Mel Maria Catholic Primary School

Every now and then, we all need a little ‘stop and ponder’ moment, just to take stock of how our life is going along. The following few lines might give us a “ponder” or two on an all too familiar topic:

“We’re too busy it seems to take time for dreams or to go for a walk in the sun. Too busy today,

no time for play too busy just getting things done. Too busy to watch the children play we

don’t hear half the things they say. Will our hearts be filled with misgivings, when we

learn we’ve been too busy for living?”

It is true that the more we expect of life the busier it becomes and the more complicated and cluttered it gets. Inevitably, this leads to less time we have available to appreciate the good things we have in life. Confucius definitely had it right when he said, “Life is really simple, but we insist in making it complicated.

How much of our business and life clutter is brought about by our being caught up in the consumer culture that focuses on making money and then spending it on what we think we need. What were once considered to be luxuries are now seen as necessities and, as we scramble to maintain and pay for all these new “necessities”. An unfortunate reality of life today is that the new things or “necessities” that we forget about what is really important in our lives. There is a danger that our family life can be affected, for at the end of a busy day each family member is both tired and overstimulated: each person is seeking love in the family as well as healing and emotional nourishment.

However, all too often the well is dry! Weariness, frustration and irritation boil to the surface and family conversation can become bitter and sharp instead of gentle and kind. It’s a true case of not being able to give what we do not have, even when it is our loved ones who are in need of our giving.

A number of years ago there was a bumper sticker that said, “Jesus is coming back soon, look busy!” When we look at the Gospels that tell of Jesus’ life, it does appear that He was a busy person. However, Jesus was also a person who celebrated life with enthusiasm from the beginning of his public life at the marriage at Cana to after his Resurrection, when some Apostles came ashore after fishing all night and found Jesus cooking breakfast for them.

Our “wants” and “desires” can cause our life to rush past us. Probably, we all need to spend more time on ourselves to ensure our physical and spiritual welfare and so that: “. . .Our hearts will not be filled with misgivings, and we’ve not been too busy for living.” This is certainly a promise and commitment I am going to make to myself moving forward!

We were delighted to recently welcome Mr. Wayne Bull, Executive Director, and Mrs. Annette Morey, Deputy Executive Director, to Mel Maria Catholic Primary School. Their visit offered us a valuable opportunity to showcase the exciting advancements we’ve made on both campuses, all in preparation for our upcoming transition to the new two-campus model in 2025.

During their time with us, Mr. Bull and Mrs. Morey showed great interest in the enhancements we have put in place to ensure a seamless transition for our students and families. These improvements are integral to our commitment to providing a high-quality, faith-centred educational experience, and they underscore our vision for Mel Maria’s future growth and development. Their visit affirmed the hard work of our staff and community, and we look forward to further strengthening our partnership with Catholic Education Western Australia as we continue this journey.

We are excited to keep our community updated on our progress as we move towards the 2025 transition, and we thank Mr Bull and Mrs Morey for their support and enthusiasm for Mel Maria’s future.

I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who attended and supported the Early Childhood Education Parent Afternoon yesterday. It was fantastic to see such a wonderful turnout of new parents, all eager and excited for their children to begin their journey with us.

This was indeed a milestone event, as these students will be the first to experience our New Model from their very first day at school. The parents I spoke with were genuinely pleased with the plans and preparations we have in place. Now, as a team, we have the opportunity to fulfil these expectations—and I am confident in our ability to do so.

A special thanks to Lyn and Sylvia for their hard work organising the information packs, and to Luke Murphy and Roman for setting up the hall. Your efforts ensured a smooth and welcoming event.

Thank you all once again for your dedication and support.

Student reports will be accessible online on Friday, 6th December, from 4:00 pm onwards. These reports offer valuable insights into each child’s progress and achievements throughout the year.

In addition to academic progress, the reports highlight the level of effort students are dedicating to their learning. Recognising and valuing effort is essential, as it lays the foundation for long-term success and personal growth. We encourage parents to take some time to sit down with their child, review the report together, and celebrate both achievements and the hard work that made them possible.

2025 promises to be an exciting year for Mel Maria as we embark on a new chapter with our two-campus model. As we continue to grow and evolve, we are seeking the invaluable input and leadership of our parent community. With that in mind, we warmly invite you to attend our Annual Community Meeting on Tuesday, 19 November, starting at 3:30pm. This year, we’re trying something new by holding the meeting directly after school, a strategy that has seen success in other schools, and we hope this time works well for our families. There will be staff around to look after the students if required.

Parents would have received the ‘Nomination Forms’, and I strongly encourage parents to consider nominating for a position on either the School Advisory Council or the P&F Executive Committee. These roles provide a fantastic opportunity to support our Leadership Team and staff, contribute to decision-making processes in the school, and be an integral part of our exciting journey ahead. Whether you’re passionate about education, community building, or enhancing the experiences of our students and families, your contribution will make a real difference. We look forward to your involvement and support!

As the school undertakes the process of preparation for the upcoming school year, it is important that we are aware of possible movements both in and out of the school community.

