From The Principal

Dear parents, students, families and friends,

This week we celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart. We had our whole school mass on Thursday morning. The Feast of the Scared Heart celebrates the love that Jesus has for all of us. Throughout his life Jesus showed his love for the world in many different ways; healing the sick, feeding the hungry, befriending the lonely, reaching out to the outcast, forgiving sinners and comforting the sad. He then expressed his ultimate love for us all by sacrificing His life by dying on the cross. As Jesus commanded, 'Love one another as I have loved you'(John 13:34-35), we are called to act with love towards one another. This is why at this time we gather food and warm clothing items to support those in meed in our community. Thank you to all families who have been so generous in their support of the St. Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal.

First Reconciliation

On Wednesday evening many of our Year 3 and 4 students celebrated the Sacrament of First Reconciliation. This is a very special sacrament. Through this sacrament the children learn about and experience the loving nature of God through the person of Jesus Christ. Throughout His ministry, Jesus searched for and reached out to sinners, to forgive them and bring them back into relationship with God. Even on the cross, Jesus forgave those who persecuted and crucified Him.

Through their preparation and reception of First Reconciliation the children begin to understand the importance of saying sorry, being forgiven and making wrong things right again. Through Reconciliation we learn that we need to forgive just as we need to be forgiven.

Thank you to Mrs Witchell for organising this sacrament. Thank you to Mrs Witchell and Mrs Cvetkovska for preparing the children to receive the Sacrament of First Reconciliation. Thank you to Fr Werner for celebrating this sacrament with the students and adding some special touches to the ritual. It was a night to remember, to be happy about and to celebrate.

Winter Sleep Out

Tonight the Year 5/6s will be holding their Winter Sleep Out as part of the St. Vinnies Winter Warm Up Appeal. As part of Catholic Social Justice it is important to sometimes place ourselves in the shoes of others, to understand their situation and to reach out and provide support. Though the students will not fully experience what it is like to be homeless and sleeping on the streets, they will be out of their comfortable beds, sleeping on the floor in the corridor, having soup and bread for dinner and a simple breakfast. The money raised will go to St. Vincent de Paul's Winter Warm Up.

Athletics Carnival

The sun was shining. There was a gentle breeze. The temperature hovered between 19 to 20 degrees. It was the perfect day for athletics. The students participated fully with enthusiam and big smiles. I am quite sure a few records were broken and new PBs were achieved.Thank you to Miss Marissa and Miss Maher for organising the day. Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who assisted with running the events and scoring. The day was a huge success.

Swimming

We are now well and truly into the routine of the swimming program, having completed three out of the five weeks. We think the students love the train ride just as much as the swimming. Besides the skills of swimmming and water safety, they are also learning to organise themselves, travel by train and develope independence. Thank you to our parent helpers, many hands make light work.

Chess Club

St Augustine's Chess Club recently participated in a Chess Tournament. The team did amazingly well, coming 4th with 12.5 points. Well done Lachlan, Anthony, Marley, Thomas and Fidel. Thank you to Grant for coaching the team and supporting them at the tournament.

The Chess Club meets every Thursday at 11.00am in the Library.

School Communication

An important reminder to please read all school communications carefully, including this newsletter. We have been getting some comments over the past few weeks such as 'I didn't know this was happening' or 'I wasn't told about that' and 'I don't bother reading that'. The newsletter, Operoo forms, the school App, emails from the office, emails from teachers and even our instagram page contain important information and details about what is happening here at St. Augustine's.

Catering for the Diverse Needs of our Students

All students need support throughout their learning journey. The type and level of support varies from student to student. Some students need support in their learning. Some students need support physically. Some students need support with their emotions and confidence. Some students need support with their behaviour. A lot of work occurs in the background and unseen to provide this support. Just because it can't be seen or heard, doesn't mean that nothing is being done. Some of our students are learning and being supported to deal with big feelings. There are consequences for negative behaviours. There is follow up. A lot of this happens afterwards when the student has become calm. It also happens privately. Respect is our guiding principle through this. Respect for each person. Respect for the individual needs and differences of each person (student/child).

Fundraising Goals

Thank you to all families who completed the Fundraising Goals Survey. Your input has been very helpful in determining the major fundraising goals. 

In 1st and 2nd place of priority is the upgrade/replacement of the junior and senior adventure playgrounds, including the installation of rubber softfall around the senior playground. 

The 3rd priority will be the replacement/upgrade of Chromebooks and Ipads every 5 years. The 4th priority will be the Tiny Town Cubby Houses.

My task now is to make contact with playground installers and begin a process of designing and gaining quotes for the proposed playgrounds. A very important part of this process will be seeking student voice and imput into the design and features of these playgrounds.

Push Up Challenge

St. Augustine's has been entered into the Push Up Challenge 2024. You can use the link below to sign up and join our school team.

https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/staugustines

COMING SOON IN TERM 3 - BLACK TIE EVENT

Enjoy the long weekend, whether you are going on a short get away or just staying at home, may it be a relaxing and enjoyable time. Most importantly, may you all get to have a sleep in on Monday.

Any Carlton or Essendon supporters going to the game on Sunday night, I will be there, so I might see you!

Kind regards,

Matthew Stead