Term 4 Week 10 of 11

Friday, 13th December 2024

Dear parents and carers, 

I wanted to let you know some sad news that our Parish Priest, Father Gerard’s mother passed away 

earlier this week. Please keep Fr. Gerard and his mother (Eileen) in your prayers. On this 

coming Wednesday December 18th there will be a memorial service for Eileen at our parish church at 

7pm. We are sending him our love and prayers in this sad time.

What wonderful Christmas Carols we had on Wednesday night. A huge thanks to Jody Banks for 

organising and preparing the children, Matt Dalton for being the MC, all our staff for their support,

our families for attending and most of all our students for singing so well. 

It's so heartwarming to see our faith celebrated through song and our students showcasing their 

amazing talents on stage. 

There will be some important changes to some events in Week 11. Please note the important times and dates:

Monday 16th December:

• 9am - End of year whole school mass in the Church (rescheduled from Tuesday)

• 6pm - Year 6 Graduation Liturgy in the Church

Tuesday 17th December:

• 2:30pm - End of year awards ceremony in the Church

This will be the last formal newsletter for 2024. I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone for 

welcoming me into this wonderful community and a thanks to Fr gerard for welcoming me to the 

parish community.

A huge thank you to all of our staff for their amazing work, thanks to our parents and carers for trusting us in our work and importantly thanks to our students for a year well done.

I hope everyone has a holy Christmas and a wonderful holiday period. 

Best wishes,

Deputy Principal: Learning & Organisation

End of Year: Reporting reminder

A reminder that as of 2025, reports will be made available online only. The transition to digital reports is a conscious and important one and is common practice in most schools. 

All reports will be made available on Monday 16th December both online or if you opted in for a paper copy, this will be sent home with your child at the end of the day.

Please note that nForma has had a few updates to the products recently. We have attached a ‘How to’ guide that shows you step-by-step how to download the app and have this ready to access your child’s report on Monday 16th December. 

PLEASE NOTE: Families of Year 6 students are strongly encouraged to download a copy of the school report as you will not have access to the portal in the new year.

Thank you!

Who can believe we have made it to the last newsletter of the year - and what a year it has been! Looking back and reflecting on the 2024 school year, I am reminded of just how much we have achieved, grown and experienced this year. 

When our community comes together as we did on Wednesday night at our Family Carols Night, it is so humbling and a timely reminder of just how lucky we are to have such a caring, kind, talented and friendly community that come together to celebrate so many things.  

Our staff work tirelessly to ensure that we can facilitate these events, and to ensure that learning is engaging and targeted to the social, emotional, personal and academic needs of the students in our care. They are truly committed to ongoing professional development and continuous improvement. We are so lucky to have such a fantastic staff. 

Our students are such great learners; they are inquisitive, talented and kind. They individually bring so much to our school. We are rich in diversity, experiences and understanding and this is what makes Resurrection so special. I am so very proud to be part of the Resurrection community, and am excited to see what the 2025 school year has in store for us all. 

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year. 

Take care and God bless,

2025 Art Smock

Students will be bringing their current art smock home in week 10 and will NOT be needing to bring this back next year. 

We have purchased art smocks for students to wear during art lessons. We will have varying sizes to ensure that all students have access to one and that it fits correctly. These art smocks will be cleaned at the end of each term, unless they require a wash earlier.

Thank you,

Welcome Marie D’Orazio! 

A big warm and happy hello to my new Resurrection family. My name is Marie D’Orazio and I will be your  Wellbeing/Child Safety & Community Leader next year. I can’t wait to get to know each and every one of you and make new friends. Wishing you all the best for the festive season. Have a wonderful holiday and may God protect and keep you safe. See you all in 2025!

PBL REWARD EXTRAVAGANZA!

As a part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) Framework, students throughout the school receive a PBL card from staff when they are showing they are being Respectful, Responsible and Resilient. These PBL cards are then able to be traded in to obtain a reward that ranges from a Sniff and Scratch Sticker to the Rare PBL Card. 

