Dear Lord,

We ask that you be present in this space.

Lord, as we prepare for the coming of a new term make us ready, attentive and available to hear you.

Thank You for the gift of being able to rise each day with the assurance that You walk through it with us.

Thank You for the gifts of creativity and uniqueness, and the energy to put them to good use.

May all that we are today, all that we try to do today, may all our encounters, reflections, even the frustrations and failings all be place in your hands.

May the work we do and the way we do it, bring new hope, new life, and courage to all we come in contact with this term. We thank you, Lord.

We make this prayer through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Dear Families,

Welcome to term 4.  We have so many exciting events planned for term 4 – some to celebrate our learning, some community events and some events in readiness to welcome our preps for 2025.

Fri 25th October – Personal Safety Day – Wear a splash of Red

Mon 28th Oct- Fri 1st Nov– Family Learning Walks (please book in advance)

Thurs 14th November – Art Show

Sat 16th November- Parish Fete

Wed 11th December- Christmas Carols

October is the Month of the Rosary.  We will be taking time this term to teach the children how to pray the Rosary.  Each class will also be creating their own Rosary Beads for our prayer spaces.  Below is a graphic that explains how to pray the Rosary. It would be lovely if you could spend some time in your homes dedicating time to this prayer. The Rosary Project is a great resource that you may like to explore: The Rosary Project .

Dear Families,

In recent weeks our year 6 children celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation.   A celebration that reminded us of the power of the Holy Spirit and how we can allow it to work through us.  It was an honor and privilege to take our candidates though the learning about The Holy Spirit and see them Confirmed.  Many thanks to Rachel and Pauline who prepared our children and their families so thoroughly and ensured the sacrament was a beautiful celebration.

“If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—  the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”   –John 14:15-21

Dear families,

Today we celebrate the  Feast of The Assumption. The feast of Mary’s Assumption is a preview of what our lives will be. At the end of her earthly life, Mary was assumed, or taken up, into heaven body and soul. She did not have to wait for the end of the world, as we do. God granted her this special privilege because of her sinlessness and her fullness of grace.

May we turn to Mary as a guide and beacon who shows us how to live a life of love, courage, respect and humility.

Mary, Queen of Heaven, Pray for us.

God chose Mary to be the mother of his son, Jesus. Mary was always ready and willing to do whatever God wanted. Because she was so special she was taken up body and soul to be with Jesus in heaven – this is what ‘Assumption’ means. What qualities of Mary would we like to grow in our lives?

In recent weeks we celebrated Grandparents day.  It was so wonderful to see so many Grandparents take part in activities and engage with their grandchildren.  It was our pleasure to host this special day and witness the love between the generations.  The children absolutely loved this special time, thank you to all of those who were able to join us.  

This beautiful image was captured on the day and used by MACS to commemorate Grandparents Day.

Last Monday our school closure day provided an opportunity for our staff to unpack the MACS 2030 Vision for Instruction.  Our staff will work towards the goals set out in this document to ensure we are  offering high impact teaching strategies and high levels of engagements in every aspect of our teaching and learning.  Following an audit on Monday, it was pleasing to know we have many rich and rigorous practices emerging, consolidating and embedded happening across the school.  We will do our best to share these with you via our newsletter and socials.

Dear families,

Welcome to Term 3.  We trust that you have had a restful school holiday break.  The children have rested well and are ready for an action packed Term 3.  We are so delighted to be hosting many community based events in Term 3, where families and extended community can come into our beautiful school and celebrate in all of our learning.  Please keep a close eye on our social media platforms and Audiri for more information.  Our school calendar is always live on the homepage of our school website.

As we reflect on the legacy of Saints Anne and Joachim, let us also reflect on the vital role played by all grandparents in completing the loving family unit and nurturing the faith of future generations. Grandparents can take a vital part in the training of their grandchildren, teaching them to love the ways of the Lord and honour his commandments. It was Saints Anne and Joachim who cultivated in the young Mary a love for God, preparing her for her role in the story of divine redemption.

From Pope Francis:

We look forward to welcoming many grandparents to our Grandparent Day celebration tomorrow.

Dear Families,

As we come to the end of another term of learning, growth and connection we give thanks for all that has been achieved and welcome the holidays as a time for rest and rejuvenation.  We thank you all for your ongoing support of your children and our school in ensuring we work together for the betterment of all in our community. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mathew 11)

Father in Heaven,

As we come to the end of Term 2, we take this moment to reflect on the impact we have had as a community. We thank You for the opportunities we have had to teach, guide, and support one another.

