Dear Families,

We have hit the “half-way” mark of this first term and I would like to say how well all children have settled in and are focussed on their learning in classrooms. I am noticing lots of positive things around the school – children are making a fantastic effort to be in the correct school uniform on the correct days. A reminder that sports days are on Mondays and Fridays this year. This means that children wear black shorts/skirts and their polo shirt on these days please.

Next week is our school sports day – a reminder to families that children can wear their team colour on this day. So, if they are in “Red Team”, they can wear a red t-shirt and so on for the other teams in the school.

School sports day is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a school community and celebrate athletics and watch our children participate in all of the different events. We talk with the children about our school wide expectations before the day. Important for children is to participate respectfully and responsibly, but to also exercise their resilience on this day also. For many children, it can be hard to participate in an event and not run, jump or throw longer or faster than other children and it is okay to feel disappointment. The important part is what they do next… Is it okay to cry? Of course it is - sometimes this shows that they tried hard and wanted to do well. However also, if we want to do well at things, it’s important to work hard at it, to train and to practice. Sometimes this is the bit that is missing.  It’s important that we highlight that success usually comes from continuous effort over time.

Grade 5/6 will set off on Camp next week, this is an exciting adventure for them. We will usually post photos and updates on our social media, so please remember to check and see what we’re getting up to in Melbourne.

NAPLAN is happening very soon also, we will send home a timetable for NAPLAN. If your child is in Year 3 or 5, please ensure they are at school on these days unless they are sick. NAPLAN forms important data for us as a school so that we know which areas we need to focus on and where we are doing well.

Lastly, so often in our newsletter, I speak about Pope Francis and particular prayers or thoughts that he has for us as a Catholic community. This week, Pope Francis is unwell in hospital, and we are being told he is in a critical condition. Please pray for Pope Francis, that he is receiving the care that he needs and that he is able to recover and return to good health, especially throughout this year of Jubilee.

Have a wonderful week ahead,

Sally