Carmel's News
4th Week of Lent
As we journey through Lent, the story of the Prodigal Son, shared in Sunday’s Gospel, offers a profound reflection on forgiveness, reconciliation, and the boundless mercy of God. In this parable, we are reminded of a father’s unconditional love for his son, who, despite making mistakes and wandering away, is always welcomed back with open arms.
The son, in his search for independence, chooses to leave home, squandering his inheritance and losing his way. But when he comes to his senses, realising the depth of his wrongdoings, he returns to his father, hoping for forgiveness. What happens next is a beautiful expression of grace: the father runs to meet him, embracing him without hesitation and celebrating his return. This is a powerful reminder that, no matter how far we may stray, God’s love for us is constant, and He is always ready to welcome us back with open arms.
The story challenges us to reflect on our own lives—how often we may turn away from God, but how, like the Prodigal Son, we can always return. Lent calls us to take this opportunity for self-reflection, repentance, and reconciliation, knowing that God is always ready to forgive and embrace us.
As we approach Easter, this story calls us to renew our commitment to reconciliation—not just with God but also with others. Just as the father forgave his son, we too are called to forgive, heal, and restore relationships. Lent is a time to let go of grudges, to offer forgiveness, and to seek peace within ourselves and with those around us.
May the story of the Prodigal Son remind us of God’s great mercy and encourage us to embrace the spirit of reconciliation as we prepare for the joy and renewal of Easter. Through prayer, reflection, and acts of kindness, let us draw closer to the love and grace of God.
The story of the Prodigal Son was the Gospel reading the Year 3 students reflected on as they prepared to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday, 22nd March. Thank you to Jenny Burnet, Father Jacob and all the families that celebrated the special time with the children. Congratulations to Sienna, Sebastien, Tex, Georgia, Neil, Liam and Zoe.
Wishing You a Joyful Break and Easter Blessings
As we approach the well-deserved break, I would like to take a moment to wish all of our students, staff, and families a relaxing and enjoyable time. May this holiday season be filled with joy, peace, and quality time spent with loved ones.
We also extend our heartfelt Easter blessings to all. May the spirit of renewal and hope bring warmth and happiness to your homes.
Enjoy the break, stay safe, and we look forward to welcoming you back with fresh energy and enthusiasm in Term 2.
We invite you to show your compassion this Lent through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Each family (through the eldest child) has received a Project Compassion box for your donations, or you can donate online via the Caritas Australia website at: lent.caritas.org.au. If you choose to collect donations during Lent, please return the boxes to school by Wednesday, April 2nd, so we can send the funds to Caritas Australia by the end of the term.
The Earth & Spirit Year 6 Leaders have organised a fundraiser with all proceeds going to Caritas. Students may wear an Easter hat or come to school with Crazy Hair on Wednesday, 2nd April.
Earth & Spirit Leaders
Congratulations to our Earth and Spirit Leaders Lily, Medina, Josh & Mrs Harvey who were awarded an ‘Horizons of Hope’ leadership badge at our school assembly this morning. We will have an official launch next term.
Sacrament of Confirmation Dates
Wednesday 30th April- 6.00pm Confirmation Family Workshop (Learning Hub)
Sunday 18th May- 10.30am Confirmation Presentation Mass (St Catherine’s Church)
Date TBA- Confirmation Reflection Day (St Peter’s School)
Sunday 27th July- 2.00pm Confirmation (St Patrick’s Cathedral- Melbourne)
Sacrament of Eucharist Dates
Wednesday 23rd July- 6.00pm Eucharist Family Workshop (Learning Hub)
Sunday 3rd August- 10.30am Eucharist Presentation Mass (St Catherine’s Church)
Wednesday 6th August- Eucharist Reflection Day (At school)
Sunday 24th August- 10.30am First Eucharist (St Catherine’s Church)
2025 Student Shout Outs!
Please email me if your child has achieved an amazing milestone either individually or with their team. We will showcase them in our newsletter. Please include a photo of your child showing off their award/trophy/certificate etc. Please note we cannot add team photos to the newsletter as we don't have photo permission for the team members.
Thank You- Working Bee on Sunday, 23rd March
A big thank you to Laura McKell for organising the Working Bee at our school last weekend. The courtyard and school grounds looked amazing after the cleanup. Among the many jobs done:
- Tidied up courtyard area, including pruning and weeding
- Levelled out softfall mulch around the Adventure Playground
- Plant beds were tidied up around the hall and asphalt area
- Pulled out all the plants/weeds in the beds of the oval mural garden in preparation for replanting
- Pulled out all the plants/weeds in the beds of the vegetable garden in preparation for replanting
- The soil in all the beds was also dug and turned over to get rid of weeds/roots from previous crops
Changes to our morning and afternoon routines in Term 2
Morning routine
To eliminate the congestion in the courtyard before school, a new morning routine will be trialled starting Tuesday 22nd April.
