May 6, 2026
We have only been back at school for a couple of weeks and it is already getting very busy. Term 2 is a big one for our Year 4 students as they are preparing to receive their First Holy Communion. As I have said before, the word ‘Communion’ contains the word ‘union’ inside it which tells you that it is all about our relationship and connection to God. The word ‘community’ also has the same base as well as the word ‘unity’ within it. It’s obvious we are one in God as a community in everything we do. The Parent Information Night for the Year 4 candidates will be held on Thursday 7 May at 5.30pm in the hall and it will be run by Mario Borg from 24/7 Youth Ministry. All Year 4 parents and students are invited. This will then be followed up with their commitment Masses on the weekend of 16 and 17 May. Please keep all of our First Holy Communion candidates and their families in your prayers.
Apr 22, 2026
Welcome back to a new term! As usual, it will be a busy one with lots of great things happening. Hopefully, you would have noticed that all the car parks have been repainted with clear lines and directions. The car park on Cassowary Drive continues to be a point of concern as a number of parents/grandparents are still not following the directions. There are very clear signs on the ground indicating which direction you must travel in order to make everything flow properly. There are also four signs clearly indicating that you MUST NOT TURN RIGHT onto Cassowary Drive at peak times. When people don’t follow these signs, it increases the risk of an accident happening. It also slows down the flow in the car park which causes traffic to back up. When this happens, the local residents can get very upset and blast their horns at the ‘Mary MacKillop traffic jam’. Barb and Jane even get abusive phone calls from local residents and I have received a number of nasty emails over the years. I’m sorry to sound negative, but this is the single biggest issue we have on a continual basis. Please use the car park properly for the safety of our students and the convenience of the whole community. Also, please note that we have very clear zebra crossings marked in the car parks. These MUST be used when walking through. I have seen a number of near misses when parents are taking their children on a ‘shortcut’ to their parked car. An injury to a child would be devastating!
Apr 1, 2026
I can’t believe that we have finished Term One already! As usual, life in a big and complex community like ours is always going to be busy. This week is Holy Week which is the final week of Lent and I’m sure you have taken some time to reflect upon the meaning of Easter. Please make every effort to attend Mass this weekend and support our beautiful parish. I know Fr Vinh would love to see you there. We also say farewell to Mr Maxwell who has been one of our Assistant Principals over the past couple of years. I know Tim will be missed by many people and I thank him for his hard work here in the service of our students and families. I wish Tim every blessing and happiness as he moves into the next phase of his life. Mr Chris Smith will take over for the rest of the year as Mr Maxwell’s replacement. Chris has been an Assistant Principal and Principal in other Catholic schools and he brings a vast wealth of experience and knowledge to the role. I’m sure Chris will do a great job as Assistant Principal.
Mar 18, 2026
We are getting towards the end of Term 1 already, which means that Easter is just around the corner. Have you ever wondered why priests wear purple during Lent? Purple is the colour of penance, which signifies a time of reflection and prayer. It also is the rarest colour which occurs naturally in the environment. When you think about it, not many flowers are purple. In the times of old, it was very difficult to get anything purple, and therefore, it was only worn by kings and very important people. As Jesus is our king, it is fitting that you see priests wearing purple during this special time. Please remember to support Fr Vinh this Easter by attending one of the many Easter Masses and activities in our parish, starting with Palm Sunday on 29 March. We then have Holy Week which ends with the Saturday night vigil on 4 April. Please remember that Easter Sunday is the most important date on the Christian calendar.
Mar 4, 2026
We are always looking for ways to improve the experience of coming to Mary Mac and we already have a lot of extras on offer such as the OSHClub, the Curtin University speech therapy programme and we are also one of the very few schools that employs our own speech therapist and occupational therapist. Another programme we would like to introduce is a playgroup for children between the ages of 0 to 4. We don’t have the finer details yet, however, we are looking at starting it in Term 2 on a non Kindy day, most likely the first thing in the morning. First of all though, we need to see how much interest there is in our own community. We will be using members of our staff to run it and a parent will be expected to stay with their child for the session which should run for a couple of hours. If there is enough interest, we will open it up to the parish and eventually, the wider community. Playgroups are a wonderful way for parents to come and meet informally and become more involved with the school community. If you are interested in joining our playgroup from the start of next term, please contact the front office and leave your details.
Feb 18, 2026
Today is Ash Wednesday, which means we are now only 40 days away from Easter. This is a very significant time in the Catholic Church as Easter Sunday is the most important date on the liturgical calendar. So much of our faith centres around the resurrection of Jesus, because we know that if he resurrected from the dead, then we will do the same when our time comes. This gives us great comfort and hope! During Lent, we are encouraged to give up something. Many of us choose to give up chocolates or something else that we like. Maybe this Lent, we could try giving up saying unkind words, getting angry at others, being selfish or something else that damages relationships. Lent is a time for reflection and penance, so please use this time wisely so that we all can become better versions of ourselves.
