Dear Parents,

Anna 

Religious Education 

Sacraments

It was great having the Confirmation Commitment masses on the weekend at the parish church. We are all very excited to support the students who have decided to confirm their faith through Confirmation. I will work with Year 6 teachers to support the process through the school-based Religious Education curriculum.

Planning with Teachers

Last night I met with all of the teachers in the school and presented some professional learning on Luke’s Gospel and planning for Term 2. I am very excited for our Term 2 scripture topic, focus statement and provocation image. I will talk more to it next term as to not ruin anything for the students. I spoke to the School Board this term about the Religious Education curriculum we follow in DOSCEL, which is available for anyone to view. We are lucky to have this provided to us to aid classroom teachers in providing the highest quality religious education possible for our students, who deserve it. I will continue to work with teachers in more depth next term and as the year progresses.

Sunday Scripture Spotlight

School Operations

The holidays aren’t necessarily a quiet time at the school as this is when contractors are booked in for maintenance. Over the holidays, we will be having:

• Some internal walls in every Siena classroom painted a more neutral colour, reducing visual stimuli and allowing students to concentrate on the TV when needed
• All of the storm water pits and drains will be cleaned in preparation for winter. This is a big job due to the size of our school
• Quotes will be done on some gardening and opening up some areas for students
• Our cleaners have been provided a list of items that they will do in depth over the break alongside their normal maintenance cleaning

It’s always a busy time but we hope to have the school looking even better than when students leave at the end of the term

Sunday Scripture Spotlight

This Sunday’s scripture is from John 20:1-9. Below is the translation from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, as found on Bible Gateway.

The Resurrection of Jesus

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Gospel Reflection

The joy of Easter, Pope Francis reminds us, is a call ‘to experience the risen Christ and to share the experience with others.’ Like the women finding the tomb empty and telling the disciples, or Peter running to the tomb when he heard the news, we are called to respond to the message with action! We are meant to become bearers and sharers of hope: He is Risen!

As the Pope suggests, sometimes this means that we have ‘to roll away the stone from the tomb where we may have enclosed the Lord.’ We need to be open to being changed.

‘A Christianity that seeks the Lord among the ruins of the past and encloses him in the tomb of habit’, the Pope declares emphatically, ‘is a Christianity without Easter.’ Every year, therefore, we should take up anew this opportunity to follow our Lord with joyful hope. Each Easter is an opportunity to proclaim Christ Risen in our own time and place.

‘Let us make Jesus,’ the Pope says, ‘rise again from all those tombs in which we have sealed him.’ Let us embrace this Easter opportunity for ‘encountering him today as the living God who desires to change us and to change our world.’ Let us proclaim the Resurrection by what we do next.

Hello Everyone,

It has been an exciting term in the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPs) space!

Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPs)

As shared in an earlier newsletter, the MHiPs initiative highlights the critical role schools play in supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader's role includes, but is not limited to: building capacity in the prevention, promotion, and identification of mental health and wellbeing situations, supporting staff, developing referral pathways, and monitoring and evaluating care practices.

This term, the required training through Melbourne University has been completed, and we have been working collaboratively as a school leadership team to identify our next steps and opportunities.

Parent Survey

We received over 200 responses from our parent community, and we want to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to participate.

During a staff workshop, we began analysing the data and would like to share some key findings:

• Parents agree that student mental health and wellbeing are essential for their child’s success at school
• Several important roles the school plays in supporting students' mental health and wellbeing were highlighted, including:
• Providing a safe and caring learning environment
• Observing changes in behavior
• Offering additional support when needed
• Delivering mental health and wellbeing education to students

• Parents shared cultural considerations to be aware of as we support the diverse learning community of St Catherine’s

• As a Catholic school, parents expressed an interest in understanding how wellbeing is addressed pastorally
• Parents also requested more information about how mental health and wellbeing are integrated at St. Catherine’s and how students are supported in this area

At St Catherine’s, we truly value the input of our families and will use this feedback to improve our current practices.

Following up on the parent feedback, we will now be including a Mental Health and Wellbeing Spotlight in our fortnightly school newsletter. This will be an opportunity to communicate with families about how we approach mental health education at St Catherine’s, as well as share knowledge, information, and resources. We will begin next term by focusing on how teachers are currently supporting students' wellbeing in the classroom and how we address social and emotional learning through the Capabilities framework.

Please be reminded that if you ever have any questions or concerns about your child’s mental health and wellbeing, do not hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher.

Looking forward to sharing more in our upcoming entries!

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter.

Jasmine Bentley

Mental Health & Wellbeing Leader

DRAWING  COMPETITION

Bite size Fundraiser!

We are excited to announce a new fundraiser initiative for Term 2.

On March 25 - 26, Year 4 students went to camp at Phillip Island Adventure resort.

Across two days, students participated in a variety of activities including an initiatives course (team building), archery, low ropes, giant swing, flying fox and canoeing on the lake. A great time was had by all. Our Year 4 students should be extremely proud of the way they represented St Catherine’s and gave the various activities a go, even when apprehensive. A thank you must also go to the staff who gave up their time including time away from their own families to allow this to go ahead. Without them, school camps would not be possible. Below are some reflections on the camp.

Mr Balzary  

This month on SchoolTV - Cybersafety

Young people today are growing up in an increasingly connected world where technology is part of their everyday lives –– for learning, socialising, and entertainment. While the digital world offers enormous benefits, it also comes with serious risks. From cyberbullying and online predators to inappropriate content and screen time concerns, navigating the online environment can be challenging for young people and their families.

Cybersafety is not just about blocking access –– it's about empowering young people with the knowledge and skills they need to use technology responsibly and safely. This includes understanding privacy settings, recognising scams, and developing healthy digital habits. At the same time, it's important for parents and caregivers to stay informed, have open and judgement-free conversations with their children, and lead by example through positive online behaviour.

In today's digital age, safeguarding a child's wellbeing must also include protecting their online life. This edition of SchoolTV will help you better understand the digital landscape your child is navigating and offer practical strategies to help them stay safe, confident and in control online.

Last Friday, St Catherine’s held their annual House Cross Country. It was great to see a plethora of students dress up in their house colours on the day. 

We started the day by having all the Grade 3-6 classes on the footy oval standing in their house groups and students did an amazing job cheering on their peers running past. Our races started with the 12/13 year olds and finished with the Grade 3’s. Students had to run around our school as well as St Francis Xavier’s basketball courts and oval, making it the ultimate challenge. 

In the middle block the whole school came out together to watch the Preps, Grade One’s and Grade Two’s ran on our school oval with our House Captains leading the way. The atmosphere was even louder with a large number of parents cheering on our Juniors from the sidelines. 

A big thank you to all the staff who helped out on the day and behind the scenes to make this event possible, our student leaders and to the parents who came out and supported the students. 

Congratulations to all the students that participated on the day. Well done to all. 

Mr Pawlukowski