A word from the Principal;
Dear families,
The season of Lent is well and truly upon us. Beginning with Ash Wednesday, we gathered as a school community to celebrate Mass, marking the start of this sacred time in the Church’s year. Together, we received ashes as a sign of reflection, renewal and our commitment to grow closer to God.
Lent is a season that calls us to pause, to pray and to prepare our hearts for Easter. It invites us to turn our attention more intentionally toward living as Christ calls us to live — with compassion, humility and love.
Throughout these forty days, we focus on three key pillars:
- Prayer – Deepening our relationship with God through conversation and quiet reflection.
- Fasting – Making small sacrifices that help us grow in self-discipline and gratitude.
- Almsgiving – Thinking beyond ourselves and supporting those in need through generosity and service.
At school, students will participate in prayer experiences, classroom reflections and opportunities for outreach that help them understand Lent in age-appropriate and meaningful ways. We encourage families to continue these conversations at home — whether through simple family prayers, acts of kindness, or discussing ways to give to others.
As a Catholic community, Lent reminds us of our core purpose: to keep Christ at the centre of all we do. May this season be one of renewal, peace and growth for each of our families as we journey together towards the joy of Easter.
Lord Jesus,
As we journey through Lent, help us to grow closer to You.
Teach us to be kind in our words, generous in our actions,
and loving in our hearts.
Help us to pray each day, to make good choices,
and to care for those in need.
May this Lenten season bring us closer to You
and prepare our hearts for Easter.
✝️ A Pilgrimage of Faith and Leadership
In the coming weeks, I have been blessed with the opportunity to participate in a pilgrimage alongside fellow Catholic Primary School Principals from the north-west of Melbourne. Together, we will be travelling to Greece and Turkey, following in the footsteps of Saint Paul.
This pilgrimage will take us to significant early Christian sites such as Philippi, Ephesus and other places where Saint Paul preached, taught and formed some of the earliest Christian communities. Walking where he walked and reflecting on his courage, faith and missionary zeal will be a powerful experience.
Why a Pilgrimage?
This enrichment leave is not simply travel — it is an opportunity for deep spiritual renewal and formation as Catholic leaders. As principals, our core business is always the flourishing of our children — academically, socially and spiritually. To lead a Catholic school authentically, we too must continue to grow in faith and understanding.
Time spent in prayer, reflection and learning alongside other Catholic leaders strengthens our capacity to:
- Remain grounded in our Catholic identity
- Lead with Gospel values at the centre
- Nurture faith within our school community
- Keep Christ at the heart of all decision-making
Pilgrimage invites us to pause, reflect and reconnect with the foundations of our faith. In retracing the missionary journeys of Saint Paul, we are reminded of the importance of courage, hope and unwavering commitment to Christ — qualities that continue to guide our work in Catholic education today.
I look forward to returning enriched, renewed and inspired, ready to continue leading our community with clarity of purpose and deepened faith.
I thank you for your prayers during this special time and for your continued partnership in ensuring our school remains proudly and authentically Catholic.
Dani will lead our school in my absence as Acting Principal and Loretta as acting Deputy Principal, thank you for supporting them in these roles.
It has been so lovely to see our students settling into the school year. We have worked really hard to prepare our children for the new start and fresh classes and spaces.
Our Wellbeing programme for the first week so term 1 is all around relationships, building friendships and connection. Our Prep children are a real highlight during this time. We spend time role playing friendship scenarios, our staff buddy them up in pairs or small groups so they go out onto the year together and we have more staff out on yard duty during these first weeks to ensure children feel safe and secure. Lunchtime clubs also began this week to ensure our children have an alternative each day to outside play.
With all of this in place however, some children do find settling into the yard challenging. Please continue to speak to our staff about this and we can work with you on ways we can further support. A ‘Friendship Garden’ has been suggested by our student leadership group, this is an idea we are working towards at present… watch this space!
Helping Children Grow Through Challenge
As parents and educators, it is completely natural to want to step in and rescue our children when they face challenges. We never like to see them upset, worried, or struggling. Our instinct is to protect.
However, it is important to pause and reflect on what our children truly need in those moments.
When we consistently step in and solve problems for children, we can unintentionally send the message that the situation is something to fear — or that they are not capable of handling it themselves. Over time, this can reduce their confidence and resilience.
Challenges, disagreements, friendship hiccups, tricky learning tasks, and even small disappointments are all part of growing up. These experiences help children develop problem-solving skills, perseverance, and courage. Each time a child works through something difficult, they build a stronger belief in themselves.
This does not mean we step away or ignore their needs. Rather, we stand beside them instead of in front of them. We guide with questions like:
- What do you think you could try?
- Who could help you?
- What worked last time?
By doing this, we empower our children to develop independence and confidence, knowing they are supported but also capable.
At school, we are committed to nurturing resilient learners who are brave enough to try, to make mistakes, and to grow. Together, as a partnership between home
and school, we can help our children see challenges not as something to fear, but as opportunities to become stronger.
