Dear Parents and Friends of St Kevin's,

Wow – since our last newsletter we have elected our Federal Government to lead us politically and the Cardinals in Rome have elected a new Pope to lead us spiritually. We pray that those now in these positions of responsibility and leadership are guided in their decision making through prayer and the gifts of wisdom and right judgement.

Leadership is a privilege and a huge responsibility, and the prayer below is for all those in leadership, as they meet the daily demands of their role. At this time, we especially keep in our prayers the newly elected Pope Leo XIV as he strives to promote world peace and caring for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Bishop Michael’s letter attached shares a little of Pope Leo’s life and philosophy and encourages us all to pray for Pope Leo XIV as he embarks on his new mission in the Church.

Bishops_Letter_to_the_People_of_the_Diocese_Election_of_Pope_Leo_XIV_09_May_2025.pdf

Bishops_Letter_to_the_People_of_the_Diocese_Election_of_Pope_Leo_XIV_09_May_2025 _pdf 250.70 KB

And for all leaders - political, educational, business, sporting and the list goes on:

"Lord, bless our leaders with wisdom and courage to lead us with justice and peace."   

The last 2 weeks have also seen amazing things happen here at St Kevin's.

Taronga Zoo

Years 3 and 4 had an amazing time at Taronga Zoo with a sleepover as part of the total experience. Sleep was somewhat light on however with between 3 – 6 hours being the amount of time spent by teachers and students alike in this particular activity! The behind-the-scenes adventures and the up-close animal encounters more than made up for the lack of sleep, to say nothing of the ice cream afternoon tea as we waited and waited for our bus on the Friday afternoon (the M1 had been closed all day due to a traffic incident). The students were exceptionally well behaved and a credit to their parents, displaying good manners, patience and great listening to the Taronga Educational experts, sharing knowledge and information about various animals at the zoo.

Here are some reflections:

When we were with Mrs Jennings, Jannat touched some fake poo – it was made from stone or something. It was in the tiger enclosure. We all laughed. We also got to see some snapping turtles and a Murray darling python and a shingle back lizard. I loved the Capybara – they are so cute and they look like a big dog /hippo combination. Funny fact – tiger poo is called “Cat skat”. By Sadie

It was a fun experience, and we got to sleep there. We got to touch animals like lizards and snakes. The best part was sleeping there because I’d never slept over at anybody’s house before and especially not at a zoo. The food was good and when we got ice cream for dessert, we could dip it in sprinkles if we wanted to. Fact I learnt – shingle back lizards have a tail that looks like its head and the predator will get confused.  My favourite animals were the lions because they came up close to the glass during the day and at nighttime, we saw them sleeping. By Harry.

It was a very surprising and funny experience. I didn’t know we would see a Sumatran tiger and it was really cool. We got to stay up late till about 11 and then sleep over. It was really funny sleeping with our friends on a mat on the floor. My favourite animals were the gorillas. They were hitting their chest and shooing the turkeys away. Funny fact – seal poo changes colour depending on what they eat. When they ate crab and lobster it was red. When they ate calamari and squid it was purple. By Charlie.

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day was celebrated in our school hall despite the challenges of wet weather and being adjacent to a building site. Thank you to all the staff who contributed in many and various ways to ensure that you were acknowledged and thanked for everything you do for your own beautiful children and for us here at school too. Thank you also to the small band of parents who organised the Mother’s Day stall and raffle. Again, it was all about ensuring that your children were given the opportunity to say, “I love you Mum”, or “Thank you Mum”.

 

Aerobics

And finally, our Aerobics Team! Thank you to Miss Greenwood for all the work and support given to these students. You definitely went above and beyond to provide a new and exciting experience for our students.

First of all, we had to get ready at home – costumes, hair, shoes. We got there around 4pm and did 30 minutes of warmups. We did really well. We were in the top 4 and now we’re all going to Sydney. We had to practice lots at school during lunchtime and before school on Thursdays. By Ella

On our team we had Olivia F, Adeline, me, Ella , Essie and Xanthe. Our team was called The Blue Flames. There was also a Year 1 and 2 team called Glitter. Their team was Lucy, Aurelie, Evelyn, Xavier, Teddy, Millie and Olive. We had to dance to music doing lots of kicks and strong movements. Our judge said we needed to improve our facial expressions and to spread out more. So, when we go to Sydney we have to remember these things. By Violet.

