Last Sunday’s Gospel

Last Sunday’s Gospel

We hear one of the lesser known parables where a master, who is possibly dishonest himself, tells his steward that he is going to dismiss him for mismanaging his resources. The wily steward cheats the master by making deals to ensure he will have people to look after him once he is dismissed. Jesus used this to tell us that we must use what is in this world to ensure that we have life in Eternity. Also that we have to show that we can be trusted with small things so the really important things will be given to us.

From the Principal and Assistant Principal…

Well wishes for Mrs Rolfe and Mrs Mae

We would like to wish Mrs Rolfe and Mrs Mae all the best as they join staff and Leaders from across the diocese on a Pilgrimage. This  Jubilee Year, the Church celebrates the theme Pilgrims of Hope, encouraging us all to live with hope in God and to share that hope with others. To celebrate and mark this significant event for our international Catholic community, Mrs Rolfe and Mrs Mae will join a special Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to Ireland and Italy, led by Bishop Brian Mascord and Mr Peter Hill - Executive Director. We will welcome back Mrs Rolfe in Week 2 and Mrs Mae in Week 4. 

Assembly Friday 26 September

On Friday, we will hold our last assembly for Term 3. Our Year 3 students will be hosting. We recognise that we have a number of Mission Awards to catch up on, as well as our normal class awards. We will be starting the Assembly early, with gates opening at 1:25 pm for a 1:30 pm start. 

Swimming Lessons

We are all ready to start swimming lessons for K-2 beginning Monday, 20 October  (Week 2). A paper consent form (for Eagle Vale Central) went home earlier this week and needs to be returned by this Friday. School consent needs to be provided via Compass, along with the $65.00 payment. This also needs to be provided by Friday 10 October. 

Musica Viva

On Tuesday 14 October (Week 1) the students in K - 6 will participate in a Musica Viva show called Moon Radio Hour. Moon Radio Hour takes students on an imaginative fast-paced journey through space, time and the unexpected! Paired with saxophones, guitars and an electronic sampler, the result is a spontaneously immersive musical experience where anything is possible. Students will be given the tools to create their own short musical skit-shows in the classroom, allowing them to embrace the unexpected that lies within their own creativity.

Happy break!

We hope you all have a safe and happy break with your children. It’s warming up and a great time to make some more memories.

Michelle Rolfe and Emilia Ahern

Principal  and  Assistant Principal

Christmas Story Art Exhibition and Competition

The Year 5 and Year 6 Christmas Story Art Competition and Exhbition is an annual event held across our Diocese. This competition offers students a unique chance to delve into the meaning of the Christmas story through scripture and express their reflections through art.

 All students in Year 5 and Year 6 were invited to participate in the competition, which gave them the opportunity to explore the meaning of the Christmas story through scripture and reflect on that message through their own life experiences. 

Three artworks from both grades were then chosen to enter into the Diocesan wide competition, with judging based on the students' understanding and interpretation of the scripture passages as well as authentic imagery from the time of Jesus. 

We wish our students the very best of luck in the competition and would like to congratulate them for all of their hard work!

The judging panel looks for artworks that show an understanding and interpretation of these verses and include authentic imagery from the time of Jesus. The judging criteria also include the artwork's originality, the depth of the student's personal reflection, and the connection to scripture. A brief, 200-word explanation of the artwork written by the student is also an important part of the judging process.

Selected artworks will be displayed at the Wollongong City Art Gallery from Saturday, October 4 to Sunday, November 30, 2025. An official opening night and awards presentation will be held on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the gallery.

We wish our talented students the best of luck!

Socktober is run by Catholic Mission during Mission Month. It raises awareness of children around the world who face daily challenges, while raising funds to support mission projects. The name comes from children in developing countries making soccer balls out of recycled socks.

The Mini Vinnies team are hosting a fundraiser for this initiative. On Friday 17 October (Term 4, Week 1), students and teachers are invited to wear their favourite sporting team’s jersey and socks. If you don’t have a team, simply wear your school sport uniform. We are all part of the Mary Immaculate Community! All students need to wear their school sports shorts on this day. 

To take part, bring in silver coins to help us create a giant sock mural. All donations will go to Catholic Mission to support their important work.

Representative Sport Pathway Trial Nomination Information

Through the Diocese of Wollongong Sports Council, some students are provided with the opportunity to trial for Wollongong representative teams, which give students the opportunity to access higher levels of sporting pathways, representation and opportunities to progress into state representation. 

We write to you today to inform you that the nomination form for these 2026 representative pathway selection trials are open and available for you to nominate your child through the given link by Wednesday 15 October. Some of these trials for 2026 teams commence in Term 4 2025, therefore it is important that nominations are completed now. 

Criteria for representative sport pathway nominations: 

Please see the second page of this document for more information regarding the trials and specific nomination criteria for each sport. In general the representative sport pathway trials are for students who are; 

• Skilled and talented players and will be in Year 5 & 6 in 2026 

• Experienced in the given sport and may have some high level representative experience or playing at a high grade

• Regular experience  and a background in this high level of competition, with a strong skill based and understanding of the game

Nomination Process and Information for parents:  

If you acknowledge that your child meets the criteria for a  given sport, you are asked to complete a nomination form by scanning the QR code below:

If you have any questions regarding this process please do not hesitate to contact Mr Holmes or Ms Beckman for further information regarding the representative sport pathway trial and opportunities.

Basketball Gala Day 

On the 19 and 20 of September, the Junior and Senior Basketball Gala Days were held at the new Oran Park Leisure Centre. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their skills in a friendly environment. Well done to all students who participated and represented Mary Immaculate with great enthusiasm, teamwork, and sportsmanship. A big thank you also goes to the parent helpers who supported our teams and made the day such a success.

2026 will see the introduction of the girls stand alone rugby league pathway and team selection for PSSA Sport. In preparation for this exciting new pathway, we are inviting primary catholic school students in Years 4 -6 to attend the MacKillop Girls Rugby League Development day to build skills, raise awareness and be prepared for this opportunity. 

Registrations are now OPEN for individual students via the CSNSW Sport website. 

Registrations for this event close: Thursday 23 October

Aquathon

The Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW) Aquathon Invitational provides school-aged students of all abilities with the opportunity to challenge themselves in a unique and fun swim/run event. For more information, refer to the poster below. 

Mr Joshua Holmes

Sports Co-ordinator 

Throughout Term Three all students at Mary Immaculate have been writing a speech in class and presenting it to their peers. This has been a wonderful way for students to develop their oral presentation skills, increase their confidence and prepare them for public speaking competitions they will experience in Stage Three and beyond. 

Earlier in the term, Stage Three students presented their speeches in class. The two best speeches from each class were selected and last week 12 students presented their speeches at the school final. From there one student from Year Five and one student from Year Six were selected to represent Mary Immaculate at the Diocesan Public Speaking Competition that will be held in October. The following students are to be commended for their outstanding speeches and public speaking skills: 

Congratulations are extended to Richelle Sujanto and Addison Thebridge who have been selected to represent Mary Immaculate at the next level. We wish them all the best as they compete in the North Western Regional Competition. 

Rebecca Sidorenko