Newsletter - Friday, 4th July, 2025
Prayer
From the Principal
Dear Parents,
Today, your child's Semester One report will have been sent home. Please take time to enjoy the wonderful growth the students have made, they work very hard! A huge thank you to our teachers for their incredible hard work in writing the reports. It gives me great joy to read about all the students and see how well their teachers know them.
It is timely to give thanks for all the opportunities that have come our way this term. We are so fortunate! Thanks so much to all our families for supporting us in nurturing our students and to the staff at St Malachy’s for your dedication to your work.
Sadly, we will farewell the Jinga family this Friday as they relocate to Warrnambool for Sumantha’s work and new educational opportunities for the children. Lordwin will continue working in Edenhope to fulfil his contractual obligations and will commute to Warrnambool on weekends.
We extend our very best wishes to Murishe, Munoshamisa, Munyasha, Sumantha, and Lordwin as they embark on this next chapter. They will always be part of the St Malachy’s community.
Have a wonderful holiday everyone shared with those you love and stay safe if you are travelling away at all.
School resumes on Monday 21st July.
Kind regards
- John
Around the rooms
Year Foundation - Mrs. Craig
This week, we have loved creating our first mini information report about turtles. We used sentence starters and key words to help us write simple sentences we shared verbally with our buddies. Our main focus was on taking pride and time in our work to create some bright displays. We have loved watching our 5/6 buddies create learning samples all year and wanted to give it a try ourselves.
Year 1/2 - Mrs. Stringer
What a fun-filled and busy term we’ve had in Year 1/2! The students have been working hard across all areas of learning and are excited to share some of the wonderful things happening in our classroom.
Informational Texts
In Literacy, we have been learning about informational texts. The students discovered that these texts are factual and help us learn new things about the world around us. Each student chose an animal to research and wrote their own information report. They did a fantastic job using headings, facts, and diagrams to present their work clearly. We now have a classroom full of animal experts!
Magic Faraway Tree Adventures
Our class novel this term was The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. The students have absolutely loved getting to know the quirky characters and magical lands. A favourite moment was when Saucepan Man was thrown into jail in the Land of Toys — and the children had to come up with a clever plan to break him out! There was lots of laughter and excitement as we followed their daring escape.
Exploring Mass in Numeracy
In Maths, we’ve been learning all about mass. The students have enjoyed comparing the weight of different objects, using the terms "heavier" and "lighter". They also had fun using balance scales to investigate and test their predictions. Many were surprised by what objects were heavier than they expected - especially when a glue stick outweighed a pencil case!
Music and Production Preparations
In Music, we’ve been getting ready for our end-of-year production of Arthur and the Sword in the Stone. The students are already busy learning the songs and dances for their performance. There’s lots of excitement in the air as we prepare to bring the story to life on stage. We can’t wait for you to see it later in the year!
Inquiry: Our Country, Australia
In Inquiry, we’ve been exploring the states and territories of Australia. Students have been learning where each state and territory is on the map, what their capital cities are called, and some fun facts about each one. We’ve had great conversations about travel, family connections, and the different landscapes across our country.
Creative Citrus in Art
In Art, the students have been working on a fantastic paper mache project. Each student has created a paper mache bowl, and they are now in the process of decorating them with bright and colourful citrus fruit designs. Inspired by lemons, oranges, and limes, the bowls are bursting with creativity and colour. We can’t wait for them to dry and be ready to take home!
Reading Focus: Building Fluency and Confidence
This term, our students are focussing on developing fluency in their reading. To support this in Term 3, students will be encouraged to read the same book across several nights. Repeated reading helps build confidence, improve expression, and support word recognition. Students will be reminded to change their take-home books once a week, but they are welcome to borrow a few books at a time if they’d like. If you feel your child’s book level isn’t quite right (as books are sometimes returned to the wrong box), please feel free to leave a note in your child’s diary or contact me directly to discuss.
It has been a joyful and productive term filled with creativity, curiosity, and teamwork. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to an exciting term ahead!
Year 3/4 - written by the students
In Year 3/4, we have been learning about gorillas and writing an information report. We are turning our reports into interesting posters. Matthew said - "I have discovered lots of different things about gorillas. Gorillas have 98% of our DNA." Indi said, "Gorillas have longer arms than legs."
In Maths we have been learning about place value and the value of different digits in larger numbers such as 567,894. We have also been practising our times tables.
In Inquiry, we have been learning about why the First Fleet came to Australia. We have been learning about how the convicts were treated on the ships.
In R.E., we have been learning about fair trade.
Esther said, "In Music, it was fun when we got to learn a new song".
In Art, we have been making paper mache vases. Harriett said, "I really enjoyed making the paper mache vases."
- Written by Grade 3/4
Year 5/6 - Ms. Simpson
The last two weeks of term have seen a revolving door of students in and out with illness and end-of-term-itis.
We have spent a lot of time catching up and finishing off. Students have completed three information reports in three different styles-a written essay, a booklet and a poster with a 3D component (which has also been part of our inquiry).
In Mathematics, we have been working on mean, mode, median and range when looking at data.
I hope you all have a restful holiday. Stay warm and refuel for an exciting Term 3.
Happy snaps from around the grounds
With advertising currently being put together for the Principal vacancy, we've had filming and photography happening here. Tara, from DOBCEL, has shared some of her random shots that she captured of the students playing in the wilderness area - now we know why there are no mandarins on our tree!! Thanks Tara for sharing your great photos.
Jump Rope for Heart - Jump Off Day
When: Friday 4th 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.
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.
Child safety
Working together to keep kids safe
At St Malachy’s, we believe that keeping children safe is a shared responsibility between schools, families, and the wider community. When parents and carers partner with us, we can create the strongest and safest environment for all students to learn and grow.
Here’s how you can help us keep our school safe:
Stay informed – Read our child safety updates and reach out if you have any questions.
Talk regularly with your child about how they’re feeling at school and encourage them to speak up if something doesn’t feel right.
Keep communication open – Let us know about any changes at home or concerns that might affect your child’s wellbeing.
Be involved – Attend school events, volunteer where possible, and get to know the staff and routines.
Together, we can build a culture where every child feels safe, heard and supported because child safety is everyone’s business.
A.F.L. School Holiday Program
The Station School Holiday Program
What's coming up this Term?
- 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: 11.15 a.m.
St. Malachy's welcomes everyone to join us.