We are moving closer to students in Year 3 and Year 6 receiving the Sacraments this term. Last week, students in Year 3 and their families participated in a Zoom meeting to prepare for receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist in their ‘First Holy Communion’ during November. The meeting explained the signs and symbols which will be used when they receive the Sacrament. Thank you to Father Leo, our Year 3 teachers, Mrs Mathieson, Mrs Callaghan, Mrs Fairs and staff who are assisting in the preparation for this Sacrament which the students will receive on 21/22 November. 

This coming weekend students in Year 6 will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. The three Year 6 classes commenced preparation for the Sacrament in Term 2. Confirmation is often referred to as a complement to Baptism, a completion of what was begun in Baptism. It is also seen as the moment when a young Catholic person receives the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. The essential part of the Confirmation rite is when the Bishop or Priest places his hand upon the head of each individual.The Bishop traces the sign of the cross on the person’s forehead - having first dipped his thumb in the holy oil called chrism - and says, “Be sealed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.” The newly confirmed person responds by saying, “Amen.” 

This is a significant moment in this child’s life as a Confirmation name is also chosen by the candidate. The Confirmation name is from a Saint that the candidate wishes to be like. To the parents and carers who have assisted with the child’s preparation, congratulations and thank you. I also extend a genuine thank you to Father Leo, our Year 6 teachers, Mrs Callaghan, Mrs Royston, Mrs Mathieson, Mrs Fairs and staff who have assisted in the preparation for this Sacrament which the students will receive this weekend. 

To assist our Year 6 students in this journey towards Christian maturity, Mr Douglas and Mr Holgate (from St Paul’s Albion Park), recently led the students in a half day leadership refresher, following on from a full day last term. Last Friday Cameron Brown led all of the Year 6 students through a team building leadership experience, revising the learning from the two day leadership camp from last year. Congratulations to these students and their families as they receive this important Sacrament this weekend. Our prayers are with you. 

Last week I received this great news:

Reducing road trauma is a key priority for the NSW Government. Towards Zero represents the NSW Government’s commitment to reducing road trauma and achieving the ultimate goal of zero deaths and serious injuries on NSW roads.

Children’s road safety is one focus of working towards zero, and the NSW Government has committed $18.5 million to provide 300 additional school crossing supervisors over this term of government.  This is being achieved via a reduced program eligibility criteria to enable more schools to qualify for supervision at pedestrian crossings and children’s crossings within school zones.

Transport for NSW is pleased to advise that St Michael's Catholic Primary School has qualified for a School Crossing Supervisor, at the crossing on Osborne Street, Nowra.

I am very thankful to the NSW Government for funding this safety need which I applied for last year. A number of other road safety measures have been implemented by council as well. We will continue to highlight road safety measures in our newsletter each fortnight. 

Parents are reminded that there is a Staff Development Day - Pupil Free day on Monday 23 November. As this meeting will be conducted via Zoom, there will be no staff at school on this day. Thank you for your assistance in arranging for your child to remain at home on Monday 23 November. The staff will be attending a Spirituality day run by Beth Riolo, based on ecological work by Pope Francis. 

This week letters have been emailed to parents of Kindergarten students commencing school in 2021. There will be orientation days for these new students, however strict COVID guidelines will restrict parent access to the playground. The school is still following the guidelines from the NSW State Government and it is unlikely that these will change before the end of the year.  We look forward to welcoming these new Kindergarten students to our school. 

Our school and parish carpark is still experiencing some parking issues. A reminder of ‘what to do’ is contained in today’s newsletter. On Tuesday afternoon a white vehicle reversed into the small area in front of the gate leading to the pedestrian crossing. Students and families had difficulty accessing the car park and pedestrian crossing. I would like to stress to parents and carers that if they are running late, don’t panic and compromise the safety of students and families. All students are well supervised by staff until parents and carers arrive, even if running late. The new bridge work is causing delays, so be rest assured your child is safe with us. Please slow down in the carpark and park safely. 

Finally, School Photos will be taken on Monday 9 November 2020. If you wish family photos to occur, please obtain the necessary information from the school office. Due to COVID restrictions, whole class groups will be represented by a composite of individual photos. We will hopefully return to whole class photo groups in 2021.