Boundaries will sometimes make children uncomfortable and that is OK.
| Support |
Rescue |
| Support helps children to learn from challenges
Support helps children to cope
Safe discomfort helps build resilience, independence and confidence
The role of parents and teachers is to provide guidance, not removal of difficulty |
Rescue stops a child from developing a sense of accountability
Rescue hinders opportunities to become resilient
Rescue teaches a child that they do not need to stay within expectations or boundaries
Rescue assumes that their opinion is not important |
How we can offer safe supported discomfort:
- Guide decision making rather than taking over
- Encourage self regulation and reflection of choices
- Support prioritising social and learning demands
- Refrain from emphasising your own perspective of discomfort on the child
When things go wrong:
- Pause and stay calm
- Maintain boundaries and expectations
- Allow natural consequences to occur
- Encourage your child to initiate problem solving of the situation in their own way
- It is OK for the resolution process to be uncomfortable
🚗 Keeping Our Children Safe in Cars
In recent weeks we sent home some information in relation to safety in the car.
The safety of our children is always our highest priority — and that responsibility extends beyond the school gates.
We kindly remind all families of the importance of ensuring that every child travels safely and legally in a vehicle.
Important Car Safety Reminders:
- All children must be correctly secured in an approved child restraint or booster seat appropriate for their age and size.
- Children under 7 years old must use an approved child restraint or booster seat.
- Children under 4 years old must not sit in the front seat.
- Seatbelts must be worn correctly — across the shoulder and lap, not under the arm or behind the back.
- Children should remain seated at all times while the vehicle is moving.
- No child should lean out of windows or move around the vehicle.
Car accidents remain one of the leading causes of serious injury in children. Correct use of car restraints dramatically reduces the risk of injury or death.
As a community, we share a collective responsibility to model and uphold safe behaviours for our children. Even short trips require proper restraints. There are no exceptions when it comes to safety.
If you are unsure whether your child’s restraint is appropriate or correctly fitted, professional fitting services are available across Victoria.
Thank you for working with us to ensure every child arrives at school — and returns home — safely each day.
Together, we can protect what matters most.
📱 Supporting Safe and Healthy Online Habits at Home
At school, we work hard to teach our students how to be safe, respectful and responsible digital citizens. However, the most important learning and supervision happens at home.
With increasing access to devices, online games, social media and chat platforms, we are asking families to remain vigilant in supporting safe technology use.
Key Reminders for Families
- No devices in bedrooms overnight
Phones, tablets, laptops and gaming devices should be charged overnight in a shared family space — not in bedrooms.
Keeping devices out of bedrooms:
- Protects children from late-night messaging and exposure to inappropriate content
- Supports healthy sleep habits
- Allows parents to supervise online activity
- Reduces the risk of cyberbullying occurring unnoticed
- Carefully monitor chat rooms, games and apps
Many games and apps include chat features that allow children to communicate with strangers. Even platforms designed for children can expose them to inappropriate language, requests for personal information or harmful content.
We strongly recommend:
- Disabling chat functions where possible
- Regularly checking privacy settings
- Knowing which apps your child is using
- Setting age-appropriate restrictions
- Saying “no” to platforms that are not designed for primary-aged children
- Delay access to social media
Most social media platforms have a minimum age requirement of 13 years. Primary school children are not developmentally ready to navigate the complexities of social media safely and independently.
- Keep communication open
Encourage your child to speak with you if:
- Someone online makes them uncomfortable
- They are asked to share personal information or photos
- They see something that worries or confuses them
Children should know they will never be in trouble for telling a trusted adult.
🍫 Thank You for Supporting Our Chocolate Drive Fundraiser
What an incredible community we are!
A heartfelt thank you to all our families who embraced our recent Chocolate Drive Fundraiser with such generosity and enthusiasm. Your willingness to support this initiative speaks volumes about the strength of our school community and the shared commitment we have to the common good of our children.
Fundraising is never just about selling chocolates — it is about partnership. It is about families and school working side by side to create improved opportunities, better resources and enhanced facilities for every child in our care.
Your support truly means the world.
Because of you:
- We are able to invest in resources that enrich learning.
- We can continue improving our facilities for our growing school.
- We strengthen the sense of belonging and shared purpose that makes our community so special.
We understand that fundraising requires time, effort and generosity, and we never take that for granted. The way our families continually step up reflects a deep belief in what we are building together.
When we work in partnership, with a shared vision for our children’s future, amazing things happen.
Thank you for your commitment, your energy and your unwavering support. Together, we are creating something truly special for our children — and that is something worth celebrating.
🚗 Important Parking Reminder – Hillview Road & French Road
To ensure the safety of our students and the smooth flow of traffic at busy times, we would like to remind families of the parking restrictions directly outside the school on Hillview Road and French Road.
The spaces at the front of the school are strictly “Drop and Go” zones.
What this means:
- Parking is limited to 10 minutes maximum.
- Drivers must remain with their vehicle.
- These spaces are for quick drop-off or pick-up only.
- Vehicles parked for longer than 10 minutes may incur a fine.
Please note that this is a Council-enforced restriction, not a school-based rule. Council officers will be patrolling the area during school drop-off and pick-up times. Fines may be issued to vehicles that exceed the time limit or do not comply with signage.
These restrictions are in place to:
- Keep traffic moving safely
- Reduce congestion
- Protect children crossing near the school
- Ensure equitable access for all families
We ask all families to be mindful of signage, observe time limits carefully, and model respectful and lawful behaviour for our children.
If you require longer parking, please use surrounding streets where unrestricted parking is available (while always checking signage).
Thank you for your cooperation in helping keep our school community safe and respectful. When we all do our part, drop-off and pick-up can run smoothly for everyone.
