Dear Parents and carers,

You are invited to join us for our first Working Bee of the year this Saturday 15 March 2025, as we come together to tidy up our school grounds. The focus will be on gardening, so please bring your own tools, including powered whipper snippers, pruners, rakes, and trailers—every bit of help makes a difference! Your time and effort are truly appreciated as we work to create a welcoming environment for our students. Thank you to those who have already offered to assist—we look forward to seeing you there!

Thank you to our parents who attended this week’s Parents and Friends meeting. Your support and involvement is valued. We discussed several important matters, including back playground enhancements, the Easter raffle, and the success of our recent ‘Welcome Disco and BBQ’. Additionally, we reviewed plans for the upcoming Diocesan Cross Country and South Coast Catholic Schools Soccer Gala day. Your dedication helps make our school community stronger. 

This  week Mr Allmark, our dedicated staff, supportive families and enthusiastic students combined to make our annual School Cross Country event a great success! It was wonderful to see student determination, strong colour house spirit, and outstanding sportsmanship on full display. The beautiful Willandra location provided the perfect backdrop for an exciting and memorable event. Well done to everyone involved and a special thank you is extended to the Gibb family who own the beautiful farm where the cross country track is located.

Please keep our Year 3 and Year 5 students in your prayers as they continue their participation in the annual NAPLAN assessment. NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) is a nationwide test in Australia that evaluates students' skills in reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. It provides valuable insights for educators, parents and policymakers to support student learning and development. Thank you to all staff who have organised and supported the students, especially Mrs Rutkowski, Mrs Callaghan, Miss Cook, Year 3 and 5 teachers and additional staff assisting in many ways. 

During this next week, class teachers will begin sending parents a compass alert if areas of the school uniform require attention. The initial focus will be on correct shoes, socks and hairstyles. Please read the previous newsletter for school uniform areas to be targeted. Thank you for your support. 

The school has received a number of calls about the date for the annual Grandparents' Liturgy. Unfortunately the date for Grandparents' Day will not be decided until our new Parish Priest arrives after Easter. We apologize to families who are eager to know the date and appreciate your patience. We will share the details as soon as they are confirmed. Thank you for your understanding.

School closes for Term 1 in four weeks time. The last day for Term 1 is Friday 11 April 2025. School will resume in Term 2 for all students on Tuesday 29 April 2025. All staff will return for a Pupil Free Staff Spirituality Day on Monday 28 April 2025.  

Yours in faith & virtue

Christopher Paton

School Principal