This week, we have an influx of students trading their cards for rewards. Here is a quick snapshot of some of the major rewards students have earned:

Rewards Trade In - Flying the Drone

Congratulations to Osten and Cungbawilian who traded in 100 PBL cards to fly the drone with Mr Coaley. They had an amazing time flying the drone in the Nungarra area, as well as seeing how high the drone could go in the area, with amazing views of the Kings Park area!

Hot Chip Treat

Congratulations to the eight  lucky students who traded 100 PBL cards for a hot chip treat from the local fish and chip shop. 

Movie and Popcorn

Students enjoying their tasty popcorn while watching a movie. 

Icy Poles
Our Respectul, Responsible and Resilient learners cooling off with a delicious Icy Pole. Thank you for continuing to show our school PBL values.

Learning Diversity 

This is a kind reminder to please return a signed copy of your child’s Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) to the school at your earliest convenience.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to all families for your collaboration and support throughout this year. It has been truly rewarding to witness your child’s growth and increasing independence over the course of the year.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to nurture your child’s learning and development. We are excited to build upon our multi-tiered levels of support in 2025 to ensure the learning needs of every student are identified and met.

Saturday 7th December, Green Gully tennis team competed in the grand finals and they won!!! It was an amazing match, so close that they were tied at the end so they had to play one more deciding set which our team won!!! 

Congratulations to Jeremiah & his sister Miranda!

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Incursion

Last Thursday the 5th of December, our school was visited by some members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as part of the "Jams In Schools" initiative for primary school students to engage with orchestral music and orchestral instruments.

MSO Artist in Residence and leading music education specialist, Karen Kyriakou and six MSO musicians (piano, clarinet, violin, horn, cello, percussion) came to our school and led fun and interactive workshops exploring a piece of orchestral music, pulling out musical themes and compositional techniques.

Our students were magnificent in their engagement with the musicians, their listening skills and the musicianship they displayed when participating in the workshop activities. The musicians from the MSO commented on how beautifully behaved the students at our school are and how clever they are at picking up musical patterns, rhythms and following music directions! 

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra musicians have asked to visit our school again next year to work with our students and play some different classical repertoire. Well done to all of our students for their excellent behaviour and for the respect they displayed towards these visiting high level musicians.

SUNDAY GOSPEL

This Sunday’s reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 3:10-18

What, then, must we do?

When all the people asked John, ‘What must we do?’ he answered, ‘If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same.’ There were tax collectors too who came for baptism, and these said to him, ‘Master, what must we do?’ He said to them, ‘Exact no more than your rate.’ Some soldiers asked him in their turn, ‘What about us? What must we do?’ He said to them, ‘No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!’

A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’ As well as this, there were many other things he said to exhort the people and to announce the Good News to them.

Gospel Reflection

Is it any wonder that there was a growing sense among the people that John might be the Christ? His teaching in the first part of this week’s gospel might just as easily have come from the mouth of Jesus. It demonstrates for us just how much John was preparing the way for Jesus: even his teaching was in line with what Jesus would later say. In this instance, the people gathered around John (presumably having been baptised by him) are asking how they should live out their new-found conversion of heart. John’s response to the three groups is about the need for generosity and justice. It is about not taking more than your share when someone else does not have sufficient. To the crowd of people, he instructs them to give away a second tunic to someone who doesn’t have one at all and to share their food with those who are hungry. To the tax collectors, he cautioned them to collect no more than what they were supposed to. Tax collectors made their profit by overcharging taxpayers. Together with the fact that they worked for the Roman occupiers, this made tax collectors one of the most despised groups in society. John’s caution to them is to be just in their dealings. He also cautions the soldiers against intimidation and extorting money from the people to supplement their pay. The themes of justice and hospitality that will echo throughout the gospel of Luke are clearly evident in this episode with John. When the people start to talk about him being the Christ, John is quick to point them to the one who is still to come; the one who will share with them more fully the love of God and the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Have you thought? - A change of heart

The baptism that John preached and practised was a baptism of repentance. What he called on people to do was to recognise the areas of their lives that were unbalancing their relationship with God. There was a strong recognition that unless they were in right relationship with one another they could not be in right relationship with God. In recognising the need for change in their lives, John challenged them to also make a change of heart: to approach their lives differently. This is why they were questioning him about practical ways of living out their new commitment.

