This month we celebrate May, a month that holds a very special and deep significance in our Catholic tradition, especially within our Marist community of 秀秀直播.
May is the month that we dedicate to Mary. It鈥檚 a time to reflect on her virtues, her faith, and her quiet strength. As Marists, Mary has an even more special significance鈥e see Mary not only as someone to honour, but as someone to imitate.
Marcellin Champagnat鈥檚 vision for educators was very simple 鈥� in order to educate children, you must love them and love them equally. How did he and his brothers show this love? Through the living out of the Marist characteristics 鈥� presence, simplicity, family spirit, love of work, and In the way of Mary. It is this last characteristic that can sometimes be the most difficult to fully understand.
So, as we begin the month of May, it is worth giving this some thought. What does it mean to live 鈥榠n the way of Mary鈥�?
To live in the way of Mary is a beautiful invitation to imitate Mary, not just in our actions, but in our attitude and spirit too. It means to follow Jesus just as she did; to act with humility, compassion, and trust in God. It means to be present to others, showing up especially in times of need; to saying yes with faith, even when things are hard or uncertain; to nurture and care for others, bringing out the best in those around us; and to act at all times with humility and love, seeking to 鈥榙o good quietly鈥�.
Taking Mary as our model means we reflect Mary in not only what we do but how we do it, with these notions of humility, compassion, presence, and a spirit of service front and centre. It is also a great reminder to us that Mary didn’t seek attention or status; she simply said 鈥榶es鈥� to God and walked alongside others with quiet courage and deep faith.
In the same way that Lent is a special time of spiritual nourishment so that we may become our best selves and grow closer to God, so too does the month of May allow us the opportunity to focus on how we can live out Mary鈥檚 qualities of faith, compassion, and quiet strength. Perhaps, you might like to choose one of Mary鈥檚 qualities you would like a little more of in your life鈥entleness, patience, humility鈥nd put this into place through your words, your spirit, and your actions.
Allow yourself the time to let your month of May be one of great purpose鈥n opportunity to walk in Mary鈥檚 footsteps, and in doing so, bring honour to her life and draw closer to her son, Jesus Christ.
Marian Lecture
The College is excited to host a live stream of the Marian Lecture. This is a free event, and we invite all members of our College community to join us. Light refreshments will be provided following the lecture. Please register your interest
Welcome back to the start of Term 2. I hope all families enjoyed some time together over the term break holidays. We are underway and fully back into the swing of College life and learning.
Prior to the students returning, our staff enjoyed a great day with the Marist Life and Formation Team, unpacking our Marist Theme for 2025, Pilgrims of Hope. As we enjoyed this deep dive into understanding Pilgrims of Hope, we were also grappling with the death of Pope Francis, and our community recognised his passing and leadership in our PCG and Class prayers throughout the first week of school. The impact of Francis鈥� leadership will be long experienced in the Church and the world. There are many lessons we take from his papacy but one in particular has sat with me for many years. Chris Lowney, a former Jesuit seminarian, wrote the book Pope Francis: Why He Leads the Way He Leads. Lowney wrote what we all came to understand about this leader in faith. Pope Francis was a pastoral leader, a leader deeply connected with the people and of the people. A particular image put forward by Lowney was of Francis dirty laundry, dusty shoes and monastery bells. As a supervisor of a Jesuit Seminary earlier in his priesthood, Fr Jorge Bergolio (Pope Francis) took it upon himself to do the laundry of the seminary. He was easily identifiable as a priest with his people as his shoes were always dirty with the dust of the roads and alleyways where he met and pastored to his parish and people. This earthiness, presence and focus on the human interaction with others was also coupled with Francis鈥� focus on looking up (monastery bells), leading his flock to a personal relationship with God. In these times where leadership seems to have lurched towards selfishness and division, we have lost a true leader who embodied the hope to look beyond and to the margins, but we will continue to be better for the example of true servant leadership he has left us. We now celebrate and pray for Pope Leo XIV.
In this moment of history and hope, we pause in prayer together as a Marist community. With hearts full of faith, we welcome the words spoken by our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV:
鈥楶eace be with you鈥�
Guild Spirit
Students on Marcellin campus enjoyed a great day of Guild spirit in last week鈥檚 Cross Country event. Along with the overall competition to take the shield, we had Guilds competing for the first time in the Guild Spirit shield. What we saw on the day was the dial shift even further to the right with a renewed energy around celebrating and competing as a Guild. Well done to all the students, Guild Co-ordinators and the Physical Education team for an uplifting and joyful carnival. Congratulations to the podium finishers in each race, Marcellin Guild for taking the Shield and to MacKillop and Thomas More who drew to become the first Guilds on the new Spirit Shield. Most importantly, well done to all our students for their great involvement on the day.
