Dear Parents,

Last Friday night I attended the Catholic Development Fund (CDF) Sports Awards for students in the Diocese of Wollongong. This is always a great night celebrating participation in sport by our students. Four of our students received awards for sporting accomplishments during the year. Congratulations again to Aysha Sanchez, Jalen Rees and Jett Goddard who received the Sports Council Medallion, and to Thomas Duncan who received the Red Sports Council Award for their Diocesan sporting accomplishments. To have four students recognised at this awards ceremony is quite an achievement. Congratulations to these students and their families.

On Monday, many of our Year 6 students attended the St John’s ‘Orientation Day’. The students described the day as informative and useful! It is hard to believe that in four weeks  this Year 6 cohort will leave us to head to high school. These students arrived in Kindergarten the same year I commenced at the school and it is always a privilege to see your first Kindergarten students graduate to high school. Please keep these students in your thoughts and prayers over the next four weeks.

Our next orientation day for Kindergarten 2020 will be on Thursday 28 November 2019 from 9:15am to 10:30am. Our first orientation day last week was very successful, assisted I believe by the 8 sessions of ‘Transition to School Through Playgroup’ that a number of the children attended in the first four weeks of Term 4.

This weekend is an important one for the students in our parish who will make their First Holy Communion. Our Year 3 teachers, Mrs Hamilton, Mrs Callaghan, Miss Karas, Mrs Lenihan, our Religious Education Co-ordinator Mrs Mathieson, Mrs Royston, Mrs Fairs, Father Pat, Father Leo and staff have all combined to make this a meaningful experience for the students in our parish. The two masses on Sunday are at 9.30am and 12 noon. The Sacrament of the Eucharist is the third sacrament that most Catholics receive. The origin of this sacrament is the ‘Last Supper’ when Jesus said the first mass and turned bread and wine into his own Body and Blood. Thank you to all staff, parishioners, Father Pat, Father Leo, choirs, musicians and students who will assist at the masses.

Yours in Faith and Virtue,

Mr Christopher Paton