Living the Gospel - Generosity of spirit

John’s words to the crowd, the tax collectors and the soldiers are about adopting a spirit of generosity and a generosity of spirit. A generosity of spirit can be expressed simply in the attitude with which we approach other people: a positive, hope-filled and generous attitude will often turn around a potentially negative situation. As we approach the Christmas season, there is a need for practical actions of generosity as well. Those in need can approach Christmas with dread rather than joyful expectation. It can be the hardest time of year for struggling families. Acts of generosity can make all the difference.

Gospel Focus - Baptised with the Holy Spirit

John makes clear to his audience the difference between himself and the Messiah who is still to come. His ritual of baptism will pale in comparison with the baptism with the Holy Spirit that the Christ will offer. Compared to a symbolic action of baptism, Jesus will offer the people a tangible experience of life in the Holy Spirit. He will give them not only a glimpse of the reign of God, but an invitation to enter fully into it. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a lived experience, not just a ritual action.

Resurrection Parish Celebrates Simbang Gabi

Prepare for the coming of Christ in the Philippine tradition with a nine-day novena Mass which starts at 5.00am on 16th December through to 24th December.

You are invited to stay back afterwards for breakfast which is prepared daily.

Student of the Week Awards 

Week 10

Prep A

Sophie Duddington

Teigan F - For challenging herself in her learning by adding extra detail and giving all learning tasks a red hot go. Keep up the fantastic work, Teigan!

Prep B

Jacinta Polh

Olivia C - For showing determination and eagerness to write a great plan to support your narrative and sharing it with your peers. Well done, Olivia.

Prep C

Carla Tirotta

Oliver S - For using your imagination to create fascinating stories about robots and dragons. Keep up the fantastic effort!

One B

Matt Galea

Lucy F - For engaging in her learning to create a simple machine that would be used in an Elves playground.

One C

Thomas Pham

Cilping T - For applying your understanding of simple machines to create a seesaw for your Inquiry project. Congratulations Cilping!

Two A

Belinda Collins 

Amelia Z - For including some valid reasons for your persuasive topic ‘All children should have a pet’. Keep up the great work Amelia!!

Two B

Olivia Duvcevski

Tue Lam N - For demonstrating her eagerness to learn by actively participating in all subjects during the whole class and independent learning. Keep up the good work!

Two C

Dorothy Hall

The Class of 2C 2024 - Your resilience and persistence in the face of many obstacles. You have shown such strength and flexibility as we moved around the school and adapted to different learning environments. I am so proud of you all.

Three A

Ella Nowak  

Kiana L - For being a kind and caring student and always looking out for her peers. Keep it up Kiana!

Aquin J - For taking his time when writing his persuasive text and ensuring that he edited and revised his work before publishing it. Well done Aquin!

Three B

Kurt Cuguin

Riley V - For a big improvement in her learning - taking care with her handwriting and making a funny, fantastical story of an underwater city!

Three C

Joss Coaley

Biephatha A - for your amazing efforts this year, and beginning to ask questions to extend your learning. Well done!

Athieng M - for your positive attitude to learning and your ability to work with others. Congratulations

Nepa P - for your amazing persuasive writing pieces, especially when discussing whether students should have access to social media.

Four A

Emma N - For being a thinker and a  resilient learner when completing her information report and using feedback received from the teacher to improve her writing. Keep up the amazing effort!

Four B

Isla H - For structuring her narrative cohesively and fluently with receiving and using feedback in order to improve her writing. Amazing work Isla!

Four C

Emily K - For demonstrating fantastic enthusiasm and resilience when participating in Christmas activity rotations and classroom learning. Great work Emily!

Five A

Lavina Stewart 

Anna L - For always demonstrating respect and kindness towards her peers and teacher. Continue to carry these traits as you move onto Grade 6 Anna,  well done!

