From the Principal

Dear Parents,

Catholic Church News 

(via MACS)

Habemus papam: US cardinal elected Pope Leo XIV

Cardinal Robert Prevost, the Chicago-born prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis, has been elected the 267th pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.  The 69-year-old is the first North American to be elected pope. On 8 May 2025, the white smoke poured from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel at 6.07pm Rome time (2.07am AEST) and a few minutes later the bells of St Peter’s Basilica began to ring. 

Pope Leo's first words to the crowd at St Peter's were: 'Peace be with you. My dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for God’s flock', he said, praying that Christ’s peace would enter people’s hearts, their families and 'the whole earth'. The peace of the risen Lord, he said, is 'a peace that is unarmed and disarming'. Signalling strong continuity with the papacy of Pope Francis, Pope Leo told the crowd that God 'loves all of usunconditionally' and that the Church must be open to everyone. To read the full article, visit the CathNews website.

Image source: CNS/Lola Gomez

Firefighter Visit

Our Preps had a visit from firefighters on Tuesday.   It was the first of two visits with the following one being next Wednesday when they bring the fire truck!  It will be an exciting day for our Foundation students for sure, however it will also provide them with key messages that they can learn from to help them remain safe.

I encourage all families to read the flyer in the Community Notices section of this newsletter as it explains the purpose of their visits to the Foundation students.  It also provides some important family fire safety information that you can discuss with your child/children to ensure you're well prepared in case of a fire emergency.

Enjoy the photos of our Foundation students learning about fire fighters equipment and fire safety messages from their visit.

Australia's Best Teacher Nominations

Acknowledge and celebrate the great teachers we have at St Christopher's PS by nominating them for Australia's Best Teacher.  If your child's current or past teacher has inspired your child to flourish you can nominate them via this link or QR code.