Week 8, Term 2 2025

Dear family and friends of Mary MacKillop Memorial School,

The way we are…. #wecare

Each individual’s dignity and wellbeing is important at Mary MacKillop Memorial School, where we care. Respecting the desire and possibility for connection rather than disconnection in relationships is paramount. We do this through growth coaching conversations that strengthen the connections between relationships and learning.

The principle of resilient impact assists us to respect relationships and encourage personal accountability without ‘shame and blame’. When the actions of a student or a group of students causes harm and upset, those involved in the particular problem are called to a process called a coaching conversation, where we focus on What’s happened? What’s important?, and How will we act? This conversation draws out people’s stories surrounding the incident.

Students are given a voice and asked to accept responsibility for their actions, make things right and make agreements about how things will be in the future. This practice is our culture and encompasses our Catholic ethos and Mission, Vision statements and most importantly our Josephite Values.

Pulse Check-In

Over week 5 and 6 our students have had the opportunity to take part in an online survey which is designed to provide feedback to their class teacher as to how their wellbeing is tracking. We have been implementing this process over the past 4 years at the mid point of each term, therefore collecting quite a lot of data. This is just one of the many indicators/measures of keeping our students “well”.

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s wellbeing, please contact your child’s class teacher, Bec Baker (School Counsellor) or myself.

St Anthony’s Feast Day

On Friday last week Year 6 students, Miss Lusty and I were lucky enough to be invited to celebrate with St Anthonys Catholic Primary School for their Feast Day. We had a wonderful day, forming connections, engaging in lots of fun activities and enjoying learning about St Anthony’s patron saint.

We thank the St Anthony’s community for their generous hospitality and look forward to welcoming members of their community to our Feast Day celebrations next term. I would also like to say a special thank you to our Yr 6 students who represented our school with pride and maturity on the day. You are all super stars!

Combined School Board Meeting – Celebrating Catholic Education in the South-East

On Wednesday, June 18, the School Boards of Mary MacKillop Memorial School, St. Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, and Tenison Woods College gathered in Penola for the annual Combined School Board dinner and meeting—an evening dedicated to celebrating Catholic education in the South-East.

Kim Wigg, Allied Health Manager at Catholic Education South Australia, as our guest speaker, shared valuable insights into the CESA Improved Learning through Allied Health (CILAH) program, which integrates allied health expertise into CESA schools, supporting inclusion and equity for students with disability.

Reports

Teachers are currently finalising student reports. We use a range of accumulated assessments from the planned learning experiences taught throughout Term 1 and 2 to provide a summary achievement report for parents/caregivers. You will receive your child’s report on Monday 30th June.

Wishing all a wonderful weekend,

God Bless,

Nicole

Family Mass – Sunday 22nd June 2025

This Sunday will be a family Mass at St Joseph Church, commencing at 9am. Thank you to those families who have indicated that their child is able to assist during the Mass. We extend an invitation to all families to attend.

St Anthony Feast Day

Last Friday our Year 6 students had the privilege of visiting St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School in Millicent as part of their celebrations to commemorate the Feast of St Anthony. Upon arrival, we participated in a school-wide Mass dedicated to St Anthony.

Following the Mass, we returned to school and spent the remainder of the day immersed in activities alongside the St Anthony’s community. For me, the most rewarding aspects of the day was witnessing the bonds and friendships formed and strengthened between our students and theirs. It was wonderful to see the St Anthony’s students embrace ours in their classrooms and games, and equally gratifying to see our students take on leadership roles, offering support and guidance to their younger peers throughout the activities.  We look forward to hosting St Anthony and Tenison Woods College students on our Feast Day on August 8th.

Upcoming Masses and Liturgies – All Are Welcome!

Join us for our upcoming celebrations of faith:

Friday 27 June @ 9:15am – Whole School Mass: Feast of the Sacred Heart
Tuesday 1 July @ 9:15am – Year 4/5 Class Mass
Tuesday 1 July @ 10:30am – Reception/Year 1 Liturgy

Stay tuned for Term 3 Mass and Liturgy dates in the Week 10 newsletter.

Penola Parish – Mass Times

Sunday 22 June @ 9:00am – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Gospel: Luke 9:11b–17)
Saturday 28 June @ 4:30pm – Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Gospel: Matthew 16:13–19)

Fr Peter Zwaans, our Parish Priest, welcomes all to attend.

Bus Reminder

Families of bus students please note the following important points.

• If your family will be away for an extended period during term time and your child(ren) will not be travelling on their normal bus route, please make sure you notify the bus driver of the dates your child will be absent so the bus is not waiting at your stop unnecessarily.

• Also, as a courtesy, please keep your bus driver informed if your child(ren) will be not be travelling on the bus on the afternoon run if they are attending after school commitments or the morning run if they are absent due to illness etc.

• Parents are reminded to please be at your stop at least 5 minutes before your allocated pick up time in the morning so that buses are not kept waiting and the timetable can run to time. Drivers are not obliged to wait for students in the morning if they are not at their stop at their designated time.

National Consistent Collection of Data

Every year all schools are required to collect data on students with a disability for whom the curriculum is adjusted in some way(s). The National Consistent Collection of Data on school students with disability reinforces the obligations schools have under the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005.

It counts the number of students who are supported under these obligations based on the professional judgement of teacher and their knowledge and understanding of their students’, consultation with leadership and outside agencies and professionals.

This also includes students with a Personalised Plan for Learning and individualised Education Plan. This is an anonymous process, and no student is identified by name or location of school. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.

Click here for more information on the NCCD website.

Premier's Reading Challenge at Mary MacKillop Memorial School

The Premier’s Reading Challenge runs from March until September and is designed to encourage students to read a variety of books to deepen their love of reading.

What do we need to do? Your child will have a PRC form to complete – they need to read 12 books between now and September. How do we know what books to read? You can use the handy PRC stickers to identify suitable books.

If you have any questions pop into the library and ask Mrs E or click here to check out The Premier’s Reading Challenge website

Our community Playgroup takes place on a Friday morning from 9 – 10.30am. It is an opportunity for families to come together and play together, capably coordinated by our Playgroup coordinator Ebonie Moulton. Come and enjoy a cuppa and catch up, while your child has a number of playful learning activities to explore in a safe and welcoming environment.

For enquires/questions:

Click here to email Mary MacKillop Memorial School

Click here to email Ebonie Moulton

Helping Kids Grow: Rigid vs. Flexible Thinking

As children grow and learn, they often encounter challenges that stretch their thinking. One important area of development is learning the difference between rigid and flexible thinking, it’s something I chat regularly with students about.

Rigid thinking means sticking to one idea or way of doing something, even if it’s not working. Children with rigid thinking may struggle when plans change, rules are bent, or things don’t go as expected. You might hear them say, “That’s not fair!” or “That’s not how we always do it!”

Flexible thinking, on the other hand, helps children adapt, problem-solve, and consider other perspectives. A flexible thinker might say, “That’s different, but I’ll try it,” or “I can handle this a new way.”

How to support flexible thinking at home:

• Model calm responses when plans change.
• Praise problem-solving: “Great job thinking of another way!”
• Read stories and ask, “How else could the character have solved that?”
• Encourage trying new things, even if it’s uncomfortable at first.

Supporting flexible thinking helps children become more resilient, confident, and ready for life’s twists and turns.

Wishing all our families happy and adaptable weeks ahead! 😊