No 13. Term 3 Week 3, 2nd August 2024
Principal's News
As the world watches the athletes competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics, we are reminded of the powerful theme of unity, especially significant in these times of increased global conflict. The Olympic Games offer more than just a display of athletic prowess; they showcase stories of incredible heroism, perseverance, and the spirit of coming together despite our differences.
One of the most inspiring stories from the current Olympics is that of Yusra Mardini, a former refugee and two-time Olympian who is now advocating for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. Yusra, who fled war-torn Syria, competed in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games, and her journey has become a beacon of hope for many. This year, she urges the world to support the 36 athletes from 11 different countries who make up the Refugee Olympic Team, representing over 100 million displaced people globally. Her story and message highlight the importance of opening our hearts and minds to the struggles and triumphs of refugees, reminding us of the strength and resilience found in unity.
Another remarkable story is that of Arab Sibghatullah, a judoka competing for the Refugee Olympic Team. Despite the political turmoil in his homeland, Sibghatullah pursued his Olympic dream from Germany. His journey underscores the importance of family support and the relentless pursuit of one’s goals. As he competes in Paris, Sibghatullah aims to inspire the next generation to stay strong and follow their dreams, showcasing that heroism is not just about winning medals but also about overcoming adversity and setting an example for others.
These stories teach us valuable lessons about unity, resilience, and the human spirit. In our school community at St. Kevin’s, these themes are crucial. Just as athletes from diverse backgrounds come together to compete in the Olympics, our multicultural community thrives on mutual respect, understanding, and collaboration. The Olympics remind us that despite our differences, we can achieve greatness when we work together and support one another.
In a school setting, fostering a sense of unity is essential for creating a positive and inclusive environment. Celebrating stories of heroism and resilience helps our students understand the importance of perseverance, empathy, and teamwork. It encourages them to embrace diversity and view challenges as opportunities for growth and learning.
As we cheer on the athletes in Paris, we can also reflect on how we can embody these values in our daily lives. By supporting each other and striving for unity, we can build a stronger, more compassionate community at St. Kevin’s, where every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Jason Micallef,
Principal
Friday, August 9
Wear GREEN AND GOLD Day
To honour our Aussie Olympians.
Leadership & Management
The NED Show Inspires St Kevin’s Community!
Hello families! NED’s Mindset Mission was a positive behaviour show for our school! A world-class performer took our students on a 45-minute journey filled with storytelling, illusions, yo-yo tricks and humour. NED’s message and memorable friends inspired students, promoted academic achievement, and supported our school goals. NED has become a positive role model at both school and at home. Never give up, Encourage others, Do your best. A yo-yo is both a mindset tool and a tangible reminder of NED’s message. While learning to yo, children will make mistakes, try again, & improve.
Yoyo mania has reached St Kevin's! Thanks to all the parents and staff who assisted in selling yoyos before school. The students are having lots of fun at recess and lunchtime, learning new tricks and teaching each other yoyo skills. We ask that students write their names on their yoyos with permanent markers.
Andrew Butler - Operations and Community Engagement
Wishing Trish Cale a Speedy Recovery
Our beloved Admin Officer, Trish Cale, will be taking leave starting mid-week next week. We wish her all the best during her time away and look forward to her return in Term 4. Please join us in sending Trish warm thoughts and well wishes for a smooth and restful recovery.
Thank You for Your Understanding During Staffing Shortages
We wanted to extend our heartfelt thanks for your understanding and patience as we navigate staffing shortages due to illness. Ensuring that our students continue to receive quality education is our top priority, and we make every effort to replace teachers who are absent due to illness. However, we are sometimes challenged by the limited availability of replacement teachers.
In situations where we cannot secure a replacement, we occasionally need to split children among the remaining classes. While this is not our ideal scenario, it ensures that your child is with a familiar teacher and that their learning continues seamlessly.
We deeply appreciate your support and understanding as we work through these challenges.
Parents & Friends Association
Once again we have joined the Pancake Parlour challenge in the hope of winning funds towards the school for something new and exciting for our students; literacy resources!
The challenge will go until the end of the year so we have plenty of time to do even better than last year.
