Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope you all had a lovely break over Easter and quality time together. Everyone has returned to school refreshed and ready for another busy term. It was so lovely to be greeted by such happy students on Tuesday morning who were excited to be back.

On the pupil-free day Monday, our class teachers dedicated their time to engaging with the latest NSW Curriculum reform, deepening their understanding and planning meaningful learning experiences aligned with the updated framework. Meanwhile, our dedicated Teacher Assistants participated in a focused professional learning session led by our Inclusive and Diverse Learning Teacher (IDLT), Mrs Hillier. Together, they explored strategies to better support student learning and inclusion in the classroom, ensuring that every child is given the opportunity to thrive.

Rest in Peace Pope Francis 1936 - 2025

As a Catholic Community, the Easter weekend this year was very poignant as we farewelled the 266th Pope and the much loved Holy Father, Pope Francis.

As we reflect on the life and papacy of Pope Francis, we are reminded of the profound impact he has had on the Church and the world.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he became the first Jesuit pope and the first pope from the Americas, bringing with him a deep commitment to humility, compassion, and service. Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has emphasised the importance of mercy, care for the poor, and the urgent call to protect our common home through environmental stewardship. His focus on inclusivity, dialogue, and walking alongside those on the margins continues to inspire our mission as a Catholic school community. We give thanks for his faithful witness and leadership, which have challenged us to live the Gospel with renewed authenticity and love.

As the cardinals prepare to choose a new pope next week, we join in prayerful hope that the one elected will continue the good work of Pope Francis - promoting peace, justice, compassion, and unity across the globe, leading the Church with faith, courage, and love.

Rest peacefully Pope Francis in your eternal home with The Father.

Feast Day St Joseph the Worker

Tomorrow we are celebrating the feast day of St Joseph the Worker, our school Patron Saint. We will begin the day with a whole school mass in the church and our families are invited to celebrate with us. After lunch, the students will participate in an Infants and Primary ‘Hammer Hunt’ whereby they have to find the 25 hammers hidden around the school. The hammer is symbolic of St Joseph’s work as a carpenter. The children come to school dressed in clothes that represent a worker they would like to be and there will be a parade for them to showcase their costumes and future career options with the rest of the school. We look forward to celebrating the humble, hard working St Joseph as a school.

New School Counsellor

Last term I announced that Sharnie Hillier was going to be our new school counsellor. Unfortunately, Ms Hillier will not be able to begin for a few weeks. Ms Freya Young will be replacing Ms Hillier two days a week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Freya is very experienced at working with school students and is currently also working at Mater Dei Primary School. We welcome Freya and are grateful to Centacare for providing us with a replacement for Ms Hillier.

Enrolments for 2026 OPEN and Kinder Open Day Wed 7th May 9.30 -11.30am

Next Wednesday 7th May, we will be hosting our Open Day for those who are enrolling or thinking about enrolling in Kinder 2026. The Open Day starts at 9.30am in the school library with an information session followed by a tour of the school, led by our Year 6 student leaders. We will conclude with a morning tea with the staff from 11.00 -11.30am. If you know of anyone who may be looking at enrolling their child in Kindergarten in 2026, please encourage them to come along and see our wonderful school.

Mother’s Day High Tea

Next Friday 9th May starting at 1.15pm we are hosting our annual Mother’s Day High tea in the hall. Our Mothers, Grandmother’s and special females in the lives of our students are invited to attend so we can give thanks for all that you do for the students and our school. RSVP’s are open until tomorrow afternoon on QKR and there is a small cost of $5.00 which includes entry, a lucky door prize ticket and afternoon tea. A big thank you to our Kindergarten parents who have been organising this very special event. We are very grateful for all the hard work, time and effort that goes into this very special occasion. I am very sorry that I will be unable to attend as I will be at my daughters Uni graduation in Armidale. However, I look forward to hearing all about it.

Primary Basketball

Our Yr 4 teacher Mr Joel Stankiewicz is an accomplished and very passionate basketballer. He has offered to share his skills with our students and is offering basketball sessions to all primary students years 3 -6 on Wednesdays at lunchtimes in the MPC. It’s just for fun and to give the students an opportunity to see if they would like to continue to play.

There is a primary schools basketball competition in mid August in Wagga which Mr Stankiewicz is hoping to take a boys and girls team to compete in the Primary Open Team Competition. This would mean selecting 8-10 boys and 8-10 girls for the boys and girls teams. The competition is a goal to work towards but providing another sporting choice in itself is just an exciting opportunity for our students.

Legends of League Day

Next Thursday 8th May, our yr 3-6 students will all be participating in the Legends of League Day. We wish them all the best for the day and hope that they have a fun day sharing in sportsmanship and team spirit.

A canteen will be provided on the day by our very generous parents who have volunteered to help. A big thank you to Lisa Oliver who has organised the canteen. A menu has been sent home for orders to be done on QKR. If you can assist on the day please contact our office.

Wishing our Mothers, Grandmothers and very special female role models a very Happy Mother’s Day for next Sunday.

Take care and God bless

Angela Scott

Principal

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