Dear Parents,

It was great to see so many of our mums and grandmothers at the Mother’s Day breakfast on Friday morning. The atmosphere in the Mary MacKillop Hall was amazing as we celebrated this special event together as a school community. After having to cancel this event last year, due to COVID-19, it was great to be able to welcome everyone back. I’m sure you all enjoyed a croissant or two and a coffee or juice, just like the staff enjoyed putting the event on for you. I would like to thank you all for supporting this event and also thank those that contributed to making it a huge success.

The Family Liturgy was also a fantastic celebration. It was great to see parents, grandparents and special friends in our school for this event. The Foundation, Grade1, 2 and 3 students led the Liturgy beautifully and were excited to have you present as a part of the celebration.

I would also like to thank you all for supporting the Mother’s Day stall. I’m sure that you all appreciated your carefully selected Mother’s Day gift from your child. Thank you also to Janette and Tayla for coordinating the gifts for the stall and to Ian for assisting them with the sales.

INSIGHT SRC SURVEY

Thank you to all the parents who completed the Insight SRC Survey. I understand that this survey can be quite tedious and repetitive, however it provides great information for our school and allows us to reflect on our current practices and help plan for the future.

NAPLAN

This week our Grade 3 and 5 students completed NAPLAN. NAPLAN involves the students completing tests in Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation), Writing, Reading and Numeracy. These tests are one way that we at St Mary’s track the progress of your child in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy. I would like to congratulate all our Grade 3 and 5 students for completing these tests so positively and confidently.

CONFIRMATION FIRST RECONCILIATION & FIRST COMMUNION

We have a number of current and past students preparing for the Sacraments of Confirmation, First Reconciliation and First Communion. These celebrations will take place at the Church at the end of May and in early June. Thank you to the parents and students who attended the meetings last week and this week. These meetings are an important part of the Sacramental Program and help to prepare you and your child for these Sacraments.

CROSS COUNTRY

Our Grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 students will all compete in the Yarram and District Cross Country on Monday, 17^th May. Students in the Under 9- and 10-year age groups will run 2km, whilst those students in the Under 11- and 12-year age groups will run 3km. The Cross Country can be a challenge for some students, so I encourage all our students to simply do their best.

VICTORIAN OPERA ONLINE WORKSHOPS

All St Mary’s students will be participating in the Victorian Opera Online Workshops. These interactive workshops will take place over the next 4 weeks, culminating in a performance of the story Parrwang Lifts the Sky. These workshops will provide the students with a behind the scenes look at how an opera performance is put together and the process of bringing it all to life. We are all looking forward to this.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK

Catholic Education Week runs from Friday, 21^st May until Friday, 28^th May. During this week, St Mary’s will celebrate all that is good about Catholic Education.

On Monday, 24^th May, St Mary’s has an open day, where new and existing parents can in and visit our school and be taken on a tour. These tours will allow parents to see our classrooms in action and the amazing opportunities we have to offer here at St Mary’s. If you know of any friends or family who may be interested in sending their children to St Mary’s now or in the future, please encourage them to make an appointment for a tour.

Kind regards,

Joel