Principal's Report
As we enter the second half of the term, I’m sure everyone is looking forward to this weekend’s Kings birthday long weekend. A great opportunity to rest and recharge although it may be a little chilly and hopefully everyone can stay warm. Thank you to parents and carers keeping ill children at home during this time. We have recorded higher levels of absence than usual due to the run of colds, coughs, flu and other illness circulating through the community.
Sacramental Preparation:
Our Sacramental Candidates and their families, along with Bishop Shane Mackinlay (Bishop of Sandhurst) and Fr Boniface will gather in our church this Saturday 7th June from 6pm for our annual Confirmation / Eucharist celebration mass.
The students will confirm the Baptismal promises made on their behalf by their Godparents, receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit through Bishop Shane and receive the Body of Christ during the celebration. Please keep the children, their Sponsors and their families preparing for the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you to Mrs Thurley, Miss Doyle and Miss O’Sullivan who have worked with the children and their families to ensure a smooth preparation for a special day in the faith lives of the children.
F.I.R.E Carriers
Last Friday we commissioned 6 new F.I.R.E. Carriers as part of Reconciliation week. After an extensive application process 6 x grade 5 students were inducted into this life-long commitment to be Friends Igniting Reconciliation (through) Education. Our assembly that supported us reflect on Reconciliation Week and our nation's journey toward Reconciliation with our First Nations people. A big thanks to Mr Van Der Staay for his coordination of the event and our celebrations throughout the week. We have such a rich indigenous cultural heritage to learn from, engage with and protect together as we move ever closer 'Bridging from the NOW to the NEXT'.
2026 Enrolments
Our enrolment period for children entering Foundation for the 2026 school year has concluded and letters of offer will be distributed today. I would like to thank our Year 6 students for being fantastic tour guides for a large number of new families. We are incredibly proud of your efforts with some excellent feedback reinforcing their great work.
School Advisory Council and P&F.
After a few false starts interrupted by illness we invite parents to join us for a joint School Board and P&F meeting next Wednesday 11th June at 7pm in the conference room!
Winter Uniforms to be Worn
Please ensure that you are aware of our school uniform expectations for all students. These requirements promote equality and develop a sense of pride in and identification with our school. As the colder weather sets in, we ask that all students wear their winter uniforms. Please ensure that all jumpers and tracksuit pants are clearly labelled with your child's name. We are currently accumulating a number of unclaimed and unnamed items, which will be returned to the second-hand uniform shop if not collected. The jumpers all look the same so a name is very important
Pupil Free Day
A reminder that we will have a CESL pupil free day on Tuesday 17th June to enable all staff to join with teachers and support staff from other schools across Bendigo to work collaboratively on our behaviour curriculum as part of the MAGNIFY project. The YMCA will run a full day service at Holy Rosary. There is a flyer in the Community News page.
Go Cats
Paul Wilkinson
A few messages from the School Crossing Program City of Greater Bendigo
With the commencement of Term 2, our service would like to remind the school community to ensure that school parents are adhering to speed limits and safe parking during school drop off and pick up times.
Our school crossing supervisors continue to report concerning driving behaviour and illegal parking being performed by parents and carers around schools during these peak periods. The message our service continues to promote is that ‘road safety is everyone’s responsibility’. This is particularly important around primary schools. The driving behaviours children witness today will shape their driving habits in the future. Setting the right example is crucial.
Two of the primary schools in the City of Greater Bendigo area have recently had their school crossing upgraded to a wombat pedestrian crossing. This is an excellent improvement to pedestrian safety, as pedestrians have right of way when crossing these sites at all times.
While we are not aware of any further crossing upgrades, it is important to advise all schools that if a crossing upgrade to a wombat or zebra crossing does occur, then a school crossing supervisor would no longer be allocated to the site. Crossing supervisors have no authority to stop traffic on a wombat or zebra crossing.
If you can please share the importance of safe driving and adhering to traffic rules in your school newsletter.
Thank you.
Jenny Tobin
Acting Community Services Senior Coordinator