Lord, help us to see the fruits of our labor, the growth in our students, and the strength of our community. May we recognize the positive changes we have brought into the lives of those around us and find satisfaction in our efforts.

As we enter this break, we ask for Your blessings of rest and renewal. Grant us the peace and tranquility needed to recharge our minds and bodies. Let this time be filled with moments of joy, relaxation, and reflection.

Help us to return with renewed energy and enthusiasm, ready to face the challenges and opportunities of the new term. May our time away be refreshing, and may it strengthen our commitment to our mission and each other.

We thank You for Your guidance and support throughout this term and trust in Your continued presence with us.

In Your loving name, we pray  Amen.

Dear Families,

The colder weather has certainly set in and Melbourne’s Winter is delivering its best!  It has been great to see many of our children wearing their school beanie and scarf, great ways to keep warm in the outdoors.  Whilst we will always ensure the children are inside for wet weather, where possible having them play and explore outside in all weather conditions is great for their growth, development and acts as a brilliant way for them to burn energy.  With this in mind, please ensure children always have a coat, scarf and or beanie with them for outdoor play.

Dear Families,

On Sunday, we celebrated Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, filling them with divine power and marking the birth of the Church.

Pentecost, celebrated 50 days after Easter, reminds us of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the unity it brings to believers everywhere. Let’s take this time to reflect on the gifts of the Spirit and how we can use them to spread love, peace, and kindness in our world. 

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” – Acts 2:2

God of all, you sent your Spirit to be with the disciples, filling them with joy, peace and courage. May we also be filled with your Spirit, be brave and share your peace in our world. Amen.

May the Holy Spirit guide you, inspire you, and fill your hearts with joy.

Lord, as we prepare for the coming of a new term make us ready, attentive and available to hear you. Thank You for the gift of being able to rise each day with the assurance that You walk through it with us. Thank You for the gifts of creativity and uniqueness, and the energy to put them to good use.

Amen

Dear Families,

Welcome back to Term 2. I sincerely hope you had some quality time with family and friends, and took the  chance to recharge your mind and body ready for another great term of learning & wonder. 

At the beginning of the school holidays, our Christian faith celebrated Easter.  Easter celebrates the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is through life, death and resurrection that believers are given the hope of life after death, eternal life. The resurrection of Jesus provides hope for all believers that life as we know it will be changed, not ended, when we die. 

As a faith and learning community, we will continue to explore the stories that recall the final days of Jesus’ earthly life. 

Dear Families,

Last Sunday it was so wonderful to see many of our families join our staff at our Mary Queen of Heaven Sunday Whole School Mass.  Celebrations such as this are so important for our faith development and to ensure our links to Parish are strong and faith filled.  Thank you to the many families who joined us for Mass.

During this season of Lent and with Holy Week approaching we welcome all of our families into our school during Parent Teacher Interviews to engage with and pray over our still life stations depicting the key events of Holy Week.  These have been put together by each class and are linked to important and reflective scripture.  Please visit the stations, we invite you to be called to prayer and reflections at each of the spaces.

This week, Dani and I are attending a Leadership Conference with VACPSP – Victorian Association of Catholic Primary School Principals.  We have been inspired by guest speakers covering contemporary and important topics such as Social Research around changes in education, Human Rights activists speaking on contemporary human rights issues and our call as educators to be informed, Cultural connectors and Indigenous Educators highlighting the importance of inclusive and diverse practice.  We feel both privileged and empowered to be taking the time to upskill ourselves in the crucial areas.

Parent involvement and parent partnerships are crucial to our school. We welcome and encourage involvement and feedback on any level. We like to remind families of our school values of Respect, Courage, Love and Humility. Please read over the Parent Code of Conduct  linked and be reminded of the types of interactions we encourage. Please pay particular attention to the section that covers how we manage student conflict. We never encourage or promote one parent approaching another about a school related matter, in fact in doing so is a breach of the policy. If you have an issue, please come and see a staff member to assist you.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12NnQ3JRqWxE0wJRiiLjeM8UcWA26Lkh4/view?usp=sharing

Dear families,

As we enter our third week of Lent we focus on what we are called to do in this season of hope.  With renewed vigor, let us focus on on the three pillars of Lent: 

prayer (justice toward God) 

fasting (justice toward self) 

almsgiving (justice toward neighbours)

Loving God, 

Open our hearts and help us to find moments of stillness, that we might hear your voice. May we be eager to hear what you have to say to each of us through your written word and in the depths of our hearts. Help us to listen even when it is challenging and not what we want to hear. We ask this through Christ our Lord,

Amen