10 July 2023

As students and teachers return to classrooms following the mid-year school holidays, there is much to look forward to during the new term.

Students and staff from Catholic schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne will make a special pilgrimage to Lisbon, Portugal, for World Youth Day. With the 2023 theme ‘Mary arose and went with haste’ (Lk 1: 39), World Youth Day is an international gathering to connect, pray and celebrate alongside other young Catholics.

‘Innovation: Powering Future Industries’ is the school theme for this year’s National Science Week. A resource book is available for teachers to begin planning lessons and activities. Students with an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) will have a chance to showcase their projects at STEM MAD in October.

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) will hold its annual Children’s Book Week celebrations in August. With the 2023 theme ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’, the week honours the new books nominated for Book of the Year, as well as encouraging schools to foster a love of reading and writing in their students.

Schools are invited to share their news with us for inclusion on the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) website. For more information, please email publications@macs.vic.edu.au. Upcoming events include:

• 23 July: World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly
• 30 July: World Day against Trafficking in Persons
• 1 August: World Youth Day (until 6 August)
• 8 August: Solemnity of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
• 12 August: National Science Week (until 20 August)
• 15 August: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• 18 August: National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence
• 19 August: Children’s Book Week (until 25 August)
• 27 August: Social Justice Sunday
• 1 September: World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
• 3 September: Father’s Day.