So there was a competition and we were on a lower stage. When we were backstage we were in a different room. Some of us were scared and we had to wait 1 hour for our turn. We had to do an aerobics dance. We had to practice our kicks and routines. Our push-ups were slow and hard. We had to all be in time. We had to look directly at the front and have a cheesy smile. We are going to Sydney and if we are good enough the finals are on the Central Coast. By Aurelie

We wore some costumes that were really beautiful. They were blue and yellow and gold. Our hair had to be in a bun using a doughnut bun. The dance was very fast, and we had to kick our butts when we ran on! We didn’t win this time, but we are going to Sydney for another competition. Everyone was cheering us on. By Teddy.

Our village is definitely an amazing place to work and live. Thank you everyone for all that you do each and every day.

Congratulations!

P&F moving to new Diocesan FACE Model

After many years of an active and supportive P&F here at St Kevin’s, we must unfortunately fold this group and comply with the new Diocesan guidelines. It has been a privilege to work with such amazing parents over the years, all of whom had one single goal – to make St Kevin’s the best school possible. Everything they did, through fundraising, social events,  organising and manning the uniform shop, running the school canteen and providing much needed resources for the school, they did for the benefit of the students. The parents that have been involved over the years with St Kevin’s P&F are truly remarkable in their love of their children, their support of the school and their belief in Catholic Education. I thank them on behalf of all teachers and staff, the student body and the wider parent community, for their never-ending energy, hours and hours of unpaid volunteering , their gifts of friendship and unwavering support of the school.

Parent and carer groups established within schools offer an opportunity for families, school staff and Clergy to gather, explore, discuss, imagine, implement, support, encourage and journey together as we work in community for the benefit of all children and young people enrolled in our schools.

In 2025, school communities can choose to operate a Parents and Friends Association (P&F Association), Parent Engagement Group (PEG) or Family and Community Engagement Forum (FACE Forum). Documents outlining the requirements for each of these forums are provided in the links below.

From 2026, FACE Forums will be the only approved Family Engagement Forum model in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

If you have any questions about the Diocese’s of Maitland-Newcastle’s family engagement forums, please contact the CSO’s Professional Officer- Family Engagement, Lizzie Watkin. Lizzie.watkin@mn.catholic.edu.au 

Handbook for FACE model:

FACE Guideline Handbook

Hot off the press!!!!Look out for this bus!!!

Mary-Anne Jennings

Principal

 

Strengthening Positive Behaviours Across Our School 

Last term, we proudly launched Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L), embracing a whole-school approach to fostering respect, responsibility, and resilience in our students. By focusing on clear expectations and positive reinforcement, we help children build strong habits that support their success—both in learning and in life. 

This term, we’re continuing to build on this foundation, ensuring consistency in how PB4L is embedded across all classrooms. Through explicit instruction in positive behaviour lessons, we are empowering St Kevin’s students to understand and apply these values in everyday interactions. 

We also remain committed to celebrating student achievements through PB4L Chronicles, keeping parents informed when their child is spotted modelling our school values. These moments of recognition not only reinforce positive behaviours but also strengthen the strong partnership between home and school in supporting every child’s development. 

Igniting Young Writers: Tailored Literacy Support for Early Learners 

Alongside PB4L, we’re improving our literacy learning with targeted writing groups across Kindergarten, Year 1, and Year 2. These smaller, focused sessions allow students to develop their writing skills at their own pace. Each stage of early writing development brings unique challenges and opportunities. Typically, from Kindergarten to Year 2 we build their writing competence. In Kinder a necessary focus is the foundational fine motor skills necessary for holding a pencil, forming letters, and understanding basic writing conventions. Through engaging, hands-on activities, students refine their coordination while beginning to express thoughts on paper. 

As they progress into Year 1, the focus shifts towards sentence construction and coherence. Students explore the essential building blocks of writing—capitalization, punctuation, and grammatical structure—while learning how to articulate simple ideas clearly. This stage encourages emerging writers to build fluency and take pride in their developing skills. 

By Year 2, children are ready to expand their creative horizons, enhancing their ability to write with detail, imagination, and descriptive language. Whether crafting short stories, informative texts, or persuasive writing, students learn techniques to structure their ideas effectively, ensuring their writing is engaging and expressive.  But we are not all the same! We all learn in different ways and at different rates.  At St Kevin’s we have launched our Infant writing groups to meet the children where they are at. 

Future Innovators: Exploring Technology Through Hands-On Learning  

And that’s not all— This week we commenced our 2025 Digital Technologies Club, an exciting extra-curricular opportunity for students to explore robotics, circuitry, and coding! We kicked off with 35 eager students, a lot more than my intended 20 students but I struggled to say NO! We are starting with circuits and learning how to wire lights in series. This hands-on approach to technology sparks creativity and problem-solving, preparing students for the digital world while making learning fun.  Well, I hope it is fun for them. 

