Principal's Message 

Year of Jubilee

Bonjour à tous.

Today is a special day on our school calendar.  It is the Feast Day of St Laurence O'Toole (our namesake) which we celebrated with a whole school Mass, the ringing of the big bell in the church grounds  and a treasure hunt (arranged by the social justice team).  

Thanks to Margaret for making the ringing of the bell happen.  Here is a little blurb about the history behind the bell in the church yard. This is the original church/school bell and was residing in the school's shed (known as the bell shed).   It was used in the early years by both the church and the school.  The bell was retired at some stage and placed in the schools little shed off the old bus shelter, hence the naming of the shed to the 'bell shed'.  It was restored and put in the church yard for the schools centenary in 2014. The ringer was disabled but Mrs Gatehouse has worked hard to get it to the ringing stage for St Laurence O'Toole Feast Day.  We are hoping this will become a tradition for this special day.

St Laurence O’Toole was born Lorcán Ó Tuathail  in 1128.   Known for his mediation skills, he gained the respect of the Irish, Vikings, and Normans. He died on November 14, 1180 and was made a saint in 1225.  During a time of great social change, he promoted inclusivity in his diocese and embraced different traditions. He was known for building churches, praying, and performing miracles, but his most significant contribution was his care for the poor, homeless, and orphaned children, offering them shelter in his home.

In keeping with the Feast Day of St Laurence O'Toole the Social Justice Team organised the inaugural treasure hunt around the school for all classes.  The children all had a lot of fun looking for the treasure.  Great work social justice team.

Our parent platforms PAM and Simon Everywhere still remain offlineg.  We thank you for your patience while the issue has been sorted out.  I believe it is around security, so we do not mind them taking their time to ensure our data is secure.

This week we had the last of our 2026 Foundation transition days.  We have lots of fun getting to know all the children and parents enjoyed morning tea and a chat on drop off.  Hopefully parents found this a great opportunity to meet other families, have a chat and a cuppa.  We look forward to working with you all in 2026.  Due to there being no buses running on what was to be the first day of our school year (Wednesday 28th Jan), we will now start on Thursday 29th Jan 2026.

We've had a few cases of the dreaded headlice throughout the school over most grades.  We do ask that all families remain vigilant in checking their child/ren's hair regularly and treat as soon as possible ensuring that ALL traces of eggs have been removed to prevent reinfestation.    All bedding should be washed on a hot cycle and hats and brushes towels etc also treated.  

It was Remembrance Day on Tuesday.  At 11 o'clock on Tuesday we reflected on the sacrifice of all the brave men and women who served in the war for our wonderful country. Our men and women come home forever changed and some tragically, did not make it home at all.  We are all so very grateful for your service. You are indeed the true hero's of our country and it's history.  Lest we forget.

Our 3/4 cohort set off to Forest Lodge Camp in Jack River for 2 days of fun this week. There were activities such as the giant swing, flying fox, archery, rogaining, hay bale jumping and team building activities.    Thank you to all the staff and support people that attended to make this happen.  Camps and excursions are great learning opportunities for children. Activities are designed to encourage independence, resilience and confidence and to have a go at activities that may be out of their comfort zones.  

I ask that you please return your fee intention forms to school asap.  We require these for budgeting purposes.  Email versions are acceptable.  If you hold a current HealthCare Card, please let the office know and we can arrange an application for you to receive the CSEF (Camps, Sports & Excursion) funding.

Please note that all camps and excursions are included in the school fees.  

DIARY DATES

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Merci,

Have a lovely weekend.

Liz

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