We did such an amazing job in 2023 to win our area prize, but why not try to win the overall prize in 2024? WE could win thousands of dollars for the school! This year they have changed it to not just be one overall prize but 5 places which gives us even more chances.
All you need to do is download the Pancake Parlour App and join up. You then need to click on the school rewards tab and ‘add school’ by scrolling to find St Kevin’s Hampton Park and join our team.
Every time you visit or order online you will create points for our school by swiping your membership barcode or mentioning our school.
Even if you believe you won’t visit Pancake Parlour, that is ok, joining the app and adding our school still Gains us points by the number of people as members.
Here’s to a successful year and good luck to everyone…let’s do this!!
Natalie Eyssens
P&F President
Education in Faith
This Week's Gospel Reflection
John 6:1-15 presents a powerful portrayal of Jesus’ compassion, power, and prophetic message. The feeding of the five thousand is more than a mere miracle of sustenance; it’s a profound spiritual metaphorical event.
The Physical Need - The crowd is hungry, highlighting their physical need and mirroring our own daily struggles and longing for deeper fulfilment.
The Boy's Offering - A young boy’s five loaves and two fish seem insignificant, yet Jesus multiplies them. This teaches us that even small acts of generosity can have extraordinary impacts when placed in God's hands, encouraging us to share our resources with faith.
The Breaking of Bread - Jesus’ breaking and distributing of bread echoes the Holy Eucharist and foreshadows his ultimate sacrifice on the cross.
The Crowd's Response - The crowd is amazed by the miracle but focuses on the physical bread, seeking to make Jesus king to satisfy their hunger.
Here are some examples of how parents can engage with their children about the lessons from John 6:1-15:
- Discuss Daily Needs: Talk to your children about their daily needs and how they can relate to the crowd's hunger. Encourage them to express their feelings and recognize their own needs.
- Small Acts of Kindness: Encourage your children to perform small acts of kindness, such as sharing their toys or helping a sibling. Explain how even small gestures can make a big difference, just like the boy’s offering.
- Participate in the Eucharist: Attend Mass together and explain the significance of the Eucharist. Discuss how the breaking of bread at Mass connects to Jesus’ miracle and his sacrifice.
- Understanding Gratitude: Teach your children to be grateful for what they have. Use the story to explain how the crowd focused on the physical bread but missed the deeper meaning of Jesus’ miracle.
- Family Discussions: Have regular family discussions about how these lessons can be applied in daily life. Ask questions like, “How can we show compassion today?” or “What can we share with others this week?”
Lord Jesus,
Thank you for your incredible power and compassion. You fed thousands with just a few loaves and fish, showing us that even the smallest amount can be multiplied when you are in control. Help us to trust in your abundant provision for our needs. May we always be willing to share what we have with others, no matter how little it may seem. Amen.
Learning & Teaching
Flourishing Learners at St Kevin’s: Embodying the MACS Vision for Instruction
At St Kevin’s, we are super excited that our approach to nurturing flourishing learners is aligned with the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools' (MACS) newly published document, "Vision for Instruction". According to this vision, flourishing learners are those who grow academically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, embodying a holistic approach to education.
Flourishing learners are:
- Engaged and Motivated: Actively participating in their learning journey with curiosity and enthusiasm.
- Resilient and Adaptable: Overcoming challenges with confidence and perseverance.
- Ethically Grounded: Demonstrating strong moral values and empathy.
- Collaborative and Communicative: Working well with others and sharing ideas effectively.
- Lifelong Learners: Embracing continuous growth and improvement.
We embody this vision by creating an environment that supports and nurtures in all these areas.
Engagement and Motivation - Our dynamic curriculum, incorporating inquiry-based learning and explicit teaching, ensures students are actively involved and motivated.
Resilience and Adaptability - We promote a growth mindset and problem-solving skills through supportive and inclusive practices, fostering resilience.
Ethical and Spiritual Growth - Integrating Gospel values into daily activities, our Religious Education program fosters strong ethical foundations.
Collaboration and Communication - Collaborative projects and group discussions enhance students’ communication skills and teamwork.
Lifelong Learning - We encourage continuous learning and self-improvement, with teachers modelling this through their own professional development.
