Newsletter - Friday, 27th June, 2025

Prayer - World Refugee Week

We recognise World Refugee Week this month.

It is saddening to turn on the news each night and see the horror and atrocities occurring throughout the world, and the millions of people fleeing their homeland to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.  We continue to pray for all who are displaced from their homes through acts of war and violence.

However,  the displacement of people from their homes and homelands and their loss of freedom is not just an issue for a day or a week – it is an ongoing global crisis.

According to UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) reports at the end of 2024, a record 123.2 million people were forcibly displaced from their homes, an increase of 7 million from the previous year.

Conflicts in Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar are driving this unprecedented movement. 

“This Refugee Week, we’re reminded that the community is at the heart of the refugee experience.  Welcoming people with compassion strengthens our society and affirms our shared humanity.”  Deputy CEO of Refugee Council Of Australia, Adama Kamara

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigners residing among you, giving them food and clothing.  And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:18-19)

God of Safety, 

We remember that Mary and Joseph escaped to safety in Egypt when Herod tried to kill baby Jesus and we remember how Mary MacKillop found safe places for homeless mothers and children.

Let our country now find room for the refugees who come begging for safety.

Let our hearts be big enough to welcome them so that they can forget their terror and sadness and find peace here.

Let us give them a home and a good future in our country.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, who knew what it was like to be a refugee.

Amen. 

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

Teachers are busy finishing off school reports this week in readiness for them to go home at the end of term.

The reports are a snapshot of your child’s progress this semester.  I encourage all of you to read your child’s report and discuss your child’s progress with them.  Take the opportunity to put in place or continue with good practices at home to support your child moving forward.

Ideas:
1. Practice of times tables at home
2. Telling the time
3. Keep a money jar handy and ask the children to show me…. $4.55, four ways of making $6 , how much change do I get back from…..
4. Use supermarket junk mail to add up the price of items.
5. Encourage your child to read as often as you can
6. Visit the library often 

In Term 3, take the opportunity to have a teacher/parent conversation about your child’s progress or anytime throughout the year.

Keep the school office or classroom teacher informed of any changes that you think may impact your child’s learning.

Stay warm and well everyone and fingers crossed for good rain this week.

- John

Winter coughs, colds and illnesses

There is an increased number of respiratory cases in the community at the moment, including influenza, COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). 

At school, we've been promoting handwashing and respiratory/coughing etiquette to limit the spread of diseases.

We've been advising that students with symptoms should stay home while unwell and we say thank you to everyone; this is helping to minimise the spread and keep us all safe and well.  This is a mandated requirement for COVID-19 and influenza cases in primary schools and children service centres under the Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019.

Here are some links below which you may find helpful: 

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) | Better Health Channel

Immunisation and pregnancy | Better Health Channel

Influenza (flu) | Better Health Channel

Influenza (flu) – immunisation | Better Health Channel

COVID-19 vaccination | Better Health Channel

School exclusion table for primary schools and children's services | health.vic.gov.au

Be a Soapy Hero! | Better Health Channel

From the Art room

The Year 5/6 have been working on their artworks which were on display for the Edenhope cultural day.  Students chose different portraits from people around the world and then embellished parts of their traditional clothing in an effort to celebrate their culture.  The Year 1/2 class made the Filipino Sarimanok birds.   These are displayed outside the front office so you're welcome to call in anytime and have a look at them.

Winter Solstice Celebration - Friday, 20th June

In honour of the Winter Solstice - the longest night of the year, which fell on Saturday, 21st June - our students embraced the cosy season by arriving at school in their pyjamas on Friday for a day filled with warmth and fun!

To reflect the calm, shorter daylight hours of winter, classes finished 15 minutes early.  This gave students extra time to rest or enjoy a quiet read in their classroom cubby houses, which they had creatively built themselves.

Throughout the day, students engaged in a variety of winter-themed activities, sipped on warm Milos prepared by the Year 5/6 students, and enjoyed a relaxed and joyful atmosphere.

The day concluded with a movie session during the last period - the perfect way to wind down and reflect on the season together.

💬What Our Students Loved Most

“I love wearing my pyjamas at school because they are very comfortable.”
— Harriett, Year 3/4

“I love watching the movie because it is relaxing and fun to watch.”
— Louie, Year 1/2

“I love the warm Milo because it is sweet!”
— Fred, Foundation

 “We love watching the movie because it’s relaxing, and we get to act out some of the roles soon!”
— Elena & Archer, Year 5/6

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Jump Rope for Heart - Jump Off Day

When: Friday 4^th July (last day of Term 2)
Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
What’s going to happen: Jump Off Day is a time to celebrate how good we have become at skipping.  Students are encouraged to wear red to school on this day.  Some healthy snacks will be shared and some fun activities and challenges will be participated in.  If possible, a $5 donation toward the day would be appreciated with all money going to Heart Research.  There will be a skipping talent show so see what tricks you can learn to wow us all!
Any questions?  Contact Ms Simpson.

N.C.C.D. facts

2026 Enrolments

Do you know someone looking for a great school in 2026?  Word of mouth is the best way to let people know about our wonderful little school.  Please encourage anyone who might be interested to contact the school for a private or group tour; our door is always open.

