Dear families,

I would like to begin this newsletter by thanking Mel from the Admin team for her organisation and coordination of the Subway special lunch orders and for all of our wonderful Parents in Partnership group who came this week to organise and deliver the lunch orders to the rooms so that they were ready for our excited children after the first break. This has been one of the highlights of the children's week and we could not have done it without our Parents in Partnership Volunteers, we really appreciate your generosity of time and spirit.

Prep Enrolment interviews for 2026 have begun in earnest with almost 50% of these completed. It has been an absolute delight and pleasure to meet our prospective prep students and their families. These interviews provide time and opportunity for families to begin to establish relationships and familiarity with our school as they begin to partnership with us. Meeting with these families and having them share why they choose St Lawrence School as a school for their children is a testament to the community we have created together. Thank you to all members of our school family who continue to share the positive impact our school has on the children we teach and learn with and from. If you have a child who will turn 5 years old by April 30, 2026, and have not yet submitted an application, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible. Early enrolment helps us plan effectively and ensures your child’s smooth transition into our school community. 

As you all know our wonderful Deputy Principal Ms Taylor will be leaving us at the end of this term to prepare for her baby's arrival. We will be sad to say goodbye to Ms Taylor for a little while and we eagerly await meeting her baby. I am pleased to share the news with you and I am sure you will enjoy congratulating Ms Muscat, who will be taking over the Deputy Principal role.

This year our school is in its fourth year of our Continuous Improvement Process.  This is the final year of our School Improvement plan, therefore we are in our review year. This means that we are reviewing our growth, development, strengths and identifying opportunities for future growth. We will be working with an external school reviewer to support us in this process. The external reviewer will work with us over a number of days. During the Initial review visit and on Days 1 and 2 of the school review process, the school reviewer will engage with members and stakeholders of the school community including the principal, parish priest, families, students, teachers and the school leadership team. More information will be shared and invitations issued via Compass.

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) is working towards becoming a leader in high-quality, Catholic education. Their goal is to offer a learning experience that is not only academically strong but also deeply connected to Catholic values. To help achieve this, MACS has developed a key document called The Vision for Instruction, which is part of their long-term plan, MACS 2030: Forming Lives to Enrich the World. This vision outlines how MACS schools can provide the best possible teaching by focusing on how students learn most effectively. It gives clear, research-based guidance to teachers on how to support every student to thrive in their learning. I have included a parent information sheet outlining the Vision For instruction, please take the time to have a look through it. More information will be shared with you in each newsletter this year.

I have also included some information in this newsletter about the two documents that were sent home with your eldest children. One is regarding our St Lawrence Community Pilgrimage to St Patrick's Cathedral in the city on St Lawrence's Feast day (Sunday 10 August) and the other is about the permission to walk letter. Please have a good read through these and feel free to email me if you have any questions.

This year is our school production year and as you know we are preparing to perform Shrek Junior the musical. Unfortunately we are no longer able to perform at Quin Theatre due to it's structural issues. We have been seeking another theatre that can accomodate us and will inform you as soon as we have confirmation about that. Thank you for your patience while we navigate this.

Thank you for your support,

God bless,

Trish Mulhern