Mel Maria Catholic Primary School

Dear Parents and Staff

It is hard to believe that we are already approaching the halfway point of Term Three. The opening weeks of the term have once again highlighted what a vibrant and active community Mel Maria Catholic Primary School is, with our students embracing the many opportunities available to them across their learning, faith development and wider school life.

As Principal, one of the great privileges is seeing our students engaged in so many different aspects of school life. Whether in the classroom, participating in sporting and cultural opportunities, representing the school, engaging in extension programs or simply demonstrating kindness and care towards others, our children continue to give us much to celebrate.

While schools are wonderfully busy places, at the heart of everything we do must always remain our core purpose: the learning, growth and development of every child.

Earlier this term, our staff came together to explore our new Mel Maria Educational Philosophy and our 2026 theme, Called to Excellence. This was an important moment in the continuing journey of our school and provided an opportunity for us to reflect on the type of school we are seeking to become and, importantly, the type of learning experience we want for every child.

Our aspiration is clear: to become the benchmark for Excellence in Catholic Primary Education.

This is certainly an ambitious aspiration, but excellence is not simply about achieving high academic results. It is about establishing a culture where high expectations, quality teaching, strong relationships, genuine care and a commitment to continual improvement become part of what we do every day.

Our commitment can perhaps be captured most simply in the words:

During Term Three, our staff will continue to focus strongly on the quality and consistency of teaching and learning across both campuses. We want our students to be challenged appropriately, to think deeply, to ask questions, to take greater ownership of their learning and, importantly, to understand that improvement comes through effort, persistence and a willingness to learn from mistakes.

A fundamental belief underpinning our Educational Philosophy is that every child can succeed. Success will look different for every student, but our responsibility as educators is to know each child, understand where they are in their learning and provide the teaching, support, challenge and opportunities that enable them to make meaningful progress.

This is what being Called to Excellence asks of us.

Central to our identity as a Catholic school is the strong relationship we share with our parish communities. This week the St Joseph Pignatelli Parish Community held their AGM.

Mel Maria is fortunate to enjoy a unique connection with both the St Joseph Pignatelli and Pater Noster Parishes. Our relationship with our priests, parishioners and wider faith communities provides our children with an important understanding that their faith extends beyond the boundaries of the school.

I am particularly grateful for the ongoing support of Fr Don Kettle, Fr Joseph Lee and Deacon John, who continue to play such an important role in the spiritual life of our school. Their presence at school Masses, liturgies and celebrations, together with the welcome extended to our families within both parishes, strengthens the partnership between home, school and parish that sits at the heart of Catholic education.

As we move through the remainder of the year, we will continue to look for opportunities to strengthen these relationships and help our students understand that our Catholic identity is not simply something we talk about, it is something we are called to live through our relationships, our service and the way we treat one another.

Another significant priority for Mel Maria this term is the continued planning associated with Stage 18 of our Capital Development Plan.

As many families would appreciate, the transformation of Mel Maria over recent years has involved much more than simply reorganising our school across two campuses. The introduction of our Early Childhood Campus and Primary Campus has provided us with an opportunity to think differently about how our facilities and learning environments can best support the developmental, educational and pastoral needs of our students.

Stage 18 represents the next important phase of this journey.

Working in partnership with Catholic Education Western Australia and our architects, we are continuing to progress plans for a significant program of capital development that will further enhance our school facilities and support the future needs of our community. The proposed works include a new and improved school entrance, upgraded staff facilities and Administration areas, along with the necessary associated works and temporary relocations required to enable the project to proceed.

As with any substantial building project, there is considerable planning that needs to occur before construction can commence. This includes architectural design, site planning, staging of works, financial considerations, approvals and, importantly, determining how we minimise disruption to teaching and learning while the project is underway.

One of the challenges associated with Stage 18 will be the temporary relocation of some existing learning spaces as different areas of the campus become part of the building program. We are currently working carefully through these arrangements to ensure that students and staff continue to have high-quality and appropriately resourced learning environments throughout each stage of the development.

I appreciate that families will naturally be interested in what is planned, when works will commence and how different areas of the school may be affected. As the planning progresses and details are confirmed, I will continue to keep our community informed.

What is particularly exciting is that this development is not being considered in isolation. It forms part of our longer-term vision for Mel Maria.

Our facilities need to reflect the school we are becoming.

The weeks ahead promise to be particularly busy, with many learning, sporting, cultural, faith and community opportunities planned across both campuses.

As these activities take place, our challenge is to ensure that the busyness of school life never distracts us from our most important work.

