Dear Parents and Carers

In the Catholic Church, November is the month we pray for all those who have passed from this life. All Saints Day was celebrated on November 1 and All Souls Day November 2. Currently in the parish at each mass centre, parishioners are invited to record the names of loved ones who have passed and Fr Darien will mention them in services. There are other special days of awareness and observances in November to celebrate like Remembrance Day on November 11. On that day we commemorated the armistice that ended World War I in 1918, as well as remembering all those who have died in conflicts around the world.

As the war continues in Ukraine and violence occurs in countries throughout the world, let us pray for peace. We pray for members of the Australian armed forces who, time and again this year, have been called to aid in recovery efforts after flooding and other natural disasters. 

Mission Fete:

On Friday 4th November, we celebrated our Mission Fete. This was a wonderful day of celebration. Yet again we were amazed by the generosity of our school community with $11 750 raised. We are most grateful for all the donations you have contributed, students who donated their own time and money, Ms Lib,  and staff for the raffle prizes and parents who sought donations from general local businesses. Sr Abeba was most appreciative of our fundraising efforts, as you can see from this brief message.

Similarly, the principal of  St Joseph’s PS in Rochester, is most appreciative of our generosity in supporting their families who have been affected by flood. As we do each year, we have reviewed our Mission Fete donations, stalls, activities and prizes as we look towards 2023.

This year our total fundraising for those less fortunate is  $13,821.60. Below is how the money will be distributed.

I invite you all to read the following reflection click here shared with your children by Marianne Caddy at the liturgy and have further conversations with your children. Very emotional and empowering. Thank you for all we have and all we do.  UBUNTU - I AM BECAUSE WE ARE.

 Again, thank you all for making such a huge difference to the lives of others in need.

Bali Sister School-Bridge Program :  Over  the past week, we have had the pleasure and privilege of welcoming two teachers from our sister school in Bali, Bu Kiki and Bu Ira. We began this journey with the “Bridge” program at the beginning of this year. Bu Bree and Bu Novy have been engaging beautifully in this space. As an outward facing learning community who value diversity and inclusion and we are very excited about this opportunity to engage in partnership with our sister school. Name?? Our values and philosophy in the Catholic education of our students is to inspire them, prepare them as global citizens and enable opportunities for them to engage in ways we can enrich our world. We look forward to the many benefits this Project will bring for our students at both schools.

Indonesian Language Survey: We invite you to fill in this short 5-10 minute survey as a parent/ carer. We value your responses as the data leads to improvements or suggestions moving forward. We get real value out of these responses in ensuring that we are building a language program that works for our school community at Our Lady Star of the Sea. 

Year 6 Music Night: Congratulations and thank you to all the Year 6 students and teachers on another successful Year 6 performance where each child is joyful. This night is traditionally part of their graduation celebrations and an opportunity for student voice and agency. It is one of many examples where we see engagement and the chance for each child to flourish at its best. The most heartwarming parts of the night is to see each of our students shine brightly on the stage and when we reflect on their journey as we view their Prep photo alongside their Year 6 photo. 

Baked goods stall for cancer: Many thanks to Byrdy, Charlie, Queenie and Willow  for their initiative and success with selling baked goods to our school community. They  are proud to let you know that, with the generosity of mostly Star of the Sea families(and some surprised passersby) they  raised $187.50 for cancer research. Great work girls.

State Election: With the upcoming state election we have engaged with two MP’s from the Bellarine in regards to our Master Plan. We are excited to announce that  Donnie Grigau the Liberal MP has pledged $3 million dollars. Alison Marchant the Labor MP has also engaged in helpful conversations and working on a plan to support us should she be successful. Both major parties have pledged financial contributions to the catholic sector. We are grateful for this communication which acknowledges the important role catholic schools play in educating and supporting students and our rapidly growing sector that delivers considerable benefits to local communities and deserves to be supported.

The scope of our current Masterplan includes the provision of the following; 

Stage 2:

• New and refurbishment works for additional staff facilities and amenities with the option of going upstairs, to reduce the impact on the outdoor space available to students..
• New and refurbishment works for the Administration area including reception, foyer, offices, meeting rooms, sick bay and storage.

Stage 3: 

• New and refurbishment works to provide additional General Purpose Learning Areas to ensure hubs of 4 with the growing enrolment forecast. 

The relocation of the library to upstairs, to enable the current library space to be utilised as classroom space plus a General Learning Area.

Wishing you a wonderful fortnight ahead.

Kerryn