant to your child’s year level.
Staff News!
We have had some very exciting news and we welcome two of the newest Resurrection community members. Mrs Pohl welcomed little Misha into our world on 2nd April. Miss Maeva welcomed her new son Zion on the 16th April. Congratulations to Mrs Pohl and Miss Maeva on your beautiful additions to your families. God bless you and your families as you navigate and embrace this special time in your lives!
Road safety at pick up and drop off times
There are some parents parking in the designated ‘No Stopping’ zones on Myuna Drive and Gum Road.
These zones, marked with ‘No Stopping 8:15–9:15am & 3:00–4:00pm on School Days’, are in place to reduce traffic congestion and enhance the safety of our students during peak drop-off and pick-up times.
Keeping these areas clear helps all drivers safely enter and exit the school’s internal car park and improves visibility and safety at the Myuna Drive and Gum Road intersection during these busy times.
We sincerely thank all parents and guardians who continue to follow the rules and contribute to a safer environment for our school community.
Please be aware that council officers may carry out spot checks, and fines for parking in a ‘No Stopping’ zone can range from $96 to $192.
Let’s work together to keep our students safe and to keep the traffic safe and flowing!
Wellbeing, Child Safety & Community Leader
We are excited to announce that this year, the fundraising committee will be holding a Mothers day stall! The stall will be held on Monday 5th of May with all gifts being sold for $5.00.
Parents will need to pre purchase items sold at the mothers day stall using the following link here.
Your child will then receive a token at school which they will take to the stall to exchange for a gift.
Please note that all gifts are $5.00 and you will be able to purchase a maximum of 2 gifts ($10) per child.
Dads, grandparents and other special friends, we are calling out for any helpers with WWC (working with children checks) who are available to assist at the Mothers day stall on Monday, 5th from 8.30 until 11.00am. Please contact the office via email office@rskingspark.cahtolic.edu.au if you are able to assist.
Celebrating Mother’s Day
We are delighted to invite you to a special Mother’s Day Celebration at Resurrection on Friday 9th May
Join us as we come together to honor and appreciate the incredible mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures in our lives.
Schedule for the Day: ✨ 9:00 AM – Mother’s Day Mass ✨ Classroom Visits – A chance to see the wonderful work our students have been doing ✨ Morning Tea held in the hall at approximately 10.30am to 11am – A time to connect and celebrate with one another
We would love for you to share in this joyous occasion, filled with gratitude, warmth, and community spirit.
Looking forward to celebrating with you!
Sacrament of Reconciliation
At the end of Term 1, our Year 4 students received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. The ceremony was conducted around the fire pit with parents and parishioners in attendance. On a piece of paper, the students recorded an area or event that may have caused them to stray from God. After chatting to Fr. Gerard, they threw the paper into the fire. The fire helped to signify that when we ask God for forgiveness, our sins dissipate.
On behalf of the Resurrection community, I congratulate our Year 4 students. We pray that their Reconciliation will be the first of many. May they continue to know that they can always turn to God and ask for forgiveness.
Sacramental Passports
The celebration of Mass is essential in the preparation of the Sacrament of First Eucharist. I, along with Fr. Gerard and the wider parish community, sincerely thank you for the time and effort you have invested in allowing your child to experience the fullness of the Eucharist at our weekend Masses, and we hope the gift of the Eucharist is one your family continues to remain closely connected to beyond this preparation journey.
If you have not already done so, could all Year 4 Sacramental Passports please be returned.
A link and code to book in your preferred Mass time be sent to emails on 24th of April at 10am. You will need to access https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/ to make the booking. Please note there is a limit of 10 children per Mass before the allocation is exhausted.
Formation Evening – Tuesday 29th April at 7pm in the Church.
Further information regarding your child’s Sacrament, including dress code and arrival time will be discussed at the Sacramental Formation Evening on Tuesday 29th of April, beginning at 7:00pm in the Church. At this formation session Matt Kennedy (football player for the Western Bulldogs) will speak about his own faith and especially of the importance of the Eucharist in his life. We look forward to seeing you there.