Mother鈥檚 Day
As the week drew to a close, we were delighted to welcome mothers, grandmothers and mother figures to the College for either the Mother鈥檚 Day Liturgy or Mass. The celebration of Mother鈥檚 Day is one of the most beautiful moments in any year; that outpouring expression of gratitude and thanks to our ever patient, strong, wise and amazing mothers.
We also take a moment to remember and honour the mothers who are no longer with us. Their love and legacy continue to live on in the hearts of those they nurtured.
On behalf of all in our community, I wish everyone a joyous Mother鈥檚 Day this Sunday.
Here we are at the end of Term 1! What a fantastic term it has been, full of exciting learning opportunities across the Primary! Our students (and staff) have worked extremely hard this term and everyone is ready for a well-deserved holiday break to rest and recuperate!
Easter Liturgies
This morning, we held Easter Liturgies at both Primary campuses. Both of these were joyful and reverent occasions, reminding us as a 秀秀直播 community of the true meaning of Easter. Special thanks to our Year 2 students and teachers for organising the Marian Liturgy, which saw all of our Marian students participating.
Easter Raffles
A huge thanks to all families who purchased tickets and also donated eggs for our Primary Easter Raffle. We have raised a great deal of money for Caritas Project Compassion 鈥� a truly worthy cause. Your donations will make a huge difference in the live of many people in need around the world. Many students will be coming home today as winners of the raffle 鈥� enjoy all of that chocolate! You can find out more about Project Compassion by visiting .
Assembly
Last Friday 2 Red shared their wonderful Term 1 learning with us. 2 Red started their assembly by signing the beautiful song My Lighthouse reminding us that Jesus is always there for us, ready to listen to us and help guide us in the right direction. 2 Red then took us on a journey around the world 鈥� teaching us all about the Continents, sharing wonderful facts, jokes and songs along the way! Thank you 2 Red for helping us to learn about our amazing world and inspiring us to travel!
秀秀直播 Norms / Medals of Marcellin
Each fortnight at each Primary campus, one person will be drawn out of the raffle and receive a small prize for living out our 秀秀直播 Norms. Congratulations to Mateo, Shubh and Noah (Week 8 Lavalla) and Heath (Week 9 Marian) who were our recent winners! Each raffle ticket received is swapped for a token and the Guild with the highest number of tokens at the end of the term wins a prize for the whole Guild!
As advised earlier this week – the winning guilds for Term 1 2025 were as below:
The tokens now reset, with a fresh start for Term 2 Medals of Marcellin!
Mother鈥檚 Day
We invite all Mothers and Mother figures to join us for our upcoming Mother鈥檚 Day celebrations. Please see the flyer below for more information about these events, which are occurring early next term. RSVP form can be found
The Fathering Project
In exciting news, the College is looking to expand the Fathering Project into the Lavalla and Marcellin Campuses this year! Over the past couple of years the Fathering Project has run events with Marian fathers and children, which have been hugely successful.
Matt Hamilton, who is a Year 3 and Pre-Primary parent, has coordinated these events with a small group of dad helpers over the past couple of years and we are now looking to expand this group as we open this up to all of the Primary dads.
As such, we are looking for dads who are willing to get involved in helping to organise and run future events, particularly dads of students in Years 4, 5 & 6 (but also welcome dads of any year levels).
Nikki Cresp (currently on leave this term) will step into our Primary Library teacher role in Terms 2-4 this year. Having worked across both Primary campuses, Nikki knows the students and will be a wonderful addition to the Library team.
Hannah Barnsley joins us as our Sport Teacher, taking over from Mrs Richards for this year. Hannah is an experienced teacher who has taught across PK-12 in Physical Education, Special Education and Learning Support in her career.
URSTRONG
A reminder that parents continue to have access to a . We hope that as a URSTRONG Family, you will reinforce the important messages of empowerment, self-compassion, & kindness at home.
Long Service Leave
As you will be aware from Andrew Watson鈥檚 email to parents earlier this term, I will be taking Long Service Leave across Terms 2 and 3 to travel around the world. The plans for the coming together of the Primary Campuses are well and truly in-hand and I am excited for my return to one Primary Campus at the start of Term 4.
During my leave, please contact Mrs Sarah Pagett (Acting Head of Primary Terms 2-3) or continue to contact the front office at either Campus who will direct your queries to the appropriate member of the Primary Leadership Team.
I wish all Primary families a restful and happy Easter with your families and a fruitful Terms 2 and 3.
