Mary Queen of Heaven Newsletter Term 1 – Week 3

Our Literacy Approach at Mary Queen of Heaven

At Mary Queen of Heaven, our literacy program is designed to be explicit, evidence-based and responsive to student data.

Across all year levels, our literacy instruction is:

• Explicit – skills are clearly taught and modelled

• Evidence-based – aligned with the science of reading

• Data-driven – teaching is informed by ongoing assessment to meet the needs of every learner

Prep-Two

In Prep–Year 2, students learn to read through the InitiaLit program. This structured, evidence-based approach provides explicit teaching of phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary and comprehension, ensuring all children build strong foundations for reading success.

Grades 3-6

In Grades 3–4, students will engage in a novel study of Yirra and Her Deadly Dog, Demon, and in Grades 5–6, War Horse. Through these rich texts, students explicitly learn to comprehend, analyse and respond to literature. Teachers carefully model skills such as predicting, questioning, inferring and summarising, and students are guided to think deeply about characters, themes and language.

Through this approach, we support each child to grow as a confident, capable and thoughtful reader.

Over the next few newsletters, I will unpack these approaches in greater detail.

P-2 Take home reading

Our Educators have spent the past two weeks setting up routines,  norms and expectations in the learning spaces to create conditions that will allow children to thrive as learners.  Alongside this, Educators are gathering data through formal and informal assessments to gauge where they are in their learner, and to ensure that our Literacy program is tailored to their needs.  

It takes time for educators to gather, analyse and interpret this data.  As such, formal take home reading will only commence once this has been done.  We anticipate that take home readers will be sent home by Week 5 in Grade 1-2 and by the end of Term 1 in Prep.  More information to follow. 

In the meantime, we encourage families to engage in reading for pleasure.  Children  have commenced borrowing books from our school library.  This is a great opportunity for families to foster a love of reading using texts that children are interested in.

Dani De Luca

Literacy Leader

Linking Home and School in Maths

• Many parents aren’t familiar with how maths is taught today, and that’s okay!
• At home, focus on practicing maths skills, not teaching new topics.
• Use everyday moments to sneak in maths—like cooking, shopping, or car trips.
• Keep activities short, simple, and fun to build confidence.
• Play board and card games to naturally practice maths.

Example fluency activities by year:

• • Foundation: One more/one less (1–10)
  • Year 1: Doubles (1–10)
  • Year 2: Double, double (1–10)
  • Year 3: Halving (up to 100)
  • Year 4: Multiplication facts
  • Year 5: Factors

• Year 6: Simple percentages and discounts

For more information have a read of the blog by Angela Rogers- https://www.numeracyteachersacademy.com/blog/linking-home-and-school

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  Mark 12.30

Staff Faith Formation – 27th January 2026

In preparation for the return of our students, staff took time to reconnect and warmly welcome new members to our team by participating in a shared Faith Formation Day with our sister parish schools at the Parish of the Good Shepherd.

Together, we celebrated a beautiful and welcoming Mass led by Fr. Dishan, before engaging in a thought-provoking session with guest speaker Br.. David Hall. Br. David highlighted the importance of educating the whole child—head, heart and soul—calling educators to nurture learning, wellbeing and faith in equal measure.

Staff from Mary Queen of Heaven left the day with a renewed and deeper understanding of what it means, in today’s world, to attend to the whole child through the Catholic Church’s teachings and Gospel values. It was a meaningful and enriching beginning to the year, grounding our work in faith, community and shared purpose.

Welcoming back students to our faith community.

At the beginning of the school year, morning and afternoon prayer have provided meaningful moments of connection, relationship-building, reflection and gratitude. These shared times have helped ground our students in new beginnings and open hearts to the opportunities ahead, strengthening their sense of belonging and engagement within our faith community.

A Word of Gratitude to our Community – Faith in Action

Once again our school community demonstrated incredible generosity to those less fortunate by providing Christmas hamper items in our annual partnership with Helping Hand’s Community Pantry at the end of last year. Please find below a message of thanks from Communications Co-ordinator of Helping Hands, Maddie Kent:

Dear Mary Queen of Heaven Staff & Families,

I just wanted to reach out on behalf of everyone at Helping Hands to say a very heartfelt thank you for all of Mary Queen of Heaven Greenvale’s support at the end of 2025. 

We’ve been so lucky to have your school as an ongoing supporter of our organisation, and it was very exciting to hear that you were interested in collecting hampers for us again this year. From Christmas treats to everyday essentials, your community really did it all and we’re absolutely blown away by all of the hard work and generosity! 

It was also so great to have your school leaders join us to spend some time volunteering, and to see first-hand what their efforts would be supporting! They did an amazing job of representing Mary Queen of Heaven Greenvale, and I hope that they were able to take something valuable away from their visit with us! 

I’ve attached a page of feedback that we received from families who were supported by our Community Pantry and Christmas Cave in the lead up to Christmas. I hope that their messages help to convey the direct impact your support had in making Christmas a special time for them. I would be so grateful if you could please pass on their messages and our gratitude to everybody at MQH Greenvale involved in supporting us.

Thank you again! Wishing you all the best for the rest of 2026!

Term 1 Mass Dates – All Welcome.

Please regularly check our community calendar and socials for our whole school masses and class masses, all families and friends are welcome!  Whole school masses will be celebrated in our new building as our community continues to grow. We would love to celebrate with you!

Wednesday 18th February at 12.00pm 

Ash Wednesday & Welcome whole school mass.