Resurrection Day - Friday 2nd May
Our Resurrection Feast Day will be celebrated on Friday the 2nd of May. It will be a day to gather as a community and reflect on the miracle of Jesus’ Resurrection.
As part of our Resurrection Day celebrations, families are invited to join the whole school for Mass at 12pm, led by Fr. Gerard.
Families are also invited to join their children for a Community Picnic on our school oval after Mass until 1:30pm. Please bring a picnic rug and your own food to share with your children.
A Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donut will also be provided as part of our celebrations.
Please fill in the Operoo form indicating your attendance at our Community Picnic and whether you would like to opt for your child to receive a celebration donut! Responses are due no later than Tuesday the 29th of April.
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 20:19-31
After eight days Jesus came in and stood among them.
In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.
‘As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.’
After saying this he breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.’
Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him:
‘You believe because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’
There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.
Gospel Reflection
This passage can be seen as the gospel writer’s version of the Pentecost that was previously recorded by the writer of Luke-Acts. As the account of Pentecost in the book of Acts was already in existence, the gospel writer felt no concern about alluding to it in his version of the gospel story. The inclusion of this event in the gospel of John adds a ‘completeness’ to the gospel text – from the Word with God in chapter 1 through the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus to this moment of charging his disciples with the task of carrying on his work and breathing on them the Holy Spirit. It seems that the gospel writer wanted to bring the story to its conclusion. The idea of Jesus ‘breathing’ the Holy Spirit onto the disciples is an interesting one. The Greek word pneuma carried two meanings: breath and spirit. So to deliberately breathe on someone was to share one’s spirit with them. Jesus gives this act a greater meaning by declaring the spirit to be the Holy Spirit that will empower the disciples for the mission he is entrusting to them.
The disciple Thomas has received a pretty raw deal from history. The phrase, doubting Thomas, has found its way into our everyday language and condemns Thomas as the one who wouldn’t take the word of his fellow disciples but wanted to see the Risen Lord himself. However, rather than remembering Thomas for his doubt, we should remember Thomas as the one who makes the extraordinary declaration of faith, ‘My Lord and my God!’ It is Thomas, alone amongst all those who recognise the greatness of Jesus across the four gospels, who acknowledges Jesus as not just the Messiah, but God.
Have you thought? Does he mean us?
When Thomas made his declaration of faith, Jesus said, ‘You believe because you can see me. Happy (or Blessed) are those who have not seen and yet believe.’ (v29) Because this gospel was written 60 years or so after the time of Jesus, there were indeed many who believed but had not ever seen him. The blessing is on all those who believe without the benefit of a physical encounter of Jesus. Whilst the gospel was written as an acknowledgement of those at the end of the 1st Century, it is also a blessing and encouragement for believers of today!
Easter Ceremonies
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who joined us for our Easter
celebrations. A special thank you to those who generously offered their time and talents in the various lit urgical ministries—your kindness and dedication are truly valued. Your generosity enriches our community, and we deeply appreciate your contributions.
St Vincent de Paul
Our community has once again shown incredible generosity in response to the Lenten appeal. Approximately 400 green bags filled with non-perishable items have been collected and will be distributed to those in need within our community. If you haven't had a chance to return your bag yet, there's still time—feel free to drop it off at the Parish office.
Project Compassion
Thank you to all those who generously donated to Project Compassion. In total we raised $3,718.80.
On ANZAC Day, we pause to remember the brave men and women who served our nation in times of war and conflict. It is a day of reflection, gratitude, and solemn prayer for those who sacrificed their lives so that we may live in peace. Let us come together in faith and emembrance, giving thanks for the courage and sacrifice of those who have gone before us. May their legacy inspire us to work for peace, justice, and unity in our orld.
CatholicCare
CatholicCare Victoria is dedicated to supporting individuals and families facing challenges, offering vital services such as crisis support, family counselling, mental health programs, housing assistance, and multicultural support for refugees and asylum seekers. Their work strengthens communities, providing hope and practical help to those in need. Next weekend, a special presenter from CatholicCare will be speaking at 9am and 10.30am Mass to share insights into their mission and how we can all contribute to their compassionate work. We will learn more about the ways CatholicCare makes a difference in our community. There will be a leaving collection after Mass.
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