Five B

Malae Suaesi  

Leon N - For being a resilient and inquire learner, when sharing his migration story on his family arrival to Australia. Well done!

Five C

Rosie Nojdek

Angelo M - For being a positive and uplifting member of the classroom and always seeing the bright side in all situations.

Six A

Katherine Salloum

Ethan D - For dedicating himself to his studies and always helping his peers to further understand class tasks.  

Isabella A - For always showing dedication to class tasks and ensuring that she pushes her learning to the next level.

Six B

Lena Aloi

Miranda L - For being an enthusiastic learner in inquiry class when searching for relevant photos for your final project. Well done!

Cung L - For being a critical learner and always approaching the teacher for ideas on how to improve in all aspects of his learning. Well done!

Six C

Jake Moloney

Kerels K - For utilising his knowledge of coordinates to create a Cartesian Christmas Tree. Well done Kerels!

Ruby M - For utilising her knowledge of 2D shapes to create a Christmas Tree Tessellation. Well done Ruby!

Japanese: 

Yumiko Aiki

Kiana L (3A) - For being a responsible and independent learner who strives to excel in Japanese learning, congratulations on her conscientious and dedicated attitude toward her work.

Performing Arts: 

Jody Banks

Hannah Y (3C) - For her outstanding commitment to the Christmas Concert dance performance and for her overall excellence in Performing Arts this year. Well done on an amazing effort, Hannah!

Visual Arts: 

Emma Lyons-Pell & Tosh Kaan

Karl K (5B) - For creating a detailed Christmas card design of a Santa when using watercolours. You continue to challenge yourself in all your Visual Arts classes. Well done Karl!

S T E M: 

Matt Dalton

Mila M (2A) - For being a kind and respectful person who makes an effort to encourage and support your classmates. Well done Mila!

P.E: 

Jen Barresi

Ryder N (1B) - For always trying his best, giving everything a go and being such a pleasure to teach. Your enthusiasm and positive attitude are an inspiration. Keep it up Ryder!

TERM FOUR DATES

Week 10

Monday - 9/12

The Immaculate Conception Of The Blessed Virgin Mary 

2025 Student Transition Day 2 (Prep – Grade 5s)

Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am 

Whole School Assembly 2.30pm 

Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm

Tuesday - 10/12

Our Lady of Loreto

Wednesday - 11/12

Saint Damasus I

Carols By Candlelight 6.00pm - 7.30pm

Report changes completed

Thursday - 12/12

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Friday - 13/12

Grade 6 Big Day Out

2025 Prep Transition Session 5

Saint Lucy 

Saturday - 14/12

Saint John of the Cross

Sunday - 15/12

3rd Sunday of Advent 

Week 11

Monday - 16/12

Grade 6 Graduation Liturgy & Presentation Night 6.00pm

Reports sent out

Exec Team 9.30 – 11.00am 

Team Leaders Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30 pm

Tuesday - 17/12

Whole School Mass 9.00am

End of Year Award Ceremony

Last Day Of Term (3.15pm Finish)

Wednesday - 18/12

School Closure Day - Handover Day

Thursday - 19/12

School Closure Day - End of Year Staff Lunch

Friday - 20/12

School Closure - Time in Lieu Day 

Saturday - 21/12

Sunday - 22/12

4th Sunday of Advent 

TERM 0NE DATES 2025

Week 10

Week 2

Monday -3/2

Prep Students commence full school days: 8.45am – 3.15pm

Years 3-6 Assembly at 2:30pm - No awards and parents not to attend

Tuesday - 4/2

Wednesday - 5/2

Prep Day Off - Scheduled testing of Prep students 

Thursday - 6/2

Friday - 7/2

Whole School Mass at 9am - Opening of school year

Saturday - 8/2

Sunday - 9/2

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Week 1

Monday - 27/1

School Closure - Australia Day Public Holiday

Tuesday - 28/1

School Closure: VFI Professional Learning 

Wednesday - 29/1

School Closure: Warden training, CPR & Classroom set up (CPR Training 1pm -3pm)

