No 12. Term 3 Week 1, 25th July 2025

Principal's News

Welcome to Term 3: A Season for Growth

Welcome back, everyone! I hope the holidays gave your family a chance to rest, reset and enjoy some slower starts and wintery moments together. As we return to school, the days might still be short and the mornings chilly, but there’s something about Term 3 that always warms the heart of a teacher.

This is, without a doubt, my favourite term of the school year.

By now, students have a full semester under their belt. They’ve settled into the rhythm of school life, understand their learning responsibilities and have formed meaningful connections with their teachers and classmates. Classrooms hum with purpose, routines feel familiar and there’s a quiet confidence building across the school. From a learning point of view, Term 3 is often where we see the biggest leaps forward and it’s a joy to witness.

There’s also plenty to look forward to this term!

Next week, we’ll be celebrating a huge milestone with our Prep students: 100 days of school! It’s a fun and joy-filled tradition that marks just how far our littlest learners have come. Our Year 6 students begin the important work of preparing for both their camp experience and the sacrament of Confirmation. For our Prep to Year 2 families, we’re excited to host a Numeracy Information Evening later next month to support maths learning at home. And of course, one of the biggest calendar highlights, Book Week returns mid-term, with plenty of imagination, creativity and dress-up fun ahead.

This term, we’re also excited to launch our fundraising partnership with Campaggna Elementary School in the Philippines, our friendship school. Each level will be leading a fundraising drive across the term, helping to raise money for much-needed resources and improvements. It’s a beautiful opportunity for our children to live out our school values, show compassion in action, and realise that even small efforts can make a big difference in the lives of others. I warmly encourage our community to support their efforts however you can.

Here’s to a term of steady growth, strong learning and meaningful connection.

Welcome back!

Jason Micallef,
Principal

Leadership & Management

School Fees – A Gentle Reminder

Fee statements were issued late last term. At this stage of the year, we encourage families to check in with their school fee commitments and if payments have fallen behind, to please make an effort to catch up where possible.

We understand that financial pressures can arise and we want to reassure you that support is always available. If your circumstances have changed or you're finding things difficult, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. A confidential conversation can often make a big difference and we are always here to work with you.

Over the next few weeks, we will begin following up with families who have significant outstanding amounts. This is simply part of ensuring we can continue to provide the very best for our students and community.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership.

Celebrating 20 Years of Faithful Service

Earlier this week, we had the absolute pleasure of celebrating a very special milestone with Fr Fabian. His 20th anniversary of priestly ordination!

In true St Kevin’s style, we marked the occasion with joy, gratitude and a spirited lap of honour. Fr Fabian was greeted with high-fives, big smiles and plenty of love from our students.

Congratulations, Fr Fabian! Thank you for your faithful service and for the warmth, wisdom and friendship you bring to our school community.

May God continue to bless you with strength, joy and grace in your ministry and may you always know how deeply you are appreciated.

Term 3 After School Sports

Book Week is coming!

One of the most anticipated events on the school calendar is almost here—Book Week is just around the corner!

To celebrate our love of reading, all students are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character on Monday 18 August. Whether it’s a wizard from Hogwarts, a hero from an adventure story, or a creature from a classic picture book, we can’t wait to see the creativity on display!

We’ll be holding a whole-school dress-up parade that morning to showcase everyone’s costumes and celebrate the magic of books. Families are most welcome to come along and enjoy the fun.

Book Week is a great chance to spark imagination, encourage reading and remind us all of the joy that stories bring. Start thinking about your costumes—we’re looking forward to a colourful celebration of characters and creativity!

Stay tuned for more Book Week updates in the coming weeks.

Join Us for Assembly – Celebrating Learning Together

We warmly invite all families to join us for our school assemblies this term. Taking place nearly every Friday afternoon at 2:30pm, assemblies are a special time in the life of our school community. They are a chance to come together, celebrate student achievements and share in the learning that’s happening across our classrooms.

Each week, a different class will take the lead in showcasing their learning. These presentations are a wonderful way for students to develop confidence, practise speaking in front of an audience and take pride in the work they’ve done.

We’d love to see you there. Your presence makes it even more meaningful for the students.

Below, you’ll find a roster outlining which classes will be presenting at each assembly. We hope you can join us!

Thank You for Supporting Project Compassion!

We are delighted to share that St Kevin’s Primary School has once again made a real difference through our participation in Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion 2025.

Together with hundreds of Catholic schools across Australia, our school community helped raise an incredible $10 million to support vulnerable communities around the world. This remarkable total is a testament to the compassion, generosity, and sense of justice that shines through our students and families.

We recently received a Certificate of Appreciation from Caritas Australia in recognition of our contribution. It serves as a reminder that even small acts of kindness, when combined with others, can create life-changing impact for people in need.

