Dear Parents and Caregivers
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.
Scripture Reflection John 16:33 “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Kindergarten 2027 I will start the enrolment process in the coming weeks for next year’s intake. If you have a younger child who is coming here next year, please contact the front office immediately.
Penance Programme The Commitment Masses for our Year 3 students will be held on Saturday 7 March at 6.00pm and Sunday 8 March at 9.30am in our Church. It is very important that all students in this programme attend one of these Masses with their family to make their pledges. Please keep the Year 3 students in your prayers as they prepare to make their First Reconciliation on Saturday 14 March.
NAPLAN This year’s NAPLAN testing will be held in the Year 3 and 5 classes from 11 to 23 March. The class teachers will send home the exact details. Please remember that NAPLAN is only a snapshot of how our students are progressing at school at one particular time. We use the data to track trends across the school so we know where to make adjustments. For some students, this is a stressful time, so please reassure your children there is nothing to worry about. I always say that the best feedback a parent can get is from contacting the teachers and making a time to meet and discuss your child’s progress.
Swimming Carnival Our annual swimming carnival will once again be held at Bayswater Waves. This year it will be run on Friday 13 March and all students in Years 4 to 6 will be participating. These carnivals take a lot of preparation and I know Miss Thorp has put a lot of time into it already. I’m sure that it will be a success. Only students competing in the 50 metre races will be eligible for championship medals and selection at the interschool carnival next term. Miss Thorp will send home all the details so please make sure you keep an eye out for them.
Parent Teacher Interviews The teachers will be making times available for you to meet with them in the near future, so please make sure you take advantage of this opportunity. I always say that the parents who work closely with the teachers and support both the teachers and students get the best outcomes.
Whole School Mass As you may be aware, Mary MacKillop was a Josephite nun. This meant that she had a great devotion to St Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. Therefore, we will be celebrating a whole school Mass in honour of St Joseph on Tuesday 17 March at 8.45am. Please note that our school Masses will now be held on Tuesdays, rather than on Thursdays as they were in the past. As usual, all parents and grandparents are most welcome to join us in the Church.
Laurie Bechelli
Principal