- Morning supervision starts at 8:40am. (as always).
- Students will put their bags on their class line when they arrive at school (like on Monday mornings for our Walking Club).
- The gate to the courtyard will be opened at 8:40am. for students to put their bikes/scooters in the bike shed.
- All children will remain on the asphalt area until the music plays at 8:55am., at which point teachers will collect their students and walk them into class.
- If raining/wet on arrival at school, students will be directed straight to their classrooms.
* If you need to drop your child/children to school earlier than 8:40am, please book them into Before School Care.
** Parents are welcome to walk their children into the classroom if necessary. However, we kindly ask that you please leave promptly when the bell rings at 9:00am, so that teachers can begin roll call and lessons on time.
Afternoon routine
Children will line up at the end of the school day to ensure a safe, organised, and efficient dismissal process. The dismissal bell will ring at 3:20pm (as usual).
- We kindly ask that parents come to the teacher to collect their child. For safety reasons, students will only be dismissed once a parent or guardian has checked in with the teacher.
- Students who are leaving independently should inform their teacher before leaving.
- Students who bring bikes or scooters will remain in line until the bell rings, at which point they will make their way to the bike shed. Parents of younger children are kindly asked to come to the teacher to collect their child.
Term 1 Holiday Program Care for working families
We would like to inform you that, for these upcoming school holidays, the holiday program will be held at St Peter's East Bentleigh. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. As MACSEYE is a new provider, they are still finalising the logistics for launching programs at all schools, and unfortunately, they are not yet ready to run at our school this term.
The program at St Peter's looks fantastic, and the OSH Club team is excited to welcome our families as part of the Trinity community.
Here is all the information regarding daily activities, costs and a booking link:
OSH club holiday program link.
Thank you for your understanding.
Reminders for the health and safety of staff and students, please keep your child home if they are sick.
ADVANCE NOTICE
Remaining 2025 School Closure days
Term 2
Week 7 Friday 6th June
Term 3
Week 9 Friday 19th September
Term 4
Week 5 Monday 3rd November (Day before Melbourne Cup Day)
Week 7 Friday 21st November
Last day of school for 2025
Week 11 - Yr 6 Monday 15th December @ 3:20pm.
Week 11 - Foundation - Year 5 & Staff 16th December @ 3:20pm.
Term 1 Dates
Week 10
Tuesday 1st April - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 1st April - Chess club @ 1:45pm
Wednesday 2nd April - 9:00-9:30am. Easter Hat/Crazy Hair Parade, Raffle
Thursday 3rd April - Running club @ 8:15am
Thursday 3rd April - Tennis Victoria lessons
Thursday 3rd April - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Friday 4th April - Holy Week Prayer Service- Learning Hub (Families welcome) @ 3:00pm
Friday 4th April - End of Term 1 @ 3:20pm. (school resumes Tuesday 22nd April)
Term 2 Dates
Week 1
Monday 21st April- School Closure- Easter Monday
Tuesday 22nd April- School Resumes @ 8:40am.
Tuesday 22nd April - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 22nd April - Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Tuesday 22nd April- Easter Alleluia Prayer Service- Learning Hub (Families welcome) @ 3:00pm.
Thursday 24th April - Running club @ 8:15am.
Thursday 24th April - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Thursday 24th April - ANZAC Day prayer Service- Learning Hub (Families welcome) @ 3:00pm.
Friday 25th April- School Closure- ANZAC Day
Week 2
Monday 28th April - Walking club @ 8:40am.
Monday 28th April - School choir @ 1:45pm.
Tuesday 29th April - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 29th April - Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Wednesday 30th April - Beginning of term mass (Families welcome) @ 10:00am.
Wednesday 30th April- 6pm Confirmation Family Workshop
Thursday 2nd May- HOLT Cross Country (Select Yr 3-6 students) @ time tbc
Thursday 2nd May - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Friday 3rd May- HOLT Interschool Sport (Yr 5/6 students & select Yr 4 students) @ time and venue tbc
Week 3
Monday 5th May - Walking club @ 8:40am.
Monday 5th May - School choir @ 1:45pm.
Monday 5th May - Student voice @ 3:00pm.