We love seeing them take on new challenges, support each other, and develop a passion for learning—because that’s what school is all about!  I cannot close without acknowledging the awesome skills of Miss Greenwood and the enthusiasm and commitment of our Sports Aerobics group.  Our Infants group arrived at Nex around noon and our Primary group didn’t conclude until after 7pm. I was both entertained and impressed.  Well done everyone! A massive thankyou to Miss Greenwood for bringing this initiative to our school and giving so generously of her time, and on her birthday no less! Awesome! 

God Bless 

Kim Hogan 

Co-Prinicpal / Assistant Principal

Staff are continually deepening their understanding of liturgy to nurture their own intrinsic spirituality and enrich the faith experience of the school community. By engaging in ongoing formation, they strengthen their personal connection to liturgical practices, allowing them to participate more meaningfully and guide students with greater confidence. This deepening of knowledge is not just about learning rituals—it is about embracing the spiritual significance of worship, reflecting on Scripture, and recognising God’s presence in sacramental celebrations. As staff grow in their liturgical awareness, they cultivate a deeper sense of personal faith, which in turn supports their ability to inspire and lead others in intentional and authentic worship experiences. 

What Is Liturgy? 

Liturgy is a fundamental aspect of Catholic worship, shaping the way we gather as a faith community to pray, reflect, and celebrate God’s presence among us. More than spoken prayers or rituals, liturgy is always an action—something we actively participate in rather than simply observe. 

As a public action, liturgy unites us in communal worship, fostering a shared experience of faith. It is also a ritual action, following a sacred structure passed down through generations, ensuring continuity and deeper spiritual meaning. Liturgy is a symbolic action, where prayers, movements, and sacraments carry deeper meaning than what we see or hear. 

Liturgy is not a performance—it’s about participation, not entertainment. We respond to God's Word, sing, pray, and sometimes use dance or drama to express faith. Students’ contributions in liturgy—whether reading, singing, or performing—are part of worship. We don’t acknowledge them at the end, like a show, but after the liturgy has concluded, keeping the focus on God. 

Through liturgy, we encounter God in a meaningful and transformative way. Whether through the celebration of the Mass, school prayer services, or special liturgical events, these moments allow us to grow spiritually, strengthen our faith community, and embrace our role in the Church’s ongoing mission. 

Donna Morgan 

REC 

Enrolments for the first round of offers for 2026 are closing on the 23 May 2025. If you have a little person starting school in 2026 and have not already submitted an online enrolment application, please do so as soon as possible to be considered for first round placements. This can be done via our website Enrolment Application.

Winter uniforms 

June 2 all students are to be in full winter uniform. This includes ties for both girls and boys. All students wearing long pants will also be expected to have their shirts tucked in. Sports jackets are only to be worn on sports days. Hats are still mandatory. 

The new dark blue long pants, ties and long-sleeved blue shirts are available at Lowes Glendale. 

Our school-based uniform shop still has some of the old grey pants and white shirts which can still be worn this year. Next year all students should be in blue shirts and navy shorts or long pants as per the season.  

Unfortunately, we no longer have access to QKR to order online uniform items from the school-based shop. If you want to purchase some of the old uniform items, you will need to come in person to the shop this Friday May 16 at 9am and pay over the counter with our school secretary Mrs Corbett.  This shop is run by volunteers, and we thank them for their never-ending offers of assistance in this area. Further dates when this shop is open will depend on the availability of our volunteers. If you can volunteer, please let us know. 

Our new canteen menu is up and running. Our canteen supervisor has been appointed and we welcome Helynna Dover-Ong to our school community in this role. Helynna is implementing the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy which all NSW public schools with a canteen are required to implement and Independent and Catholic Schools are encouraged to participate in.

The Strategy supports a culture of healthy eating in schools by:

• Promoting and increasing student access to healthier foods and drinks.
• Decreasing student access to less healthy foods and drinks.
• Supporting water as the drink of choice.
• Making a healthy choice an easy choice.

A healthy school canteen menu needs to comprise at least 3/4 (75%) Everyday foods and drinks and no more than 1/4 (25%) Occasional foods and drinks. 

We thank Helynna for her work in this area. We will have adjustments and changes to the menu as the weeks go by, but the priority will continue to be healthy choices to promote a healthy lifestyle and brain.

Volunteers are still needed to help Helynna in the canteen as she is only paid for a 3 hour shift each week, and as such helpers on a Friday would be most welcome and appreciated. Please let us know here at school if you can volunteer in this area and complete the registration process as per link in the newsletter.

Lunches are ordered through the new Flexi-schools app and must be ordered by 9am Wednesday morning.

To re-launch the canteen, we are running a "Name the Canteen" competition. See the flyer below on how to enter. 