Our classrooms must remain places of purpose, curiosity, challenge and joy. We want our children arriving each morning knowing that their teachers believe in them, expect them to do their best and will support them to become better learners and better people.

I encourage parents to continue talking with your children about their learning. Ask them not simply, “What did you do at school today?” but perhaps:

· “What did you learn today that you didn’t know yesterday?”

· “What challenged you today?”

· “What are you getting better at?”

· “What are you proud of?”

These simple conversations reinforce to children that learning matters and that their growth is something worth noticing and celebrating.

There is much happening at Mel Maria, and there is also much for us to look forward to. Most importantly, however, we remain focused on continuing to build a school where every student is known, valued, challenged and supported to flourish.

That is our commitment.

One School. Two Campuses. One Vision.
Every Child. Every Classroom. Every Day.

And together, we remain Called to Excellence.

This week, as we look towards the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 15 August, (a Holy Day of Obligation) we have a special opportunity to reflect upon Mary’s place in our Catholic faith and, particularly, her significance as our patron saint within the Mel Maria community.

Mary holds a very special place in the story and identity of our school. Mary is not simply a figure from the past, but a model of faith, courage, humility and service who continues to inspire the way we seek to live as a Catholic community.

The Feast of the Assumption celebrates our belief that, at the completion of her earthly life, Mary was taken body and soul into the glory of heaven. It is a feast filled with hope, reminding us of God’s promise of eternal life and of the extraordinary trust Mary placed in God throughout her life.

Mary’s response to God was one of openness and faith. She did not know where her “yes” would lead, yet she responded with courage and trusted that God would be with her. In doing so, Mary provides a wonderful example for our children and for each of us.

At Mel Maria, we are called to reflect these same qualities through the way we treat one another, the way we serve our community and the way we respond to the needs of others. Mary’s example connects beautifully with our Mercy values of Respect, Compassion, Justice and Service, and with our commitment to #Making a Difference Every Day.

As we celebrate this important feast, may we encourage our children to look to Mary as a model of faith and discipleship: someone who listened, trusted, served others and had the courage to say “yes” to God.

May we continue to place Mary at the heart of our school community and ask her to guide and inspire us as we strive to be people of faith, hope, compassion and service.

Give Your Child the Best Start at Mel Maria

Enrolments are now being accepted for families wishing to join the Mel Maria Catholic Primary School community in 2027.

At Mel Maria, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to belong, grow, achieve and flourish. Through our unique One School. Two Campuses. One Vision. model, we provide engaging, contemporary learning experiences designed specifically for each stage of a child’s primary school journey.

In 2027, families will again have the flexibility of choosing three, four or five days of Kindergarten, providing options to best meet the needs of your child and family.

Places are limited, and we encourage current families to share the Mel Maria story with friends, neighbours and families who may be considering a school for 2027.

Applications are available from the School Administration or through our school website.

Come and discover the difference at Mel Maria.

Every Child. Every Classroom. Every Day.
#MakingADifferenceEveryday

Kind regards

Paul Hille

Principal

#MakingADifferenceEveryDay

Prayer for the Week

Loving God,

As we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption,
we give thanks for Mary, the mother of Jesus
and the patron of our Mel Maria community.

Through her faith, courage and trust in You,
Mary showed us what it means to say “yes” to Your call
and to live a life of love, compassion and service.

May we follow her example each day.
Help us to show respect to those around us,
compassion to those in need,
courage when we face challenges,
and kindness through our words and actions.

May Mary, Our Mother, watch over our students,
our families and our staff.
Guide us as one school community
to use our gifts generously,
to seek excellence in all that we do,
and to continue Making a Difference Every Day.

Mary, Our Mother, pray for us.

Amen.

Thought for the Week

Excellence is not about being better than others. It is about becoming the best version of ourselves and using our gifts to make a difference in the lives of others.

Dear Early Childhood Families,

Most mornings, I have the privilege of greeting the students as they arrive for their school day. It is a joy to watch our students arrive each morning, bringing a vibrant, infectious energy and enthusiasm that sets a wonderful tone for the school day ahead.

Our bespoke innovation play space provides a hands-on learning environment that encourages creative thinking and agency by letting children make their own choices, test ideas, and solve problems through self-directed play. Seeing our early childhood learners delight in exploring new provocations with their friends affirms our responsibility to make a difference every day at Mel Maria.

By transforming children from passive observers into active participants, this space directly supports our reimagined Early Childhood Educational Philosophy. Through exploratory play, students are invited to naturally move from curiosity to active inquiry, asking questions and testing hypotheses as natural scientists. Faced with design challenges—like a tower that keeps falling—they are inspired to develop creative, solutions-focused thoughts to innovate and adapt.

