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 
Leanne and her husband Michael are expecting their first child. Leanne will remain in her Prep teaching position until the remainder of this school year, she will begin maternity leave in 2025. We wish them all the very best during this exciting time.
THANK YOU
Last week we put our communications about ways we can ensure our children and families are safe at drop off and pick up times. Thank you for taking heed of the reminders and following these guidelines
In recent weeks we have partnered with Jardon Group who will be building our stage 2 project. The build is due to begin in the coming fortnight. You will have noticed that fencing has already been erected and some changes made to the access to our Netball court. Please rest assured that we will have access to all play areas during the build and each space is safe and secure. The stage 2 projects of 6 learning spaces and two large shared areas is due for completion in September 2025. We will keep you informed as the project progresses.
The Holy Spirit in action can look and sound very different. One way that we at MQH are putting the work of the Holy Spirit in action is by supporting our friends at Helping Hands Mission, Airport West. In the coming weeks we have been invited to attend the Grand Opening of their Community Pantry. This Pantry serves thousands of people in our community on a weekly basis, it has also been supported by our community very generously. Pauline will attend to represent our school. Thank you to the many families who have supported Helping Hands.
The Grade 4, 5 and 6 students partook in Mary Queen of Heavens very first District Athletics Carnival. We had students stepping out of their comfort zone, and participating in events they had never done before. The comradery was infectious, and the excitement amongst the group was amazing to see. We had lots of students placing on the day, and one of our superstars Bas Abdul-Raid making it through to the next round of Regionals. We are so proud of each and every student’s efforts on the day and leading up to the event. We are looking forward to more sporting events in the near future, and wish Bas all the very best at Regionals.
Last Friday it was so delightful to see many Fathers, Grand fathers and fatherly figures join us at school to celebrate Father’s Day. We spent time in a morning tea hosted generously by BIG Childcare before our dads joined their children in the classroom for some fun activities. Having well over 120 Fathers and fatherly figures attend was so delightful to see. A wonderful morning was had by all.
A couple of weeks ago Dani and Loretta had the privilege of attending a pilgrimage, covering the footsteps of Australia’s first and only Saint, Saint Mary MacKillop. They traveled by bus from Werribee to Adelaide, stopping at key sites of her journey along the way. Below is a recount of their journey:
As Pilgrims, we gathered at the MacKillop College in Werribee; a school which is steeped in Mary’s story and the story of the Josephite Sisters. There were 20 of us, from a range of schools and contexts around Melbourne. We embarked on a guided tour of the school grounds and history, led by the school’s Deputy Principal. The journey officially began with prayer at the Chapel of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop.
We traveled to St Mary’s Church in Hamilton where Alexander MacKillop, Mary’s father, is buried in the town cemetery. Alexander studied to become a Priest, but left the seminary before finishing his studies. He led somewhat of a troubled life, and died quite young. but was pivotal in Mary’s story. As pilgrims, we prayed for fathers like Alexander, who have experienced challenges and hardships, that they may come to know God and God’s love.
Day 2 began with morning prayer, with water as the theme for reflection. At the site of our hotel, was a well that Flora, Mary’s mother would have drawn water from when the MacKillop family lived in Portland in the late 1800s. We drew water from this well to return to our respective schools.
We then walked a short distance to Bayview House where Mary MacKillop lived and worked as a teacher. Mary and her family lived in this home for a little while, too. Nearby the school is All Saints Church, where Mary once worked as the sacristan. Below is a picture of the stained-glass window in the entrance of the church. We prayed in the Church where Mary prayed to St Joseph.
Day 3 began at the Mary MacKillop Stable School Park in Penola. This is the site of the stable-school where the work of Julian Tenison Woods and Mary MacKillop, for children of Australia, began. Mary and Julian co-created the Sisters of St Joseph in Penola.
A short walk around the corner onto Portland street, we arrived at St Joseph’s Catholic Church where we prayed and reflected as a group.
We then visited the Mary MacKillop Penola Interpretive Centre for a talk from Sr Loretto, a Josephite nun, and an exploration around the Mary MacKillop school.
What follows are some photos taken from the tour of the school and surroundings…
The next day, we traveled to Adelaide, to the Mary MacKillop museum, where another Josephite nun shared with us the artifacts displayed in the museum.
Mary MacKillop faced many hardships on her journey, including being excommunicated. She showed immense courage and determination, never straying from her pursuit of doing God’s work and enacting her mission as a Sister of Saint Joseph.
Mary was reinstated into the Church and was once again able to enact her mission. Over time, Mary MacKillop and her fellow Josephite sisters set up schools across Australia and even in New Zealand.
Today, Mary MacKillop’s work continues with its core principles grounded in Catholic Social Teaching:
At this time of year, schools within the Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools gather perception data to help evaluate their current practice as a school community and help make decisions about the coming year. This is referred to as the MACSSIS Survey.
Staff, Families, and children from Years 4-6 will be invited to participate in the MACSSIS Survey (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Survey). Children will be provided with supervised sessions, where educators are on hand to help and answer any questions. The survey opened today and runs until 20 September 2024.
The MACSSIS Survey provides invaluable feedback to us as a school, enabling us to support our planning for 2025. Our hope is to gather as many voices possible from within our Community about their experience of school at Mary Queen of Heaven. All participation is invited and welcomed. The surveys are not a test; they are an inclusive way to support the work we are already doing to improve our school.
All families that participate will go in the running to win 1 term of school fees!
An email has been sent home with your family’s unique pin number for you to complete this survey.
If you have any questions or have not received this email, please contact Dani ddeluca@mqhgreenvale.catholic.edu.au
What a wonderful day it was on Thursday 22nd August, as we came together as a community to celebrate the Feast of Mary Queen of Heaven. Thank you to Fr. Dishan and Fr. Samuel who led our students and staff in a beautiful mass honouring Mary as Queen over earth in her role of divine redemption, as mother to the Savior, Jesus Christ. We welcomed Maria Fracalossi, Student and Youth Engagement Officer from Catholic Mission for sharing a message of motherly love as she told the story of the Heavenly Mother statue found in the poorest of communities in Mongolia.
“ She appeared in the humblest and poorest of places, which could signify her desire for us to care for the poorest among us,”.
The day ended with our Queenship Performance led by Steven and Tameka in glorious sunshine. Thank you to families were able to attend and enjoyed listening to our students sing with such joy and love reminding us of the enduring power of Mother Mary’s love for us all.
This year’s theme for Book Week was ‘Reading is Magic’. On Friday 23rd August we enjoyed our Book Week Parade which showcased our love of reading at Mary Queen of Heaven. It was wonderful to see the range of genres as the students paraded around the village green from Where’s Wally, Bluey, Claris the Mouse, Alice in Wonderland to Sports Characters and SuperHeroes. To check out the book of the year winners here is a link- https://cbca.org.au/2024-book-of-the-year-award-winners/
This coming Friday we are so excited to be hosting our school colour run. Please ensure the children are wearing a white tee or long sleeve top that can be splattered with colour! Please also ensure your Cheese Toastie orders are in before Thursday so the children can enjoy this shared lunch experience.
