Dear Parents,

Winter has certainly arrived with very cold mornings and unpleasant winds. If any day is particularly cold, we will make sure that the children are kept inside. The library is open at lunchtimes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for activities.

Last night I was fortunate to witness our students in Years Five and Six make their Confirmation at St Christopher’s Cathedral. This is always an important event in the students' lives and this year was the first time we have not celebrated the receiving of the Sacrament as part of the Pentecost Sunday Mass. This is due to a number of reasons but, to me, it was much more intimate and Father Tony Percy focused on making the students feel comfortable in what can be a very daunting event. It really was a wonderful night! I would like to personally thank Katie Horsburgh for preparing the children so beautifully and Nikki Dwyer for organising and preparing the Mass.

What a magnificent community effort on Monday at the South Weston Regional Cross Country Carnival at Stromlo Park! It was lovely to see so many parents/grandparents watching our students compete in the races.  For such a small school, it is marvellous to see so many students participate.  As we were the organisers this year, there was an extra commitment to provide refreshments for the day. Our community really stepped up in this space and we were able to make some extra money to put towards facilities and resources across the school. A huge thank you goes to the Torline family and their band of merry helpers who helped out on the day and Matt Heffernan for providing the canteen van. Thank you so much everyone!

You may have noticed that there has been significant progress with our Sensory Garden, Yarning Circle and Totem Poles. Most of the major structure has been completed. The final touches with steering wheels in the boat, planting and spreading of wood chips will be completed shortly.  

We recently had our Board and P&F meetings for this term. John Lane, our P&F President, resigned at the end of last term. I would like to thank John for his contribution to our school community over the last twelve months. I am pleased to announce that Fiona Torline (currently Vice President) is acting as President. If anyone would like to take on this role for the rest of this year, please let me or Fiona know.

The P&F major fundraiser for 2019 is now confirmed and set for Friday, September 6. A ‘Save the Date’ card was sent home to all families this week. We have a hard working and enthusiastic fundraising committee who are currently preparing for this special event. 

We have recently signed off on our new focus as part of the Fresh Tastes program. This year we are concentrating on sustainability. This includes identifying what packaging can be recycled, what foods can be composted and what scraps need to go to landfill. We will encourage ‘Waste Free Wednesday’ whereby students bring their recess and lunch with minimal packaging early next term.

Many lucky families are heading overseas for the northern summer. Can I just remind parents that if you are going to be away for a significant amount of time, please complete the extended leave form at the front office? The form is also available on our website.

Just a reminder that it is 'hats off' until the end of July. During the winter months when the UV threat is low, ‘Sunsmart’ Schools are encouraged to have ‘hats off’ during playtimes and sports lessons. This allows students to be exposed to appropriate levels of Vitamin D needed to keep people healthy.

We are having a few issues with uniforms. All students should now be in full winter uniform. This includes pinafores or long trousers, a shirt/skivvies with navy tights or socks for girls and long trousers with a shirt/skivvy for boys. The fleece top or school polar fleece jacket is worn over these. On sport days, students wear their school sports uniform with either the school tracksuit or the old school sport jumpers. Students may wear a coat, beanie, gloves and scarves in the school navy colour on cold mornings.

Next week is Sabbatical Week. Enjoy spending quality family time together. 

Have a lovely long weekend. It has been a bonus having two in two weeks.

Kind regards

Julie