Tuesday 6th May - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 6th May- Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Tuesday 6th May - After hours school tour @ 5:00-6:00pm.
Tuesday 6th May - P&F meeting at school @ 7:30pm.
Thursday 8th May - Running club @ 8:15am.
Thursday 8th May - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Thursday 8th May- Mother’s day Stall (Hall) @ 2:15pm.
Friday 9th May- HOLT Interschool Sport (Yr 5/6 students & select Yr 4 students) @ time and venue tbc
Friday 9th May- School Disco @ 5:30-7:30pm.
Sunday 11th May- Mother’s Day ❤️
Week 4: National Families Week Australia
Monday 12th May - Walking club @ 8:40am
Monday 12th May - Family Week Activity @ 9:00-10:30am
Monday 12th May - School choir @ 1:45pm
Tuesday 13th May - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 13th May - Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Tuesday 13th May - School Open Day @ 9:30-11:00am
Thursday 15th May - Running club @ 8:15am
Thursday 15th May - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Friday 16th May- HOLT Interschool Sport (Yr 5/6 students & select Yr 4 students) @ time and venue tbc
Sunday 18th May- Confirmation Presentation Mass (Year 6 confirmation students) @ 10:30am
Week 5:
Monday 19th May - Walking club @ 8:40am.
Monday 19th May - School choir @ 1:45pm.
Monday 19th May - Student voice @ 3:00pm.
Monday 19th May - SAC Meeting at school @ 6:00-7:30pm.
Tuesday 20th May - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 20th May - Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Wednesday 21st May - Year 1/2 and Year 5 parish mass (Families welcome) @10:00am
Thursday 22nd May - Running club @ 8:15am.
Thursday 22nd May - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Friday 23rd May- HOLT Soccer (Selected Yr 3-6 students) @ time tbc
Week 6: Reconciliation Week
Monday 26th May - Walking club @ 8:40am.
Monday 26th May - Sorry Day prayer service (Families welcome) @ 10:40am.
Monday 26th May - School choir @ 1:45pm.
Tuesday 27th May - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 27th May - Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Wednesday 28th May- Yr 5/6 Camp- ‘The Ranch’ Mornington
Thursday 29th May- Yr 5/6 Camp- ‘The Ranch’ Mornington
Thursday 29th May - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Friday 30th May- Yr 5/6 Camp- ‘The Ranch’ Mornington
Week 7
Monday 2nd June - Walking club @ 8:40am.
Monday 2nd June - School choir @ 1:45pm.
Monday 2nd June - Student voice @ 3:00pm.
Tuesday 3rd June - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 3rd June - Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Wednesday 4th June - Foundation / Year 6 parish mass (Families welcome) @ 10:00am
Wednesday 4th June - Confirmation reflection day for Year 6 students (casual dress)
Thursday 5th June - Running club @ 8:15am.
Thursday 5th June - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Friday 6th June- School Closure Day
Week 8
Monday 9th June - King’s birthday public holiday
Tuesday 10h June - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 10th June - Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Tuesday 10th June - P&F meeting at school @ 7:30-8:30pm.
Thursday 8th June - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Thursday 8th June- HOLT Netball Lightning Premiership (Year 5/6 and select Year 4 students) @ time tbc
Friday 9th June- HOLT Football Lightning Premiership (Year 5/6 and select Year 4 students) @ time tbc
Week 9
Monday 16th June - Walking club @ 8:40am.
Monday 16th June - Choir @ 1:45pm.
Monday 16th June - Student voice @ 3:00pm.
Tuesday 17th June - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 17th June - Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Wednesday 18th June - Year 3/4 parish mass (Families welcome) @ 10:00am.
Thursday 19th June - Running club @ 8:15am.
Thursday 19th June - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Week 10
Monday 23rd June - Walking club @ 8:40am.
Monday 23rd June - Choir @ 1:45pm.
Tuesday 24th June - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 24th June - Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Thursday 26th June - Running club @ 8:15am.
Thursday 26th June - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Week 11
Monday 30th June - Walking club @ 8:40am.
Monday 30th June - Choir @ 1:45pm.
Monday 30th June - Student voice @ 3:00pm.
Tuesday 1st July - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Tuesday 1st July - Chess club @ 1:45pm.
Thursday 3rd July - Running club @ 8:15am.
Thursday 3rd July - Playgroup 9-11:00am
Friday 4th July- Semester 1 Reports sent home
Friday 4th July- Last day of Term 2 @ 3:20pm. (Term 3 begins Monday 21st July)