Dear Parents

I was recently reading an article from the St Vincent de Paul Spiritual Reflection Guide, which I would like to share with you.

The author of the article, Leo Tucker, writes, “Recently my son Ben shared with me  an article of a Turkish couple who invited 4000 Syrian refugees to their wedding party. The couple were married near the Syrian border and they made the decision to share their blessings and joy with their Syrian brothers and sisters. An extraordinary gift of sharing! The father of the groom said he was glad that the couple began a new life “with such a selfless action”. The wedding guests shared and served meals from the back of trucks with the bride and groom. The groom said it was a great feeling to make others happy. “Seeing the happiness in the eyes of the Syrian refugee children is just priceless. We started our journey to happiness with making others happy and that’s a great feeling,” he said. “Friends were so inspired; they hoped to do the same during their wedding celebrations”.

This is a remarkable story. It is a story of a radical love, radical inclusion and profound compassion. In this week’s gospel account John reminds us how Jesus calls us to commit to the same act of love that he had for others. This is a commitment to the vulnerable and marginalised not just in a peace-meal approach but in a way which affects our whole being, for it is by this radical and profound love that we will be recognised as a follower of Jesus.

 “I give you a new commandment: love one another.
as I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

How do we display love towards others and show that we are disciples?

FEDERAL ELECTION

Federal Election 2019 - know the facts before you vote

The 2019 Federal Election will be held this coming Saturday, 18 May 2019.

Throughout this election campaign, Catholic Education has highlighted the needs of Catholic schools and the parties have responded with various election promises.

Please find at the link below, a collection of resources and facts to keep you well-informed about the policies that affect our Catholic school students and families:

https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/about-us/general-news/federal-election-2019-know-the-facts-before-you-vote

It is essential that everybody who cares about Catholic schools understands these key issues, especially how our schools are funded. We encourage you to use this material and information to inform your vote and any discussions with your friends, family, community and local candidates.

CONGRATULATIONS - Congratulations are extended to Chaise A (Under 11 Rugby League) who has been chosen to represent MacKillop at the NSW PSSA Rugby League Carnival, which will be held later this Term. Congratulations also to Liam S who has also been chosen to represent Wollongong Diocese in the MacKillop Rugby Trials. This is a fantastic effort and the boys should be very proud of their achievement.

TERM 2 PARENTS AND FRIENDS GENERAL MEETING - A reminder that the Term 2 Parents and Friends General Meeting will be held next Monday evening, 20 May. The meeting will be held in the hall and will commence at 7.00pm. As well as my usual report I will be sharing information about the new Social Media Policy, that was launched by Catholic Education Office Wollongong last Term.

PDHPE SURVEY – request from Catholic Education Office Wollongong.

Dear Parents,

The new PDHPE Syllabus has been released and support materials are currently being developed for teachers within the Wollongong Diocese. The following survey will provide helpful information that will inform the collaborative writing team. Your assistance in completing this short survey is greatly appreciated. We value your input in improving student learning experiences. Please click the link to complete PDHPE Parent Survey

hhtps://forms.gle/GxqSb59jf8BvrBns5 " 

STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY - PUPIL FREE DAY - A Staff Development Day for the staff at Mary Immaculate will be held  Friday 14 June 2019 (Friday, Week 7, Term 2).  The focus of the day will be related to the teaching of STEM.  Children are not required to attend school on this day.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING - At Mary Immaculate the staff has an ongoing commitment to professional learning. The staff benefit from attending inservices, in curriculum areas, that assists them in providing quality learning opportunities for the students in their class. The following staff have or will attend professional learning and hence will be away from school.

Date	Staff Members	Professional Development
16 May	Mrs Del Giudice, Mrs Nash, Mrs Brandes, Mrs Biviano	Kindergarten Speech and Occupational Therapy inservice
20 May	Mr Spencer	Open to Learning Leadership
20 May	Mrs Christieson	School Wide Positive Behaviour for Learning Planning
22–24 May	Mr Spencer	NSW Association of Catholic School Principals Bi-Annual Conference

PRINCIPAL CONFERENCE - Next week, Wednesday 22 – Friday 24 May, I will be attending the NSW Association of Catholic School Principals Conference.  Please direct any matters of urgency to Mrs Del Giudice during my absence.

