The Principal's Desk

Dear parents, families and friends,

We have come to the end of week 8 of Term 1. As we move towards the end of Lent and the commencement of Holy Week, the holiest and most important time in the church's year, I hope you have been able to focus on Christ and make positive changes in your lives. Next Sunday 28th March is Palm Sunday. This day marks the commencement of Holy Week and the busiest week in the church with 5 masses from Sunday to Sunday, including the Easter Triduum, which is the mass of the Lord's Supper (Holy Thursday), the Commemoration of the Lord's Passion (Good Friday) and the Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday) and culminates with the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

Family BBQ

Last Tuesday the Annual Family BBQ was held. The weather was perfect, the sausages were sizzling and we had an excellent turnout of families. All in attendance would agree it was a fantastic night as parents and teachers chatted and the kids played. Community events like this are essential to St. Augustine's school community and were greatly missed last year during the lockdowns and restrictions of the Covid19 pandemic. Thank you to all the families who attended. Thank you to the parents of the committee who helped to prepare for the evening. Also thank you to the parents who sold raffle tickets on the night for the Easter Raffle and the the meal voucher at Cafe Terroni. Finally, congratulations to Lauren Sneddon who won the raffle on the night.

Prep Parents Wine & Cheese Night

On Tuesday night we held our annual Prep Parent Wine and Cheese Night from 6.30pm until about 8.30pm. This social event allows Prep parents to get to know each other, especially those that are new to our school community. The drinks were flowing, the food was plenty and the conversations lively. A big thank you to the volunteers who helped prepare the evening - Karen, Desi and Neroli. Thank you to Jenny for supplying the donation of fine wines.

Parent Committee and Support

The next Parent Committee meeting is on Monday 22nd March at 6.00pm in the staffroom. Any parents who are able to attend are encouraged to do so. If you can't make the meetings you can still volunteer to help with the many events and fundraising activities that will be occurring during the year. The Committee is open to all parents, you don't have to attend the meeting to be on the committee or to contribute to the organising and running social or fundraising events.

One opportunity to get involved is with the school Second Hand Uniform Shop. Volunteers are needed to run the shop a few times a week, organise and maintain the stock and wash/iron donations prior to inclusion in the shop.

Another opportunity is the Bunnings BBQ, which this year will be on Saturday 5th June from 8am-4pm. Volunteers are needed to help share the duties for an hour or two on the day. As required under Bunnings new covid rules masks must be worn whilst working on the stall.

School Uniform

I spoke to the students this week about school uniform. All students from Prep to Year 6 are expected to be in the correct school uniform. Our school uniform is a visible sign of our identity. To others outside of our school community it shows that we belong together. I have noticed that lately there are two parts of the school uniform that are not being worn correctly:

• Black leather shoes are the acceptable shoes for school uniform. Black runners do not count as school shoes. Runners can only be worn on sport day and Friday.
• Only approved items of clothing can be worn as part of the school uniform. These are purchased from Academy Uniforms or other uniform suppliers (provided they are the same colour and style). Running shorts, bike shorts, compression gear and branded socks (Nike, Adidas) are not acceptable.

Parents and carers, I ask that you monitor your children before they leave home, ensuring that they are wearing the correct uniform. If for any reason your child will be out of uniform, please provide their classroom teacher with a note via email.

Harmony Week

This week was Harmony Week. It celebrates Australian multiculturalism and the successful integration of migrants into our community. Each student and staff member have decorated a handprint with symbols of their cultural heritage. I invite everyone to walk through the main corridor in the admin building to see the collage display that has been created by Ms Tara and Mrs Mazzeo.

Prep Enrolments 2022

A reminder to families that if you have a younger child who will be entering Prep next year to inform administration as soon as possible. You will need to complete an enrolment form for your child. I have already conducted a number of tours for prospective families and have a number booked for the next few weeks.

A reminder that next Friday 26th March is a School Closure day so that teachers can plan the topics and units for Term 2.

The next newsletter in Week 10 will be the final newsletter for the term.

Quote of the Week:

Kind regards,

Matthew Stead

Principal