Dear Parents,

The Sacrament of Confirmation celebrated last Thursday evening was a wonderful, reverent occasion in the lives of our Year 5 /6 students and their families. Congratulations to all involved. We were so proud of the students and thank Ms Bridget, Mr Josh, Mr Nick our year 5/6 teachers and Ms Maree, our RE Leaders for their preparation and organisation of the sacrament. We also thank Fr Leo and Bishop Terry for ensuring the Mass was faith filled, beautiful celebration for all involved.

FIRE Carriers

At the beginning of this year we introduced our new student leadership structure. We now have two Year 6 FIRE (Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education) Carrier Leaders and a FIRE Carrier Team from Years 4 and 5. The aim of the FIRE Carrier Project is to promote respect, fairness and inclusion for Aboriginal people. Our FIRE Carrier Team has an important role in the school community. FIRE Carriers share a passion for learning about Aboriginal culture and history and are committed to sharing this knowledge and promoting reconciliation within and beyond the school community.

Our FIRE Carrier Leaders are Isabella Yacoub and Austin Lonsdale. Members of the team are Hugo, Lucy, Juliet, Summer, Chiara, Mila and Bronwyn. They have been working with Ms Maree each week to develop our FIRE Carrier Covenant which is like a Reconciliation Action Plan.

On Friday we take a very important step in being commissioned officially as a FIRE carrier school.

Our student leaders will attend the ceremony at the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in Thornbury with our FIRE carrier schools. They will participate in the ceremony and in activities with other students. This will officially recognise us as FIRE carriers. We congratulate our team on their work and commitment so far and wish them well on Friday.

Religious Education Professional Learning

Last Friday our staff worked with Gwen from Caritas Australia on Catholic Social Teachings (CST) which address matters of social, economic and ecological justice in the world. CST offers a way of thinking, being, and seeing the world. It provides a vision for a just society in which the dignity of all people is recognised, and those who are vulnerable are cared for. CST also provides a way for us to engage ourselves, our students and our community and connect life and faith in a contemporary and relevant way. We look forward to sharing more about this with you. If you would like to know more the Caritas Australia website offers more information

https://www.caritas.org.au/learn/cst-toolkit/

Fee, Levy and Year 3 /4 camp payment

A reminder that the 2nd term fee instalment and levies are now due.

The 3/4 camp payment is due next Friday 31st May. If families are experiencing difficulty with payment please contact me to discuss an arrangement.

Save the Date

We have an exciting event planned for Term 4 to showcase the wonderful creativity of our students. More details next term, but please put Tuesday 29th October from 6:00pm-8:00pm in your calendars.

Barrow Street Closure

A reminder for anyone who wishes to sign the petition that it is in the Office.

Assembly

This week our 3/4 students will host our assembly. We look forward to seeing families at 3:00pm this Friday.

'Something to Think About'

There has been much discussion across the media regarding age limits and access to social media platforms and apps for children. This is such an important issue in our wider community as the safety of our children and young people is of the greatest importance to us all. The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is a valuable resource for parents. It provides information, help and offers free webinars. I encourage all families to use this as you navigate your child’s access to technology.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

Physical Education & Sport