Learning walks hosted by the students and Principal will commence early in Term 3.

Encourage a friend to come with you to a mum's cuppa and sneak a peek.

From Carine - Mental Health & Wellbeing

Feedback – Primary Wellbeing Survey

As I have said in the previous newsletter: Thank you to each and every one of you who has taken the time to complete the survey.  We received an average of 31 surveys that helps us to have a better idea of how the whole student cohort is travelling in terms of wellbeing.

Below is the pie graph and key for our survey results:

Take aways:

The wellbeing of the majority (56.4%) of students ranges from fair to very good, while 36.6% of students’ wellbeing is excellent.  Seven percent of students’ wellbeing is poor.

In view of the above, what is working well and needs to be continued doing, and what can we improve or focus on more?

• 2 % of students communicate frequently or consistently with their parents/carers about their concerns and worries, while 48.4% does it sometimes.  Open communication is great for identifying issues and seeking support early.
• 5% of students experience high levels of stress or anxiety only sometimes.  It is normal to experience stress or anxiety and we (school and home) need to normalise stress/anxiety for our students and teach them, and model to them, how to appropriately manage it.
• 5% of students have engaged in self-harming behaviour.  Please seek support if this is true for your child or someone you know because self-harm can be replaced by more healthy coping strategies and the reason for it needs exploring and addressing.
• 5% of students’ motivation to study has ‘extremely increased’, while 67.7% of students never required additional tutoring to assist with their studies and 38.7% of students had improved academic performance – a testament to our teachers’ effort to provide engaging lessons and a positive learning environment while our parents/carers’ support and promotion of quality education has provided the foundation at home.
• 9% of students are slightly concerned or overwhelmed about the future of the world and we can address that in future lessons.
• 6% of parents/carers indicated that they were worried for their child’s future in the current social, economic and psychological environment.  We will look into presenting a parent/carer workshop to explore this topic.
• 9% of students had an increase in the amount of exercise they regularly engage in.  The positive impact that exercise has on mental and physical health has been well recorded.
• 4% of students had an increase of time they spent on social media and 19.4% of students had an increase in their online gaming.  This needs monitoring, setting clear boundaries and modelling healthy engagement with social media and gaming for students to maintain a healthy relationship with social media and gaming.  As adults we know how easy it is to get ‘sucked in’ and spent an undue amount of time online.
• 7% of students had shown an increase in their resilience.  Resilience can’t be taught just through words alone, but needs to be lived/experienced.  Parents/carers and teachers play a very important role in supporting their children/students in building their resilience through experiences.
• 13% of students have experiencing bullying.  We will continue to address that in terms of preventative strategies as well as supporting students experiencing this.
• 7% of students experienced difficulty sleeping.  Please reach out for support because a number of suggestions might relieve some of these difficulties.
• 6% of students recorded an improvement in their participation in extra-curricular activities.  This is another way to keep children engaged away from technology use, develop life skills and contribute as community members, ultimately leading to great wellbeing.

Altogether, the survey provided a very informative snapshot of our students and parents/carers' wellbeing and thoughts – thank you again for your input!

Horsham Lanes & Games School Lockin

Horsham Lanes and Games are having another School Lockin with 2 sessions this Friday night, 27th June - details are below.

Child safety - from SchoolTV

Social Media & Digital Reputation

Social media has become such an integral part of a teenager’s life.  However, many miss out on some critical social skills with most communicating whilst looking at a screen instead of another person!  Statistics show that 60 per cent of 10-11 year olds are using at least one social media site, with the majority using age-restricted platforms.  What kids do, post and say online is permanent and most are not mature enough to manage their own digital footprint.  Friendships, relationships and even future job prospects are all put at risk.

Parents need to be aware of what picture their children are painting of themselves online.  Unfortunately, many parents do not see the dangers inherent of these sites, as they form opinions based on their own experience.  But predators are usually not interested in grooming adults.  Over the years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of primary schoolers owning mobile phones, highlighting the importance to teach kids about the dangers of social media and the implications it can have.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn how to talk to their children about the inherent dangers of social media and how to educate their kids to be responsible users in the online world we live in.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback.  If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Social Media & Digital Reputation edition of SchoolTV
https://smedenhope.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/social-media-and-digital-reputation

Mum's cuppa

Next Monday, 30th June @ 2.10 p.m., we will have a long overdue Mum's cuppa; if a Dad happens to turn up, we won't turn him away! :) they're welcome to come and see what the students are up to as well.

Feel free to bring a friend or someone who might be thinking about enrolling at St. Malachy's for 2026 and they can join us when we do Sneak a Peek.

What's coming up this Term?

• Monday, 30th June - Mum's Cuppa @ 2.10 p.m.
• Thursday, 3rd July - reports go home
• Friday, 4th July - Jump Rope for Heart - Jump Off Day - 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Friday, 4th July - end of Term 2 @ 2.20 p.m.

St. Malachy's Mass times are:
1st Sunday: 11.15 a.m.
2nd Sunday: 11.15 a.m.
3rd Sunday: 11.15 a.m.
4th Sunday: 11.15 a.m.
5th Sunday: 4 p.m.

St. Malachy's welcomes everyone to join us.