Have a great week and let Christ be our way and life.

Don Spencer

Principal

Congratulations to the following children who have won a Morning Tea with the Principal:

Logan H 1 Gold, Gabrielle G 1 Gold, Sophia G 2 Green,

Aiden C 2 Green and Emily S 5 Gold

Happy Birthday to the following children who will be celebrating a birthday this week:

Joseph I, Madison Z, Abigail G, Olivia J, Zach B and William M

Please be advised that the School is now using a new Computer Program for Absenses called 'Compass', some families may have noticed that at around 10:30 a.m. each morning they have received an "Unapproved Absence" e-mail if their child is either late or away.  Please click on the link and this will allow you to write a reason and submit it.  If you use this e-mail link you DO NOT need to provide a written note or e-mail to the School as this link automatically does it for you.

Please remember if you are travelling overseas for any period of time with your child for a holiday you will need to provide Airline Tickets or an Itinerary and request approval from the Principal.

If you have any questions in relation to this system please do not hesitate to contact the School Office.  

What do these two men have in common?

You guessed it….

They are Oblate priests. If you have an opportunity this week please ask your children about the Oblates, as this is something we have been teaching across the School in preparation for the Feast Day of St Eugene.

St Eugene (pictured on the right) is the founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. His overwhelming desire to serve God as a missionary priest inspired Father Slawek and many like him to join the priesthood.

The Feast Day of St Eugene is next Tuesday - we would like to extend a warm invitation to attend our celebratory Mass next week.

We would also like to extend  warm welcome to our new Assistant Priest, Father Basti.

Upcoming Dates

19/5 Holy Communion Session 1 (9:00 am)

21/5 Holy Communion Session 1 (7:00 pm)

21/5 Feast of St Eugene  (10:00 am)

Mrs Kirsty Simpson

Religious Education Co-ordinator

Sadly no Gold Stars last week but there were a few timetable changes which caused confusion for some! Let’s hope more remember this week. Just a reminder again about our regular Library days for this term:

Please remind your children to bring their Library bags on the day of their lesson –encourage them to have it in their bags the night before! During the week please also encourage the children to read the books they borrow. Even if they have many books at home it is good for them to read the books they have chosen. They learn to discern what they like and what is appropriate for themselves.

Premiers' Reading Challenge:  Remember to keep reading books from the lists, and keep a record of books read.  Login and register the books completed:

https://products.schools.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/home.html

Don’t forget to check our Oliver Library catalogue will let you know what books from the lists are available in our Library. Go to oliver.dow.catholic.edu.au/miev and type ‘premier’ in the search box. Then select the level required and the search results will indicate available titles.

Daily Reading: As parents you are your childs most influential teacher with an important part to play in helping your child to learn to read. There is more to being a good reader than just being able to read the words accurately. Just as important is being able to understand what has been read. Always talk to your child about the book; about the pictures, the characters, how they think the story will end, their favourite part. You will then be able to see how well they have understood and you will help them to develop good comprehension skills.

Take time not only to hear them read but to read aloud to them too – they love hearing you read to them!

“Read aloud every day because you just love being with your child, not
because its the right thing to do. This is as important for fathers as it is for mothers!.”

Mem Fox

Happy reading!

Mrs Sue Bryant, Teacher Librarian

Dear Parents and Community Members of Mary Immaculate Catholic Parish Primary School,

The process of recruiting a replacement for Principal Mr Don Spencer is being carried out.  This position has been advertised, and interviews are planned in the near future to fill this vacancy. 

As part of the practice for this appointment, it is customary for the Catholic Education Office to conduct a process of consultation with members of the School Community.  This consultation process will give members of the community an opportunity to highlight the positive aspects of the school they would like to see maintained, to identify areas they would like to see the school focus on improving in the future, and to provide some of the attributes they would like to see in the person being selected to lead their school on its continuing journey.

We invite all parents and community members to complete this short survey by Monday 27 May by 5.00pm.   If you wish to fill in this survey on paper, please see the School Office for a copy.  This is your opportunity to be involved in the appointment of the person who will lead your school in the coming years.

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NewPrincipalPARENTCommunityConsultationSurveyMaryImmaculatePrimaryEagleVale

Warm regards

Carolyn Hadley

Head of Human Resource Services

Catholic Education Office

Diocese of Wollongong