Mary Queen of Heaven Newsletter Term 1 – Week 10

1st:  Rafael Andonopoulos Prep C

2nd: Christopher Hana 3/4 

3rd: Zane Bhatia Prep A

4th: Grace Al Rasho 1B

5th: Leo Lattouf 1A

6th: Carolina Leon Prep C 

7th: Daniel Tamraz 4/5/6

8th: Boston Charles 1A

9th: Abby Sleiman Prep B

10th: Asher Bhatia 2B

11th: Isaac Patto 1A

12th: Sakith Liyanage Prep B

13th: John Carlos Chidiac 2A

14th: Lenny Barbati 3/4

15th: Georgie Barbati

16th: Aleira Perera Prep A

17th: Charlie Meli Prep A

18th: Leni Jong 1A

19th: Leela Sharma 2B

20th: Francesco Marchitto Prep B

21st: Marita Shabo 2B

22nd: Michael Nasr Prep B 

A huge thank you to the members of the MQH community who donated prizes for the raffle. We are blessed with such generous families.  It was refreshing to see the uptake on the new cashless option for special events such as this.  

Get ready for a tasty treat! In Term 2, we will be selling popcorn every Monday and Friday for just $1 per bag.

All proceeds will go towards supporting our school initiatives. Don’t miss out—bring your coins and enjoy a crunchy snack while helping our community!

A reminder that Term 2 begins on Tuesday, 22 April. Please note that school will be closed on Friday, 25 April for the ANZAC Day public holiday.

We will hold a special ANZAC Day Service on Wednesday, 23 April, at 12:00 PM, and all families are warmly invited to attend as we come together to honour and remember those who have served.

As we move into Term 2, children are to wear their winter uniform, and hats are no longer required.

Our school has implemented a Science of Learning approach this year, focusing on explicit instruction, regular check ins, time for practice and revision and aligning our practice and language across the school.  We have implemented InitialLit in our Prep to Two Literacy space and Novel studies in 3-6.  This implementation has been a slow thorough implementation, seeing high levels of engagement.  This will remain a priority throughout the school year.

This term has seen our Year 3 students prepare for and celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time.  Our year 3 learners have been learning about and  focusing on the elements of true forgiveness and being encouraged to see the face of Jesus in those they love.  The sacrament was a beautiful, personal and reverent experience.  We give thanks Father Dishan and Father Samuel for their continued support of our community in enriching the spiritual lives of us all.

This term we immersed all of our learners in a water safety program, facilitated by Life Saving Victoria.  This experience taught our children about basic water safety facts, learning to manage themselves around water and what to do if they ever get into trouble. 

Water safety and learning to swim are crucial life skills for all of us living in Australia, we strongly recommend that all children are engaged in swimming lessons.

We warmly invite all mothers and motherly figures to join us for a special Mother’s Day Morning Tea on Friday, 9 May. This will be a wonderful opportunity to come together and celebrate the incredible women in our community. Following the morning tea, guests will be welcomed into classrooms to share in the learning.

On the same day, our Mother’s Day Stall will be open for children to purchase a special gift. A range of homemade gifts will be available, and children are encouraged to bring money on the day. More details will be shared closer to the date.

We look forward to celebrating with you! 💐

Family Learning Walks

Next term, we will be showcasing Mathematics at Mary Queen of Heaven through our Family Learning Walks.  You can book into these sessions via the link below.  The way that we will ensure inclusivity for all and accounting for working families, is by including  a summary of our Family Learning Walks in the newsletter following these events.  We hope to see many of our families join us to learn all about Mathematics at MQH or to read about our successes in the newsletters to come.

Bounce into 2025 – Basketball Programs for Everyone: 

Come try basketball, get fit, make friends, improve your skills – a range of affordable basketball programs for:

– Beginners

– Toddlers

– Women and Mums (FREE!)

– Children with disabilities and autism

– Older adults

Click here to learn more about our April School Holiday Clinics and Term 2 Programs & register:  https://www.broncosbasketball.com.au/

Or, email development@broncosbasketball.com.au to find the program that is right for you!

A few weeks ago our Year 3-6 students visited Hume Global Learning Centre as part of their Project ‘Healthy Me, Healthy Us’. We were amazed at all the free services and activities the Hume Library offers- such as clubs, story time, space to play on the playstation, as well as school holiday activities. If you are looking for some ideas for over the School Holidays check out the website for more information- https://www.humelibraries.vic.gov.au/Whats-On/Feb-to-Apr-Events

This is Part 7 in the series of explanations of the standards

Child Safe Standards are guidelines designed to protect children from harm and ensure their well-being in various environments, particularly in organisations and institutions that engage with children. In Victoria, there are 11 Child Safe Standards. 

Standard 7:

Schools must ensure that processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.

At MQH we:

• approach situations with the pedagogy of listening remaining open to resolutions
• have a publicly available complaints process on the MQH website
• provide wellbeing lessons that include role playing how to speak-up and advocate for yourself 
• have a clear process and prompt response to issues related to child safety

An overview of all standards can be found at: https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/child-safe-standards/the-11-child-safe-standards/

SPS Speech Box 

Fun:  A vital ingredient for building your child’s vocabulary

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Welcome to another Speech Box for 2025.  This Speech Box presents research showing that children learn how to communicate best when engaging in enjoyable and longer interactions with their caregivers. In childhood, learning goes hand-in-hand with play. Feel free to include it in your next school newsletter. 

Fun:  A vital ingredient for building your child’s vocabulary

Research has shown that children learn how to communicate best when engaging in
enjoyable and longer interactions with their caregivers. In childhood, learning goes hand-in- hand with play.

Children are more likely to learn vocabulary that relates to their interests and curiosities. Having fun with your child has the potential to significantly improve your
child’s interactions and communication skills. After you discover what excites your child, here is how you can incorporate these interests into your interactions:

• Let your child lead and be responsive to their initiations. Be sure to respond quickly and positively. For example: “Wow, that’s a really fast car!”.

• Your positive and quick responses can support your child in continuing with the interaction, allowing more communicative exchanges and vocabulary building!

• Researchers suggest avoiding toys, games, and electronic books with flashing lights, loud noises, or long pre-recorded songs, as they can make interactions more challenging. Instead, encourage imaginative play, such as dress-ups, outdoor play, and building activities like Lego, to support vocabulary development.

• Your child may have sensory preferences that make certain activities better choices for encouraging communication than others. By following your child’s interests and preferences, you are providing a space for your child to develop language through what is fun for them. Some ideas could include playing with sand, slime, foam or play-dough.

Fun encourages an interaction to have more ‘turns’, or back-and-forth exchanges, which creates more opportunities for vocabulary learning. When you tune into your child’s interests and curiosities, research shows that language learning will flourish.

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If you would like further information, please contact the SPS Speech Pathologist at your school.

Please notify the office personally of any medication requirements. There are specific documents that need to be completed before the school will be responsible for administering medication.

Please do not send children to school with medications. All medication must be checked in at the office by a parent/guardian. We appreciate your cooperation.

Our Passion Play was a truly special event, and we are so grateful to everyone who made it such a meaningful experience. It was wonderful to see such a great turnout from our families—thank you for your support!

Our children were exceptional in their portrayal of the story of Holy Week, which recounts the events leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Through their performances, they helped bring this significant story to life, deepening our reflection in this sacred season.

A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated Educators and Co-Educators for their time in preparing the children, and to our families for their generous donations towards our raffle prizes. Your contributions helped make this event even more memorable.