Principal's Report 

Dear St A’s Community,

What a fortnight it has been at St A's!  

School Production - 

Wow what an amazing production!  We are incredibly proud of all of the students who participated in our school production The Wind and the Willows last Tuesday.  It was an extraordinary performance by the students, with hard work, grit and dertermination!  I was amazed by the courage, talent and resilience of our students! It was such a wonderful opportunity for the kids to shine in so many ways.  A big congratulations to all the students involved!  Please see our Production Page to see the photos!! 

Bike Ed - Our students in Grade 3-6 have been participating in the Bike Ed program with Miss Hunter.  Students had the opportunity to learn about safe riding behaviours, road rules and riding in a shared environment. Bike Ed uses practical lessons to ensure riders have the physical abilities to ride safely and older students to ride independently.  The students certainly were having a great time on their bikes!

Grade 3/4 Camp -  

Today our 3/4 students have returned from school camp!  By all reports the students had an amazing time and thoroughly enjoyed the camp experience!

A huge thank you to all the staff who attended the camp - Ben Louis, Shenel V, Rubin Thomas, Felicity Wallace, Kate Trickey, Heather McArnearney, Kristy Fabris and Pia LC. Going on camp is an exciting time for staff members as well but, it is also a 24-hour job while you are there, and for that we are most grateful.

Junior Swimming program - 

This week our students in the Junior school participated in daily swimming lessons!   A week long of daily swimming certainly had our junior school students exhausted.  Thank you to all the families who made sure that the students were organised and had their swimming gear ready each day! 

Kinder Visits - 

This week I have been out and about visiting a number of our 2024 Prep students at their Kinder at Day care centres.  It has been great to see these new St A's students in action with their families and their familiar settings!  I will continue my visits over the next 2 weeks!  We look forward to welcoming all of our new preps at the upcoming transition sessions. 

Sun Smart -

As the weather gets warmer a friendly reminder about our Sun Smart Policy.  It is expected that all the students whilst outdoors are wearing as school hat and are wearing sun cream as well.  We want to make sure we are protecting every student from harmful UV radiation.

Confirmation -

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated this Sunday 27th October at 12:00pm.  The Grade 6 students have been preparing for this sacrament and learning about the gifts and fruits of the Holy spirit.  

The Sacrament of Confirmation confirms membership in the Christian community and seals Baptism with an anointing. Confirmation consists of a prayer to the Holy Spirit, the laying on of hands while the prayer is said and the anointing of the candidate with oil of Chrism. Father Chinua along with Bishop Ireland will perform the Sacrament.

Jesus said: ‘The Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.’ John 14:26

Please keep the Grade 6 Confirmation candidates in your prayers or come and support them at St Francis Xavier Church on Sunday!

Multi-cultural Mass -

Last Sunday our Parish community gathered together for a special Multi cultural mass.  The Parish community came together at St Johns Church, where the mass was celebrated in many languages!  Students from the 3 parish schools, sung and joined in with the celebrations. Thanks to all of our school families that attended and made this a most special occasion. 

Class Placement 2024 -

In preparing for the 2024 school year, our teachers will soon begin placing the children into class groupings for the 2024 school year. As I am sure we can all appreciate, this is a challenging and tedious task as the staff work diligently to create a balance through all of the classes. If any families who have specific requests for student placement for 2024 classes must either email me or make an appointment to discuss the specific learning or wellbeing needs of their children by Friday 3rd November. This is not an opportunity to request to be in the same class as a friend nor an opportunity for teacher shopping, more so an opportunity to express any concerns.

2024 Enrolments at St Augustine's Current Students -

We are expecting that all current families/students in Years Prep - Five will be returning to St Augustine's next year. If your family/child will not be returning next year, please contact the school office as soon as possible. 

Grandparents Day -

We warmly welcome all grand parents and special friends to join us on Monday at 9:00am.  The students and teachers have prepared activities and fun for their grandparents and look forward to celebrating a special morning with them.

Reflection - 

The tragic events of the past week in Israel and Gaza have dominated world headlines.  It is impossible to comprehend what has taken place, and it is rapidly becoming a humanitarian disaster.  As a Catholic Community, I urge us all to continue to pray for peace in our world, particularly in the Israel and Gaza region. While we understand that we live in a world where there is ongoing conflict in many continents and regions, the current conflict is a reminder of how fortunate we are to live and work where we do! May God listen to our prayers at this difficult time.

Show Grace, Be the Joy for others and God Bless.

Carrie Rodda

Principal