Friday 27th February at 12.00pm – Grade 1

Friday 13th March at 12.00pm – Grade 2

Tuesday 24th March at 12.00pm  Sacrament of Reconciliation  – Grade 3/4.

Friday 27th March at 12.00pm – Grade 5/6

This term in Inquiry, our students are stepping into the role of historians and community explorers as they learn about the stories that have shaped Greenvale, our local area, and Australia over time.

Children will look closely at their own family histories, explore how Greenvale and Hume have changed, and discover how people from many different backgrounds have contributed to the community we know today. They will learn about significant people, places and events, and begin to understand how the past continues to influence the present.

As part of this learning, students will explore different perspectives, recognising that history can be experienced in different ways by different people. They will examine how migration has shaped both local and national identity, and consider the impact of important historical events on communities across Australia.

We will also honour and acknowledge the long and continuing history of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. Students will deepen their understanding of Aboriginal culture, knowledge and connection to Country, and recognise the importance of listening respectfully to First Nations voices.

Transition to Primary School: The Early Weeks

• Aim for calm, unrushed school drop-offs before the bell.
• Use gentle distractions at drop-off if separation is hard.
• Pick up on time at a consistent spot to build security.
• Focus on happiness and settling in, not academic progress.
• Understand that friendships take time and may change. Remember that it’s common for children to play with many different children and to play on their own sometimes. It can take a while before they settle into a group of friends.
• Make after-school time calm and special with a snack and chat.
• Keep questions simple and pressure-free. Be patient if your child tells you every detail about school or clams up completely. You could try saying something like, ‘Tell me one good thing about your day’, rather than asking a lot of questions.
• Expect tiredness and allow extra rest in the early weeks. If your child is tired after school, let your child rest and play at home for a few weeks until they’re ready for playdates and after-school activities.

Talking about School  

• Talking about school shows children you care about their lives and learning.
• Children are more likely to talk when the timing feels right.
• Younger children respond best to simple, positive questions.
• Older children may see school as private and need space, but still need to know you’re available.
• Talking about school supports wellbeing, behaviour and learning.
• It helps you understand challenges early and work through them together.
• Use open-ended questions rather than yes/no questions.
• Make time to talk during everyday activities and give your full attention.
• Listen actively and speak respectfully about school and teachers.

Simple, positive and specific questions about parts of the day can get your child talking. It’s good to use questions that invite more than a ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘OK’ response. For example:

• What’s the news from school today?
• What did you like best at school today?

Raising Children Network is a helpful resource for parenting tips and guidance.
For more information here is a link https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/school-learning/school-choosing-starting-moving/starting-school 

Lunchtime Clubs will commence in Week 5. Each term, students will be offered a range of club options to choose from. These clubs provide a calm and welcoming alternative to the busy outdoor yard, supporting students who prefer a quieter space during lunch. Lunchtime Clubs promote student wellbeing by encouraging social connections, creativity, and a strong sense of belonging.

An active start to the Physical Education year!

TERM 1 – SWIMMING PROGRAM

We are excited to welcome everyone to another active year in Physical Education. This term, students will take part in a classroom water safety program delivered by Life Saving Victoria, focusing on recognising aquatic dangers and knowing how to respond safely. 

This learning will be complemented in Term 4 with a practical beach program at Altona or Williamstown, tailored to suit all year levels. While these sessions provide valuable water safety education, families are encouraged to support their child’s ongoing development by seeking regular swimming lessons to build confidence and lifelong water safety skills.

SCHOOL HOUSE COLOURS

Students will be introduced to our school house colours, helping to build school spirit, belonging, and friendly competition across year levels. We decided to name our house colours after saints’ names and these were voted for by our senior students in 2025. This will not only coincide nicely with our first ever MQH sports carnival day in Term 4, but also will tie in nicely with various other events happening throughout the year.

INTERSCHOOL SPORTS

We are thrilled to introduce our Grade 5 and 6 students to interschool sport. As we currently do not have the numbers to enter all official competitions, we will be arranging scratch matches with primary schools within our district. These matches will give students the opportunity to experience interschool sports, represent our school with pride, build teamwork skills, and demonstrate positive sportsmanship in a competitive environment.

 We look forward to a fun, inclusive, and energetic year ahead in PE.

Family Engagement opportunity – Learning Walk for Wellbeing / Faith learning 

✨ Family Engagement opportunity ✨

We warmly invite families to come and see learning in action at Mary Queen of Heaven.

Learning walks offer an opportunity to step inside our classrooms and see how our faith and wellbeing focus shapes learning each day. You’ll see how learning spaces are intentionally set up to help children feel safe, supported and confident to take risks.

Through clear classroom norms, shared expectations and consistent school rules, we create environments where faith is nurtured, wellbeing is prioritised and children are supported to thrive as learners and as people.

Our learning walks begin with a short briefing where we explain the why behind our learning environments. Families then participate in a guided walk through classrooms to see this in action, before concluding with time for dialogue and practical ways you can support your child’s wellbeing at home.

🗓 Thursday 5 March & Friday 6 March

⏰ 8.30–9.30am

📱 Bookings via QR code

Bounce in 2026! – 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 Term 1 Programs & register: https://www.broncosbasketball.com.au/programs

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

Yay! KidsLoveLearningland is coming to Mary Queen of Heaven from February 2026.

Your child will experience a small class where they can build their confidence in a nurturing classroom environment 

Give your child the best head start before they start school.

 0410 803 123 or visit www.kidslovelearningland.com.au for more details