With the movement of the P&F to the new FACE model, the school is no longer able to use QKR for canteen and uniform payments. The school will now be moving to the Flexischools app. We appreciate your support as we move to this new platform.  Flexischools is now available for canteen purchases and we anticipate that we will be able to extend this use to events and fundraising. 

Please find below information on how to set up your Flexischools account. You can link your credit card on the app to make purchases or you can also add money to a wallet for purchases. 

We are very lucky at St Kevin's to have some wonderful volunteers to support our children and our school. Volunteers at St Kevin's help us by performing roles in our departing P&F, uniform shop, fundraising, canteen, classroom readers and choir. We always welcome the support and assistance that volunteers offer. If you would like to become a volunteer, you must register via the Volunteer link at the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

To thank all of the amazing volunteers, please find a flyer inviting you to some events during National Volunteer Week 19-25 May. Thank you for all that you do!

Congratulations Corner - Reece

Hello everyone.

I would like to tell you about my mountain bike race at Awaba.

On Saturday I woke up at 6am and went to change into my riding gear. We hopped into the car and it took us 45 minutes to arrive at Awaba Mountain Bike Park where the race was going to happen. Once we got there, I went to get my race plate after doing a few warmup laps of the jump track there. There was a total of 61 boys and 33 girls in my age category (U11). I felt a bit scared and nervous when I reached the starting point, but was very excited once the race actually began. Everyone was zooming by, but I tried my best and rode as fast as I could. We all got very muddy and sweaty because we were pushing ourselves to the limit!  When I finished the race I felt very, very accomplished and HUNGRY! I placed 50^th and although I may not have come first, I beat my timing from last year! 

The only thing missing was having school mates represent St Kevin’s with me. Maybe you could join me and my sister in training Wednesdays at Glenrock, where my mum coaches also!! That would be so cool!

Reece (Year 4)

Congratulations Corner - St Kevin's Alumni, Lily Porter

Congratulations to Lily Porter for be awarded the Lisa Fiaola Cup, Player's Player Award.

The Keep School Funding Fair campaign has been launched by Catholic Schools NSW.

Research shows less than half of Australians know how our school system is funded.

The Keep School Funding Fair campaign aims to explain the Australian school funding system to all Australians. 

Both state and commonwealth governments contribute funds to support school choice and to ensure that every Australian child gets a high-quality education.

In Australia, school choice ensures that parents can choose a school that best suits the needs of their child and their values as a family.

We believe the current means-tested school funding system is the fairest way to provide opportunities for all children and choice for all families. That’s why the campaign is seeking the support of the Australian community to keep school funding fair.

Please see some information below regarding this campaign. 

Watch the video to find out how schools are funded.

Sign up to the Keep School Funding Fair campaign or learn more here.

Read more detail about how Catholic schools are funded.

Please find attached the parish bulletin for this Sunday.

We have also attached a prayer for Pope Leo XIV, the Holy Rosary and an information flyer for an upcoming seminar.

​

Wishing you all a safe weekend.

God bless!

Parish Team 

ALL SAINTS PARISH BLACKBUTT SOUTH

Upcoming information sessions and webinars for parents and carers 

Parents and carers are the most important educators in their child’s life. To assist you in this important role, a list of upcoming webinars provided by reputable providers, free of charge, has been compiled and is available on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage. 

A snapshot of Term 2 webinars featured on the webpage is included below. 

Online safety-focused sessions: 

• Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online, hosted by the eSafety Commissioner 

• eSafety 101, hosted by the eSafety Commissioner 

• Exploring the online experiences of boys and young men, hosted by the eSafety Commissioner 

• Sexual extortion: What parents and carers need to know, hosted by the eSafety Commissioner 

• The Social Media Guide: What Every Parent Needs to Know in 2025, hosted by The Cyber Safety Project 

Mental health-focused sessions: 

• Anxiety and Depression in Children and Adolescents, hosted by Learning Links 

• Teen Mental Health Matters, hosted by The BlackDog Institute 

Senior schooling years and post-school pathways sessions: 

• Supporting your child through the HSC, hosted by CCSP NSW/ACT and Beyond 

• A parent’s roadmap to careers and pathways, hosted by CCSP NSW/ACT and Beyond 

• Navigating post-school pathways, hosted by MyFuture 

Parenting sessions 

• What kids need now, before the teenage years, hosted by CCSP NSW/ACT and Michelle Mitchell 

More information about these webinars, including registration links, can be found on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage www.mn.catholic.edu.au/our-community/supporting-parents-and-carers/upcoming-parent-and-carer-information-sessions/ 

Please note that the webpage will be updated regularly with news of additional webinars, and you can visit the site at any time.   

Tomorrow, Friday 16 May is "Walk Safely to School Day". Remember, until they're ten, children must always hold an adult's hand when crossing the road.