Guided by the MACS Vision for Instruction, St Kevin’s is dedicated to helping each student flourish. By fostering an environment where students are engaged, resilient, ethical, collaborative, and lifelong learners, we prepare them to succeed in all aspects of life, grounded in our Catholic faith.
Hatching Excitement in Grades 1 & 2!
Calling all chick enthusiasts! Our grade 1 and 2 students are clucking with joy, thanks to the incredible Henny Penny Hatching program. This program brings the wonder of life cycles right into the classroom, allowing the children to witness the miracle of chicks hatching firsthand.
Imagine the thrill of watching fluffy chicks emerge from their shells in a specially designed incubator! Through this program, the children have had the opportunity to have a clear view of the chicks' world through a see-through brooding pen, where they can observe the chicks at play and learn about their behaviours.
This hands-on experience goes far beyond textbooks. The children are not only gaining new vocabulary related to chickens and their life cycle, but they are also developing a sense of responsibility and empathy as they care for these tiny creatures.
We have even had some lucky students witness the hatching process itself – an unforgettable experience they will surely cherish! This program is a fantastic example of how learning can be both exciting and enriching.
Stay tuned for future updates on our feathered friends' adventures!
Book Week at St. Kevin's will be celebrated during Week 6 (Monday 19th August - Friday 23rd August).
Some of the ways we are celebrating are:
Monday 19th Aug - A visit from author Coral Vass. See below for details about ordering her books.
Mon 19th Aug - Thursday 22nd Aug: Lunchtime activities for students who are interested.
Friday 23rd August: Book Week dress up. All students are invited to come dressed as a book character. A book week parade will be held in the hall at 2:30pm. All parents are welcome to attend.
Looking for a Book Week Costume?
Maze Navigation using Indonesian
In senior LOTE, Grade 6 students have been busy preparing for filming school tours. They learned directional words in Indonesian and were practicing using these words by guiding a blindfolded friend through a maze on the interactive TV. They were surprisingly good at it, but they did get loud with their instructions!
Student Wellbeing
RESPECT, is one of our school's core Values.
In week 1 and 2, students and staff explored our school value: Respect in more detail with focus on KINDNESS.
Thank you to all families and friends who also focussed on this value action in your lives outside of school. Below are the students who have been recognised as making an extra effort with this by their classroom teachers. Congratulations and thank you to all of those students named!
Ezlynn (PJS), Yoshika (1LO), Talia (1LO), Anna (1PE), Immanuel (1PE), Aginth (2DM), Andrea (2DM), Rocky (2BR), Alexander (2BR), Christian (2KE), Maegan (3FR), Amaya (3FR), Fedora (3SC), Naveen (3SC), Joshua (3FO), Tasha (3FO), Jasmine (3FO), Adithri (5RU), Henry (5RU), Abiar (5HI), Casey (5HI), Erin (6BE), Mina (6BE)
This week we began looking at our final values action for Respect: BE RESPONSIBLE. Please take the time to discuss this as a family and consider the ways we can work together to develop responsibility in our St Kevin's community.
Attendance Matters - Make EVERY day count!
Consistent attendance at school adds up! When students consistently attend school, they are given the greatest opportunity to achieve their best and enjoy a positive school experience. When absenteeism becomes frequent it can often be challenging to return to school and extra support may be needed to build up consistency. If in doubt, it is better to be late than not come at all!
Community
Ask Izzy: A Valuable Resource for Our Community
Ask Izzy, a free and anonymous online resource designed to help Australians find essential services quickly and easily.
Ask Izzy (https://askizzy.org.au/) connects people with over 370,000 support services across Australia. Whether you’re looking for housing, food, healthcare, counselling, or other support, Ask Izzy makes it simple to find help near you.
How Does It Work?
Simply enter your location and the type of assistance you need, and Ask Izzy will provide a list of nearby services. The platform covers a wide range of needs, including:
- Housing Assistance: Shelters and long-term housing.
- Food Services: Food banks and meal programs.
- Health Services: Healthcare providers and mental health support.
- Counselling and Support: Legal aid and financial assistance.
Ask Izzy is user-friendly and works on smartphones, tablets, and computers, making it accessible to everyone.
We encourage you to explore Ask Izzy and share it with anyone who might benefit. Knowing where to turn for help can make a significant difference.