The end of any school year is a busy time for many families insofar as transfers due to work or other personal circumstances. With position vacancies at a premium and with waiting lists already resulting for particular in some year levels, it is essential that we are made aware as soon as is practicable of either new enrolments or of families who may be leaving Mel Maria at the end of the year. This can be done by notifying the school via email at enrolments@melmaria.wa.edu.au

Thank You.

A reminder to all families that school fees are due, and that if for any reason you are falling behind you need to make an appointment with me to address these and the payments required.

Term 1 - Wednesday 5 February – Friday 11 April

Term 2 - Tuesday 28 April – Friday 4 July

Term 3 - Monday 21 July – Thursday 25 September

Term 4 - Tuesday 14 October – Friday 12 December

Friday - 28 February

Tuesday - 3 June

Monday - 25 August

Friday - 26 September

Monday - 13 October

The 2024 End of Year Christmas Carols is on this next Friday 22 November and we are looking forward to all families joining us for this special event.

As this is a whole school function all students from Pre-Primary to Year Six are expected to attend.

Children will need to be at school and in their classrooms by 5.30pm. The children will be seated as a class during the concert.

A few reminders and some important information for the evening:

· The School Concert will begin from 6.00pm.

· Parents will need to bring their own rug or chairs.

· Their will be some special preferential setting for four lucky families who won the privilege to sit in these areas. This will be well defined.

· Please note that we will have a lawn area for rugs. All chairs will need to be behind this area.

· Playground equipment on the oval will be out of bounds.

· We remind you that all younger and older children need to be seated with parents during the concert.

· We encourage and welcome all family members - grandparents, aunts, uncles etc.

· We recognise that parking will be limited on the day, but please do not park on our neighbour’s lawns or block driveways.

· At the conclusion of the concert the children will return to their class teacher to be collected. Please do not just take your child without notifying the class teacher.

· Please see the Map for seating

A reminder that parking is available in the designated areas around the school as well as in the Church car park. Please respect the property of our school neighbours and do not park on resident's front lawns or block driveways.

At the conclusion of the evening, the children will remain with their class teacher.. Parents will need to collect the children from their child’s teacher, ensuring that their child’s name has been signed off. Please do not take your child without letting your class teacher know otherwise there will be a search party out looking for them.

We look forward to the End of Year Christmas Concert and sharing the end of year celebration together

Kind regards

Paul Hille

Principal

#MakingADifferenceEveryday

Prayer for the Week

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Thought for the Week

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We are Called to Serve

The calling of a Catholic school today is to be prophetic

and to keep before students the values of Jesus in the contemporary world’ (Mandate 33). Catholic schools impact the broader society by fostering a Catholic worldview.

They form young people who are committed “to the love, compassion and justice of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

(Mandate 6).

Students at Mel Maria get to serve the call to social justice in a variety of ways.

Students at the Pater Noster Campus have been supporting the Parish by collecting high quality toys to give to our local Charity Saint Patrick’s Care Centre in readiness for supporting families at Christmas.

For Care Bags Australia Care Bags is a WA run charity that provide essential items for children in Foster or Transitional Care. Thank you to our Year Four families for organising and supporting such a worthy event.

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https://melmaria.wa.edu.au/assets/2025/2025-Mel-Maria-BYOD-Program.pdf

Enrolments are now being taken for siblings and new students wishing to commence Pre-Kindergarten at Mel Maria Catholic Primary School in 2025. Families with children eligible for Pre- Kindergarten in 2025 are required to fill out an Enrolment Application Form. To enrol in Pre-Kindergarten, a child must be three years of age before the 30 June 2025.

Mel Maria Catholic School Primary School will continue to operate full day Pre-Kindergarten groups next year with the days of attendance being Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Classes are filling up fast, with limited positions now available, so it is important that parents submit their applications as soon as possible. Application forms can be obtained from the office or please follow the link provided. https://melmaria.wa.edu.au/assets/Uploads/General/Application-for-Enrolment-Form.pdf.

In 2025, we will have a whole new Early Childhood space for students from Pre-Kindergarten to Year Two. This is going to be very exciting for the students, teachers and parents.

Enrolments are now being taken for siblings and new students wishing to commence Kindergarten at Mel Maria Catholic Primary School in 2025. Families with children eligible for Kindergarten in 2025 are required to fill out an Enrolment Application Form. These can be collected from the office or please follow the link provided. https://melmaria.wa.edu.au/assets/Uploads/General/Application-for-Enrolment-Form.pdf.

Kindergarten places are limited so it is important that parents within the Mel Maria Catholic Primary School community submit their applications as soon as possible.

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School Term Dates for 2024

Term 1: Wednesday 31 January - 28 March

Term 2: Monday 15 April - Friday 28 June

Term 3: Monday 15 July - Thursday 19 September

Term 4: Tuesday 8 October - Friday 6 December

Pupil Free Days for 2024

Term 1: Monday 11 March

Term 2: Tuesday 4 June

Term 3: Friday 16 August, Friday 20 September

Term 4: Monday 7 October