The end of Term 1 and so much has been achieved by our students, guided in their learning and care by our staff and supported through our families. In the week just gone, our community was enthralled by the performance of the cast and crew of the College production – Bugsy Malone. 秀秀直播 has a rich history of the highest quality performances and I can say that Bugsy Malone was up there with the best school musical events that I have seen. The immersive experience of the audience as guests in the nightclub within the performance, the visual presentation of the Marist Auditorium and the clever adaptations created to make this a family-friendly production, supported by outstanding acting, dancing, music and singing. Congratulations to Mrs Kathy La Brooy, her team, our students and parent helpers. This from a family who just recently joined 秀秀直播 highlights the Family Spirit shown by all involved:
鈥�We wanted to extend our heartfelt gratitude and congratulations, for a fantastic performance of Bugsy Malone. The time and effort it takes to go into making this special, not only for the students but also for the family and friends surrounding them is truly appreciated. I would also like to make special mention to all the lovely students who encouraged my daughter and made her feel a part of a team and through their own unique contributions, made this experience one to remember. The talent and team work of everyone shone through and created a memorable experience for all of us.鈥�
秀秀直播 First XI Win Graeme Wood Shield
Last week, we posted the exciting news of the First XI Cricket team鈥檚 win over Mazenod College at the WACA. The game showcased great teamwork, sportsmanship and individual talents of players on both sides. The 秀秀直播 Cricket program has gone from strength to strength with recent successes at the Marist Cricket Carnival and now this Shield. Congratulations to the students, Mr John Lucas and Mr Jake Goncalves.
Marist Basketball Carnival
Last week, our senior girls and boys basketball teams played in the Marist Basketball Carnival in Melbourne. Hosted by Marcellin College, both teams were a credit to 秀秀直播 and played great competitive games. Overall, we improved our positions in the final standings significantly from 2024. Congratulations to the players and thank you to our managers Mr Ben Goldie and Ms Jade Nicotra, and to our coaches Nick Vlahov and Brendan Gaunson.
A Milestone in Year 6
This week, College Captains Amelia Ng and Liam Stannard, along with the Year 6 Guild Captains, joined me in handing the Year 6 students their Celebration polo. This is another milestone in the Year 6 journey that culminates in our Mass and recognition of the end of the Primary journey in December. The students told me that the privilege of being able to wear the polos once a week, comes with the responsibility of being great leaders in the 秀秀直播 Norms and demonstration of the Marist Characteristics.
Mid-Year Break 鈥� Parent Survey
In recent years, momentum has developed in looking at the spread of school holidays across the year. This would not mean much adjustment to the length of the summer break and would have a similar pattern to the 2025 first days of term we experienced this year. The important consideration is to maintain the number of teaching days and hours that we need to meet our registration as a school. The reasons to entertain a change in break are communicated in the below survey, and it is most likely that we would look at any change for 2027. The staff and students will also be consulted for their view on any proposed change. We would appreciate you and encourage you to take the time to complete the below survey as your feedback is an integral part of this consultation process
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I will keep families informed as we progress through this consideration.
Marcellin Celebration Assembly – When the ground trembles, character stands still
To end the term, Secondary gathered for a Celebration Assembly. We highlighted achievements of the term and I spoke to the students about a connection between the tragedy of the Myanmar earthquake recently and their everyday lives. I opened my talk with this quote that I read recently.
When the ground trembles, character stands still.
Many of us have seen the footage of hospital staff protecting newborn babies in the hospital nursery as the building shook and rubble fell. They did not run, they did not take a moment to consider any other action than to place their bodies across the basinets to hold and protect the babies in their care. Courage, leadership, presence. Victor Frankl, prominent in psychology and a survivor of the concentration camps of World War II referred to the space between stimulus and response. Frankl wrote:Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Faced with adversity or a wrong situation, what occupies that space in our thinking before we respond? Mr Stuart McClorey writes about it in his Ministry section. How can that relate to 秀秀直播 students today and in our context? There are many ways we can stand still, be present and act in the right way while facing something that is wrong, unkind, undignified or diminishing. I put to our students that I had seen in many of them this term their character standing still and firm, acting with the care of others as their first thought. I also put the challenge to them that they start Term 2 afresh with the desire to be steadfast, courageous and selfless in going out of their way to think of another, whether at school or elsewhere, in person or online, when the situation could easily be dismissed as too hard to face.
Easter
We are in the final stages of Lent and we look forward to Holy Week next week. The Easter Triduum extends from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday. Treated separately, they are liturgically one day unfolding the final time of Jesus鈥� early life and to his resurrection. I hope you have the chance to be involved in these moments of the Holy Week.
Winter uniforms will be worn from the beginning of next term unless we have an unseasonal hot spell. There will be communication with families and students if this is the case. Wishing all families a restful break together over Easter
As a follow-up to discussions at our Parent Forum last week, please see below for a link to a survey regarding possible chartered bus services from Glendalough & Karrinyup stations.
We have lobbied Transperth for an increase in services, but unfortunately, they are unable to assist in this regard.
We have therefore investigated various charter options & whilst these services are possible, the cost of these services are far more expensive than normal Transperth services. The price estimates provided are purely reflective of the cost of the service quoted to the College by the charter company. There is no increase or markup included in these calculations.
If we receive confirmed commitment from the required minimum number of families, we will progress discussions to the next stage.
