Dear Parents,

Paese Della Danza - The Land of the Dance! 3 days to go!

There is a great sense of anticipation and excitement ahead of our School Concert on

Thursday evening. While there may be a few nerves at the thought of performing in front of such a large audience, our students are well and truly ready to shine!

Thank you to our parents for your support in sourcing costumes and allowing your children to practice at home - I am sure you have certain songs ringing in your ears!

A HUGE thanks to Signora Josie Formichelli for her countless hours, both at school and home, in preparing for this huge event. There is always a great sense of expectation when it comes to school performances, but I can confidently say that the students have been well prepared, highly engaged and strongly encouraged to give it a go and do their best.

Producing a concert requires great skill, creativity and hours upon hours of preparation. How fortunate we are to have Signora Formichelli as our Italian and Performing Arts teacher. We will certainly acknowledge her efforts on the night and I’m sure you will join me in expressing our collective thanks for her commitment to our students - your children!

Josie has been instrumental in leading our school staff, so I would also like to acknowledge their contribution and commitment to our School Concert. Once again, we are so lucky to have such a dedicated group of staff!

A final reminder that we have our excursion on Thursday to Crossways, the Concert venue. The students will have an opportunity to have a ‘walk through’ and sound check at the auditorium on the day of the production Thursday 17th August. All students will travel by bus - the permission form (Operoo) must be signed in order for students to attend.

Costumes will not be required during the day and students will need to be in school uniform. Buses will leave the school promptly at 9am to take the children to the venue. P-2 students will leave at 9.00am and return to school by 12.00pm. Year 3-6 students will leave at 12.00pm and return to school by 3.00pm. Main cast, presenters, grade Prep-2 dance choreographers and singers will leave at 9am and return at 3.00pm.

In the evening children must arrive promptly at Crossway Centre Auditorium at 6.15pm in full costume - hair and makeup done. (make up is optional).

Crossway is located at 2 Vision Drive, Burwood East.

The new Child Safe Standards and copyright laws necessitate that no photos or filming by families is permitted in the auditorium. A DVD/ online link has been made available for purchase.

Looking forward to a fabulous evening of entertainment!

If you have any last minute questions please do not hesitate to contact Josie Formichelli via email jformichelli@htws.catholic.edu.au

Concert Parking

Thank you to the parents who responded to my email today to assist with directing cars and parking on the night of the school concert. My prayers were answered! I received a great response - thank you for your generous offers to assist!

Friday 18th August - arrival time at school

Following the school concert the night before, students are welcome to have a late start to the school day on Friday 18th August. If your child is starting late could you please email the classroom teacher directly, preferably prior to the day. Classroom teachers will be in attendance from the beginning of the school day.

No assembly this Friday

There will be no assembly this Friday afternoon. The fortnightly Student of the Week and TORCH awards will be presented on Monday morning (21st August) at the weekly Flag Raising Assembly. Year 1/2 Green, who were scheduled to share their learning at this week’s assembly will join 1/2 Blue on Friday 1st September.

Principal Immersion Tour - Cape York, Queensland

Following the school concert on Thursday evening, I will be travelling with a group of 20 Catholic School Principals from my Outer East network to Cairns on Friday morning to take part in a Cultural Immersion Tour in Cape York. This experience will be an opportunity to stay on Country and experience life in remote indigenous communities. Following the tour I will be taking a few days long service leave before returning to school on the 31st August. During my absence Natalie Ballinger will be Acting Principal.

Book Week

Costume Parade

Monday 21st August is the dress up day, children are encouraged to come dressed as a character from a book. The parade will take place just after 9am. This year's theme is Read, Grow, Inspire. There will be a range of activities held over the week related to books.

Catholic Secondary School Applications for 2025

A reminder that applications for students entering year 7 in 2025 close on Friday 18th August. Please contact the Secondary Colleges for further information.

Interrelate - Human Sexuality sessions for students in Years 3- 6

In partnership with St Jude’s Primary School, we will once again be offering two optional sessions for families to attend on Tuesday 29th August, 2023:

Session 1: Where did I come from? (Year 3/4) 6pm
Session 2: Preparing for puberty (Year 5/6) 7.15pm

See further details in separate section of the newsletter. Cost will be $20 per family (inclusive of both sessions)

Footy Day - change of date

We are now going to celebrate `Footy Day’ on Thursday 14th September, rather than Friday 15th September. Students are encouraged to wear colours from any sporting code, however black and yellow is strongly encouraged - go Tigers!!! The Parents’ Association will also coordinate a `footy lunch’ - details to come.

School Blog

Our students are responsible for a lot of the School Blog content, so please take some time to appreciate their posts. It is also a great way to find out about school events such as Camp, Production, Sports Events, the Arts …. And much more!

http://blog.htws.catholic.edu.au/

Warm Regards,

Adrian Scutt

Principal

Time to eXcel

Prep - 100 Days!