Thank you to every student, family, and staff member who took part in Project Compassion this year. Your generosity and commitment to living out the Gospel values is inspiring. Together, we are helping to Unite Against Poverty and bring hope to communities both near and far.

We look forward to continuing this important mission in 2026!

Visitors and Child Safety at St Kevin’s

We love having parents, grandparents and special guests join us for events at St Kevin’s. Whether you're here for a special assembly, classroom visit or celebration, your presence helps make our community strong.

To ensure our school remains a safe and respectful place for every child, we kindly ask all visitors to be aware of the following:

• Sign in on arrival: All visitors are asked to check in at the office when they arrive. This helps us know who is on site and keep everyone safe.

• Supervision matters: During school events, students are always supervised by staff. We ask that all visitor interactions with students happen within those supervised settings.

• Toilets for visitors: For child safety reasons, visitors are asked to use the clearly marked adult toilets. Student toilets are just for children.

• Working With Children Checks:

  • For one-off events, visitors don’t need a WWC Check.

  • For ongoing volunteering (like classroom help or excursions), a current WWC Check is required.

These simple measures help us care for what matters most: our children. Thanks for helping us make St Kevin’s a safe and welcoming place for all.

Heads up! Save the dates

Education in Faith

Gospel Reflection – Luke 11:1–13
“Lord, teach us to pray…”

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus’ friends ask Him to teach them how to pray. So, Jesus shares the words we now know as the Our Father. A simple but powerful prayer that helps us talk to God. He reminds us that we can always go to God, just like we go to a parent we trust. God listens, God cares, and God always gives us what we truly need.

Jesus also tells a story about someone knocking on their friend’s door late at night, asking for help. At first, the friend doesn’t want to get up, but because the person keeps knocking, eventually they do. This shows us how important it is to keep praying, keep trusting, and keep asking, not because God doesn’t want to help, but because it helps us stay close to God and recognise the good gifts God gives us.

What can we learn?
This Gospel teaches us that:

• We can talk to God anytime, anywhere.

• God wants us to be honest and keep trying, even when things feel hard.

• God gives us what is best for us – even if it’s not always what we asked for.

For Families at Home:

• Talk with your child about what prayer means to them. Ask: When do you feel like talking to God? What do you say?

• Practice saying the Our Father together and explore what each line means in your own words.

• Share a moment when your family kept hoping or praying for something, and what you learned through that time.

Encourage your child to see prayer not just as asking for things, but as building a relationship with a God who loves us deeply and is always near.

You’re Invited – Join Us for Mass

We warmly invite all families to join us for our school Masses this term. Whether it’s a whole-school celebration or a quieter year-level gathering, these moments of prayer and reflection are a meaningful part of our Catholic identity and community life at St Kevin’s.

It’s always special to have parents, grandparents and carers with us as we pause, give thanks and grow together in faith.

Below you’ll find the schedule of upcoming Masses. We’d love to see you there. All are welcome!

Learning & Teaching

Celebrating Strong Growth in Learning – NAPLAN Update

We’re pleased to share some highlights from our recent NAPLAN Growth Reports, which track how much progress our Year 5 students have made since they last sat the tests in Year 3. These reports don’t just tell us where students are at, they tell us how far they’ve come. And in many areas, the progress is something to celebrate!

Here are some key strengths from this year’s data:

✅ Strong Growth in Reading
Many of our students made excellent gains in Reading, with a significant number placed in the highest 25% for growth compared to students with similar starting points. This reflects the consistent focus we’ve placed on comprehension strategies and rich literacy experiences.

✅ Excellent Progress in Writing
Our Writing results show that students are growing steadily in their ability to organise ideas, use descriptive language and write for different purposes. Several students made very high gains, demonstrating real improvement in their written expression.

✅ Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling On the Rise
In Grammar and Punctuation, our school saw a noticeable lift in growth. Spelling also showed positive gains across the board, with many students moving from ‘Developing’ into ‘Strong’ proficiency.

✅ Numeracy Growth Across the Middle
In Numeracy, the majority of students achieved growth in line with or above expectations. We’re particularly proud of those who began in the ‘Developing’ range and have shown steady progress over time. This reflects the hard work of students and the consistent teaching of core mathematical skills.

These results affirm the strong foundation we’re building at St Kevin’s, through explicit teaching, consistent routines, and supportive relationships. They also remind us that growth looks different for every learner and that steady improvement over time is something to be proud of.

We’re grateful to our staff for their dedication, to our families for their partnership and to our students for their effort and persistence.

Let’s keep growing, together.

Chess Clinic with Grade 3 & 4 Students!

Over Term 2, our Grade 3 and 4 students had the opportunity to participate in a fun and enriching 9-week Chess Clinic, held every Friday. The sessions were full of learning and friendly competition as the children explored the game of chess and developed new skills week by week.