Thursday - 30/1

Year 1-6 students begin

Friday -30/1

Saturday - 1/2

Sunday - 2/2

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Week 4

Monday -17/2

2026 Prep Enrolments Open

Years 3-6 Assembly at 2:30pm - student of the weekawards begin and parents invited

Tuesday - 18/2

Parent Helper Training 9am 2:30pm (Legal & Classroom Support)

Wednesday - 19/2

Prep Day Off - Scheduled testing of Prep students

Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm

School Advisory Council Formation (SAC) 7.00pm – 8.00pm

Thursday - 20/2

Friday - 21/2

Senior School Year Level Mass 9am

Saturday - 22/2

Sacramental Launch & Family Mass (6pm)

Sunday - 23/2

School Parish - Family Mass and welcome BBQ for Prep & staff blessing at 10:30am

Sacramental Launch (10:30am)

Week 6

Monday -3/3

Prep - Year 2 Assembly - student of the week awards begin

Tuesday - 4/3

Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday - 5/3

Prep Day Off - Scheduled testing of Prep students

Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm

Ash Wednesday (Whole School Mass at 9am)

Thursday - 6/3

Friday - 7/3

Saturday - 8/3

Sunday - 9/3

First Sunday in Lent

Week 8

Monday - 17/3

Years 3-6 Assembly at 2:30pm

Tuesday - 18/3

Wednesday - 19/3

Year 6 Camp to Campaspe Downs

Thursday - 20/3

Year 6 Camp to Campaspe Downs 

Year 5 Interrelate program session 2 of 3

Year Prep Level Mass 9am

Friday - 21/3

Year 6 Camp to Campaspe Downs 

Saturday - 22/3

Sunday - 23/3

First Sunday in Lent

Week 10

Monday - 31/3

Years  3-6 Athletics Carnival

No Assembly today due to the Athletics Carnival

Tuesday - 1/4

Wednesday - 2/4

Feast day of St Pedro Calungsod (Class prayer and activities in classrooms)

Thursday - 3/4

Whole School: Year 5 - Stations of the Cross in Session 5

Friday - 4/4

End of Term Whole School Mass at 9am 

Last Day of Term 1 - Students finish at 3.15pm

Saturday - 5/4

Sunday - 6/4

First Sunday in Lent

Week 3

Monday - 10/2

Prep - Year 2 Assembly - No awards and parents not to attend.

Tuesday - 11/2

Parent Helper Training 9am & 2.30pm (Legal & Classroom Support)

Wednesday - 12/2

Prep Day Off - Scheduled testing of Prep students 

Thursday - 13/2

Parent Teacher Conversations 12.45pm to 8pm (12pm finish for staff)

Friday - 14/2

Saturday - 15/2

Sunday - 16/2

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Week 5

Monday -24/2

SCHOOL CLOSURE: Resurrection Way PD

Tuesday - 25/2

Wednesday - 26/2

Prep Day Off - Scheduled testing of Prep students

Staff Meeting 3.30pm - 4:30pm

School Open Night for 2026 at 7pm

Thursday - 27/2

Friday - 28/2

School Open Day for 2026 at 9:30am

Saturday - 1/3

Sacramental Launch  (10:30am and 6pm)

Sunday - 2/3

Sacramental Launch (10:30am and 6pm)

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Week 7

Monday -10/3

School Closure: Labour Day Public Holiday

Tuesday - 11/3

Wednesday - 12/3

First Wednesday for Prep students

School Advisory Council (SAC) at 7pm

Thursday - 13/3

Friday - 14/3

Saturday - 15/3

Sunday - 16/3

Second Sunday in Lent

Week 9

Monday - 24/3

Prep - Year 2 Assembly at 2.30pm

Tuesday - 25/3

Wednesday - 26/3

Thursday - 27/3

Year 5 Interrelate program session 3 of 3

Friday - 28/3

Middle School Year Level Mass 9am (Reconciliation focus) Reconciliation Grade 4

Saturday - 29/3

Sunday - 30/3

Fourth Sunday of Lent