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Dear Parents / Caregivers,
We certainly are a diverse family here at Mary Immaculate! It was wonderful to be able to share this diversity with our Director of Schools, Mr Peter Hill when he visited our school on Monday.
So, what is Harmony Day? It is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural background, language background, ability or disability. It is a day of respect for everyone who calls Australia home. It is about love for others. Jesus himself taught us:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
John 15:12
We show love for one another by being respectful, kind, caring, considerate and open to new cultural experiences. After all, the vast majority of us at Mary Immaculate have a family history that began in another country!
Next week, we end the period of Lent and enter into the Season of Easter. The Passion of Christ, the lead up to his death and then Resurrection, is the essential cornerstone of our faith as Catholics and Christians.
The events of Holy Week have the whole spectrum of life’s realities: betrayal, cruelty, ego, politics, injustice and doubt, kindness, disappointment and then most important of all, HOPE! The key message is of hope! Hope amongst cruelty, injustice and betrayal. Sadly, for many if not most of us, we have experienced disappointment, loss, cruelty and sadness. Yet it is hope that moves us onwards and upwards, hope that motivates us to try again, hope that makes us believe things can turn around or improve.
Faith is tested and questioned when we see the death of innocent people in wars waged across the world. When we see disease, drought, flood, starvation and poverty. God is present in the hope and kindness of people that fight for cures, for aid, who are the voice of those that are voiceless, who strive for peace amongst the violence and bravery amongst the actions of cowards.
For Christians, Easter is the matchless remedy for all forms of hopelessness.
The resurrection of Jesus is the basis for the deep trust that cultivates our faith and love.
Easter is never really over as Jesus lives on in all Christians; it is in us that His presence is in the world. As members of the Mary Immaculate family let us continue to strive to make Christ our Way and Life in our corner of the world.
Tina Murray
Principal
HOLY WEEK CELEBRATION
Next Wednesday and Thursday our students will have the opportunity to bring together the learning they have undertaken in the classroom. We are grateful to the students and teachers of Year 4 who will lead our reflection and allow us to follow Jesus’ footsteps through the days of Holy Week.
NAPLAN UPDATE
On Thursday 25 March, children in Years 3 and 5 will participate in an online NAPLAN practice. This practice test is to test the site technical capability and allow students to practice using the online platform. Year 3 will complete an omnibus test (questions from all aspects of NAPLAN), Year 5 will complete an online writing task and an omnibus test as well.
THE SURVEY CAN BE ACCESSED VIA THE FOLLOWING LINK:
HARMONY WEEK
Australia is a vibrant and multicultural country — from the oldest continuous culture of our first Australians to the cultures of our newest arrivals from around the world.
Our cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths and is at the heart of who we are. It makes Australia a great place to live.
An integrated multicultural Australia is an integral part of our national identity. All people who migrate to Australia bring with them some of their own cultural and religious traditions, as well as taking on many new traditions. Collectively, these traditions have enriched our nation.
The Department of Home Affairs leads national celebrations for Harmony Week to recognise diversity and inclusion activities that take place during the entire week. Harmony Week includes Sunday 21 March, which is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
It is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, and the successful integration of migrants into our community. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it.
Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.
Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Week. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect. Australians can choose to wear something orange during Harmony Week to show their support for cultural diversity and an inclusive Australia.
Here are some fascinating statistics about Australia's diversity:
- nearly half (49 per cent) of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was
- we identify with over 300 ancestries
- since 1945, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia
- 85 per cent of Australians agree multiculturalism has been good for Australia
- apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Tagalog / Filipino, Hindi, Spanish and Punjabi
- more than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken in Australia.
At Mary Immaculate we celebrated Harmony Week in a variety of ways. The children had a mufti day and were encouraged to wear a coloured t-shirt or other clothing representing their cultural heritage. We read books about different cultures. Each class created a Harmony tree. The children watched a video about Harmony Day and also celebrated a liturgy which was led by Year 6. We thank Mrs Grados for organising this wonderful celebration of multiculturalism at Mary Immaculate.
Mrs Lillian Del Giudice
Assistant Principal
Happy Birthday to the following children who will be celebrating their birthday this week:Congratulations to 5 Gold and 4 Blue for earning a Gold Star last week, well done!! Keep up the good work. Last week of term, let’s see if we can get some more Gold Stars on our chart.
Library this week:
Thursday – Year 2
Friday – Year 4
NEXT WEEK: ** two changes:
** Monday – Year 6
** Wednesday – Year 5
Thursday – Year One
Premiers' Reading Challenge: The PRC is now open for students to login and register their books. If students remember their login from last year it is still valid so they can login when ready. Parents of students in Kinder and Year One are still welcome to register their children – just send a letter in to me with your child’s name and class. Don’t forget to look at the PRC website to make sure the books chosen by the students are on the correct list – if you have too many not on the list they will not be accepted, nor will any more than 2 books from the same series. Years 3 - 6 must read 15 from the lists and may read 5 personal choice; Kinder – Year 2 must read 25 from the lists and may also read 5 personal choice. Have a look at the Premiers Reading Challenge website:
https://products.schools.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/home.html
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. Campbelltown and Eagle Vale Libraries have the relevant books marked appropriately too, to make them easy to find.
Overdrive and Sora: We can also access eBooks and Audiobooks through Overdrive and Sora. The links are on our Oliver Library home page – oliver.dow.catholic.edu.au/miev , or you can click on the following links:
Visit the Overdrive Support site for the latest information:
http://overdrivedow.weebly.com/
Or click here to find out how to get started with the Sora App:
http://overdrivedow.weebly.com/getting-started.html
The students will need to know their school Google login, CEnet credentials, which is their surname, intitial, 01 (or allocated number), and their password, which is Miev and four numbers. For example – Sam Smith could be SmithS01; password Miev1234
Daily Reading: Remember how important it is for your children to see you reading too – they always love to imitate their parents. Try to find the time to sit with them even for ten minutes a day.
"Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him."
Maya Angelou, Poet
Happy reading!
Mrs Susan Bryant - Teacher Librarian
Last week Unexplained Absences were e-mailed to each family. If you are unsure about how to enter your child's attendances please read the instructions below.