This hands-on problem-solving instils a lifelong mindset of inquiry, teaching them to view challenges not as failures, but as exciting learning opportunities to investigate, co-create, and discover.

As part of our ongoing implementation of the URSTRONG Friendship Program, we are excited to introduce our new Friend-o-Leaders initiative. Our Year 2 students have undertaken training to support younger peers with minor friendship challenges during recess and lunch through positive, restorative conversations.

Beginning Monday 17 August, four Year 2 Friend-o-Leaders will be on duty each week, easily identified by their fluorescent pink vests. By encouraging inclusion, positive social interactions, and the use of URSTRONG friendship strategies, these student leaders will help foster a caring, connected, and supportive playground environment for all.

A friendly reminder to all families about our Early Childhood Campus drive-through procedure. For the safety of all students, please ensure that children enter and exit the vehicle from the safe side only, the door closest to the hall. Students should not walk around the back or front of the car to the other side.

To help keep the drive-through moving safely and efficiently:

· Students should not place their bags in the boot of the car.

· Parents are asked to always remain in their vehicles during drop-off and pick-up.

· When leaving the drive-through, please turn left onto Evershed Street.

Our staff are on duty to assist students, ensuring they enter and exit vehicles safely. Your cooperation helps us make student safety our highest priority.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

With God’s Blessings,

Danielle Damjanovic

Head of the Early Childhood Campus

This term, the Year Two students have been learning about the Sacrament of Baptism. During our visit to the church, Deacon John showed us the baptismal font and explained the special parts of a Baptism ceremony. We discovered how holy water, oil, a white garment and a candle are used as sacred symbols to welcome a person into God’s family and the Church community.

As we enjoy and celebrate learning at the Primary Campus at Mel Maria, our focus is centred on #Every Child, Every Classroom, Every Day

Our teachers and staff are mindfully attending to each student’s needs in all aspects of their whole person.

We are imagining a new generation with capabilities and dispositions that equip them to become lifelong global learners from the beginning of their journey at Mel Maria to Year Six.

Curriculum Engagement is central to transforming how our students learn by developing opportunities that stimulate curiosity, passion and a pursuit for deep learning.

Our students are given opportunities to connect through:

· Participating in active learning experiences scaffolded and aligned appropriate to the student’s proximal zones and development.

· Using information from previous experiences to inform new ideas.

· Pose questions to identify and clarify issues comparing information.

· Making links between individual interest and curriculum to enhance student agency.

Engagement is the practice of attracting and holding the attention, curiosity, interest, optimism and passion of each student in the learning process and for their development as a whole person. (CEWA Vision for learning)

The school has been informed that Melville Parking Rangers will be present randomly over the coming weeks to check on parking compliance on Davidson Road and Galloway Street.

Please read the parking signs outside the Year Three classrooms.

Parking is not permitted on the road during drop off and pick up times as the DRIVE THROUGH LINE is designed to be a mobile line of traffic.

Parked cars disrupt the traffic flow and pose a safety risk to our students getting in and out of cars.

Please inform family members of the traffic rules when picking up and dropping off students on your behalf.

Student Safety is our priority.

Ros Nichols

Head of Campus.

It has been another busy and exciting few weeks in Year Four!

In HASS, English and Design and Technologies, students have been immersed in our “We Can Be the Change" sustainability unit. Students have been investigating environmental issues and exploring how people can make sustainable choices and create human solutions that care for our world. We have been so impressed by their thoughtful ideas and enthusiasm as they work towards designing their own solutions. As we prepare to bring these ideas to life, we would be very grateful for any donations of reusable or unwanted materials and pieces that families may have at home. If you have items that are no longer needed but could be given a new purpose in our students’ creations, we would love to put them to good use!

In collaboration with Bunnings, students also had the wonderful opportunity to get their hands dirty and help plant a variety of herbs, fruits and vegetables in our Year Four garden beds. This hands-on experience has provided a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about growing food, caring for plants and the importance of sustainability.

Our Year Four students have also been busy sharing their musical talents, participating in the Performing Arts Festival with our ensemble performances at Orana Primary School in Willetton. All students performed wonderfully, and we are incredibly proud of the confidence and commitment they demonstrated. A very special thank you goes to our wonderful music teacher, Mr Murphy, for all his hard work and dedication in preparing our students. We are also extremely grateful to the parents who came along to support the students and generously volunteered to transport our precious instruments — your support was greatly appreciated!

During Religious Education, students have been exploring prayer and the Rosary. To bring their learning to life, students have been creating their own Rosary beads using clay and an assortment of colourful beads, carefully shaping and decorating each piece. This has been a wonderful opportunity for students to combine their creativity with their understanding of prayer and the significance of the Rosary.

