Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Today the students in Years 3-6 participated in the school’s annual ‘Cross Country’ carnival at Willandra. This is always a wonderful day which gives all students an opportunity to participate though running or walking. Mr Allmark and the Year 3 team facilitated the day. The senior students ran an extra kilometre as the requirement for representative selection is to run a 3km course. Stage 2 students ran the 2km track. Thank you to all staff parents and students who assisted in any way. There will be additional information about this day in the next newsletter. 

On Friday 15 March 2024, students and families are invited to join us for the annual Parents and Friends (P&F) ‘Welcome Disco and BBQ’ in the back playground. This our second attempt to have this social event. Thank you to our P&F for their meticulous preparation for this event. 

During the last few weeks the Year 4 students have received their iPads. These are supplied by the school to all Year 4 students and are paid for by parents during Year 4 and Year 5. The iPads are managed by the school and have all learning Apps installed, along with cyber safety features and time restraints. The iPads are used as a learning tool and are a very valuable resource for the students. Since introducing the school managed devices, the potential for online bullying is manageable and has been greatly reduced. 

Over the next two weeks the Year 3 and 5 students will use iPads to complete most of the NAPLAN tests which commence this Wednesday 13 March 2024. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school's assessment and reporting process, but is a very useful way of assessing both individual and whole group growth. Please keep the Year 3 and Year 5 students and staff in your prayers during this two week period. 

Advance notice: On the first scheduled day for Term 2, all staff will participate in a Spirituality Day. As we are a Catholic school, it is very important to provide opportunities for staff to deepen their spirituality. All Catholic schools in the Diocese of Wollongong engage in one of these days each year. As the Spirituality Day will occur on 29 April 2024, the first day for students and parents in Term 2 will be Tuesday 30 April 2024.