Dear Parents, Guardians and Community,

What’s On This Week

• Thursday, September 4, 2:30 p.m. – 2026 Prep Storytime

• Friday, September 5 – Father’s Day Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. followed by Mass at 9:15 a.m.

Upcoming Events

• Monday 8 & Tuesday 9 September – Flourishing Learners Conference for School Leaders

• Wednesday 10 – Friday 12 September – Year 5/6 Camp, Sovereign Hill

Around Our School

School Disco

Last Friday night’s School Disco was a huge success! A big thank you to our Parents & Friends team, especially Ebony Galizi and Karolina Wardawa, for organising such a fun event for the children. Thanks to our volunteers - Cathy Adamczyk, Grace Pante, Deana Temelkovska, Kate van Noodenne, Lauren Concessio, Leah Pepe, Leanne Sabotkoski, Marcia Powell, Melissa Fenech, Stella Kyriakou, Kimberley Lerch, Anna Randell, Carey Dewerson, Courtney Stubberfield, Geraldine Di Natale, Laura Montebello, Liz Sarkady, Mireille Constantine, Shejne Kapitelli, Sophie Carter, Fatima Serafino, Diem Hoang, Elise De Losa and Jacqui Trethowan

Maths Program Visit

On Monday, we welcomed staff from another school who came to see our Explicit Maths Program (EMP) in action. This program currently runs from Prep to Year 2 and is receiving a lot of interest from other schools. In 2026, EMP will extend into Year 3, and over time it will expand across all year levels in our school.

Flourishing Learners Conference

Next Monday and Tuesday, school leaders from across Catholic schools will gather for the first-ever Flourishing Learners Conference on explicit instruction in schools. This sold-out event will host more than 1,400 participants. We are privileged to hear from internationally recognised education experts including Dylan Wiliam, Tom Sherrington, Emina McLean, Dr Nathaniel Swain, and Bron Ryrie Jones.

Year 5/6 Camp

Next week, our Year 5/6 classes head off to Sovereign Hill and Adekate Camp. We thank our teachers for their dedication in preparing this wonderful learning experience, and we wish everyone good weather and safe travels.

Second-Hand Uniform Shop

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Amanda and Diem, who have been doing a wonderful job managing the Second-Hand Uniform Shop. However, as Amanda’s time at our school comes to an end later this year, we are seeking a new volunteer to take on her role. Amanda is keen to do a handover before the year finishes, so if you are interested, please contact the school office.

MACSSIS Surveys

All families should by now have received an invitation to complete the annual MACSSIS survey. We are aware there has been a small issue with PINs, and we are working to resolve this.

This year, there has been a change to how the survey is distributed. In previous years, only around one-third of families were randomly selected to take part. Now, the survey is being sent to all families.

In the past, participation numbers were low, which made it difficult to gather meaningful data. By opening the survey to everyone, we are hopeful of receiving a much broader range of responses that will give us valuable insights into the experiences of our school community.

Bayfit Promotion.

Don’t forget, this is the final week to take advantage of the Bayfit promotion for our school community. Thank you to those who have signed up for the 6 months for $299 deal. The school will receive a $100 donation for every sign up.

Father’s Day Breakfast & Mass

We look forward to celebrating our dads, grandfathers, and special friends at the Father’s Day Breakfast this Friday at 8:00 a.m., followed by Mass at 9:15 a.m. This is always a special occasion in our school calendar, and we warmly invite all families to join us in giving thanks for the wonderful role fathers and father figures play in our lives.

Our Father’s Day Stall was a great success last Friday, with students excited to choose gifts for their dads and special people. A huge thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers for making it such a fun and lively event on our school calendar. Thank you to Angela and Cam McCulloch and their wonderful team of volunteers - 

St Mary of the Cross. Pray for us

Anthony