We are so proud of the curiosity, creativity, confidence and care our Year Four students continue to show, and we can’t wait to see what they achieve next!

Over the past term, students in Years 2–6 have been exploring Japanese language and culture through a colourful range of hands-on art projects.

Year 2 created Japanese self-portraits, while Year 3 explored kendama and Kanji calligraphy. Year 4 created papier-mâché Daruma dolls and colourful koi fish mobiles, Year 5 worked with DAS clay Daruma models and Hiragana calligraphy, and Year 6 designed traditional-style Japanese hanging scrolls.

Across the projects, students researched Japanese traditions and symbolism, planned and refined their designs, experimented with different materials and developed their Japanese language and cultural understanding along the way.

The finished pieces are a wonderful reflection of the creativity, effort and pride students have brought to their learning.

Families will be able to see many of these projects on display in person at our Open Night later this term - we look forward to sharing them with you!

This fortnight looks a little different, with our Fortnightly Special in Week 5, followed by our Term Special Day in Week 6.

WEEK 5 – FORTNIGHTLY SPECIAL
Early Childhood Campus (PN): Monday 17 August
Primary Campus (SJP): Tuesday 18 August

Recess: Blueberry Muffin / Mini Muffin
Lunch: Meatball Sub

WEEK 6 – TERM SPECIAL DAY

Due to popular demand in our canteen survey, Sushi is our Term Special!

Students can choose:

🍣 Sushi & Ice Cream Cup – $9
5 pieces of sushi with soy sauce
Choose from Katsu Chicken, Cooked Tuna or Vegetable

OR

🍕 Pizza & Ice Cream Cup – $9
Choose from Cheese, Ham & Cheese or Ham & Pineapple

Early Childhood Campus (PN): Monday 24 August
Primary Campus (SJP): Tuesday 25 August

Orders must be placed through QKR! by 5pm Wednesday 19 August. Unfortunately, no late orders can be accepted. Please ensure you select the correct campus and day when placing your order, as outlined above.

The normal recess menu will still be available; however, lunch will be limited to the Term Special options above.

After-Lunch Treats

Sadly, our Bam Bam Ice Cream supplier is no longer selling wholesale, so we're on the hunt for some new after-lunch treats! For the rest of the term, we'll be trialling a few different products until we find some new favourites that the children love.

After-lunch treats will continue to range from $0.50–$3.50.

The eSafety Early Years program provides advice on how parents and carers can support young children to have safe and enjoyable experiences online. The link below contains online resources for parents/careers to use.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/children-under-5

Helping children understand and manage emotions is an important part of their social and emotional development and self-regulation. As children grow, they learn to recognise feelings, cope with challenges, and respond appropriately in different situations. Parents and caregivers can support this development by talking about emotions, modelling calm behaviour, and teaching simple coping strategies such as deep breathing, taking breaks, or using words to express feelings. Strong emotional regulation skills help children build friendships, solve problems, and feel more confident at school and home.

Emotional regulation continues to develop throughout childhood and adolescence:
• Children under 3 years begin learning emotional language when adults label feelings and talk about emotions during everyday experiences and play.
• Children aged 3–8 years learn to recognise, name, and manage emotions through books, role play, conversations, and calming strategies such as deep breathing or counting to ten.
• Pre-teens and teenagers experience stronger and more complex emotions due to brain development and life changes. They still benefit from adult guidance to recognise emotional triggers, notice physical signs of stress, and use coping strategies such as exercise, music, or taking a break.

For the full article, click on the link below:

https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/development/preschoolers-social-emotional-development/understanding-managing-emotions-children-teenagers

Reference

Raising Children Network. (n.d.). Understanding and managing emotions: Children and teenagers. Raising Children Network. https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/development/preschoolers-social-emotional-development/understanding-managing-emotions-children-teenagers

Sharlene Epis

Social Worker

BEd, MSW

sharlene.epis@cewa.edu.au

School Term Dates for 2026

• Term 1 (Monday 2 February to Thursday 2 April)
• Break (Friday 3 April – Sunday 19 April)
• Term 2 (Monday 20 April to Friday 3 July)
• Break (Saturday 4 July to Sunday 19July)
• Term 3 (20 July – 25 September)
• Break (Saturday 27 September to Sunday 11 October)
• Term 4 (Monday 12 October to 11 December)

Pupil Free Days for 2026

• Term 1 – Friday 27 February
• Term 2 – Friday 29 May
• Term 3 – Monday 20 July and Friday 25 September
• Term 4 – Monday 12 October