Throughout the clinic, students were introduced to a variety of chess strategies such as opening moves, protecting key pieces, and planning several steps ahead. They also built important skills, including problem-solving, strategic thinking, patience, and resilience, while being challenged by their peers in a supportive and engaging environment.

We encourage you to keep the momentum going at home! Playing chess as a family not only strengthens bonds but also provides an opportunity to model sportsmanship, think together and have fun. Whether you're seasoned players or just learning alongside your child, chess is a wonderful way to share quality time and build confidence.

Beyond the game itself, chess has proven benefits for developing critical thinking, concentration, and decision-making, all of which support academic learning and personal growth.

New Teaching Stations are Here!

We’re thrilled to unveil our brand new teaching stations at St Kevin’s! These clever stations are already making a big difference in our classrooms, supporting learning across literacy, maths and so much more. With a handy whiteboard on one side and a pinboard on the other, teachers now have double the space to teach, display and inspire.

The stations also come with drawers and shelves galore,  perfect for storing all the bits and pieces that keep lessons running smoothly.

A huge shoutout to our amazing P&F for their fantastic fundraising efforts. You’ve helped turn this idea into a reality! Just take a look at the photos of our excited teachers… we think the smiles say it all!

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Student Wellbeing

Supporting Our Lunch Program with Stewardship and Compassion

As always, we remain steadfast in our commitment to the dignity and wellbeing of every child. One quiet expression of this commitment is our emergency lunch initiative, a compassionate program that ensures no student goes hungry during the school day. For many years, our Student Wellbeing Team and Learning Support Officers have quietly prepared pre-made sandwiches and snacks for students who, for various reasons, arrive at school without lunch.

Originally designed as a safety net for families experiencing hardship, this program has grown considerably. In recent months, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of lunches distributed each day. While we know some of these are genuine cases of need, we also suspect that some students may be taking advantage of the system, opting for a school-provided lunch in place of the one packed from home, or simply saying they “forgot.”

As a Catholic school, our response must be both just and compassionate. In the spirit of stewardship, we are introducing a small contribution request to help sustain this vital program:

Beginning this term, families will be notified whenever a student receives an emergency lunch. A voluntary contribution of $2.50 per lunch will be noted.

This contribution is not compulsory, and we want to reassure all families: if this presents a difficulty for your household, we invite you to contact our Student Wellbeing Team confidentially. We remain committed to supporting every child who genuinely needs help.

Our hope is that this gentle shift will:

• Raise awareness among families that a lunch was needed.

• Prompt helpful conversations at home.

• Encourage responsible habits among students.

• Help us sustain this program in a way that is fair for all.

Like all aspects of school life, providing these lunches comes at a cost and every dollar spent here is a dollar not spent on learning programs, resources or enrichment opportunities. It’s a delicate balance and one we approach with care.

If you have questions or would like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher or a member of the Student Wellbeing team.

Supporting Positive Behaviour – A Consistent Approach

It's well known in our school and wider community that we’re always working to ensure our school is a safe, respectful and positive place for every child. This term, we’re refining the way we support student behaviour across the school – not because standards are slipping, but because we believe in continually improving the way we teach, guide and respond to our students.

We’ve introduced a clear, school-wide approach that focuses on prevention, relationships and consistency. This means:

• Teaching behaviour expectations just like we teach reading or maths – explicitly and often

• Helping students understand what respectful behaviour looks and feels like in real-life situations

• Building strong relationships between staff and students as the foundation for growth

• Responding to challenges in a way that’s calm, clear and consistent – no surprises, no confusion

By working as a team, all staff are helping students learn from their mistakes, repair harm when needed and grow in their ability to make good choices. This shared approach means children know what to expect and feel supported every step of the way.

It’s all part of living out our values of Love, Service and Respect – and ensuring every student has the chance to flourish.

Community

Portable Whiteboards for Families

Now that we have taken delivery of our new teaching stations for classes, we can offer the preloved ones to school families! (see photos below).

We are offering some of our portable whiteboards to families for a $20 donation. First in best dressed to choose from the boards on offer! All money will go towards the P&F funds. Please note they are pre-used and may vary in style and quality. Families will need to arrange their own transport and disassembly if required, depending on your vehicle.

If you are interested, please inquire at the school office and ask for Mr Butler.

Camp Australia

City of Casey’s rubbish and recycling app

Make waste management simple with Bin It Right:

• Receive timely reminders for your bin night
• Know which bins to put out
• Quickly check which items belong in each bin
• Download a 12-month bin calendar personalised to your address
• Get important notifications about service changes in your area
• Find Council’s waste services available to you
• More information can be found on the Casey website here