Principal's News

Dear Parents and Carers,

      Back to reality for me this week. After taking part in the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Ireland held during the last week of second term and first week of the school holidays I took some Long Service Leave and was very fortunate to spend some time exploring western Europe.

The pilgrimage around Ireland was a fantastic experience where our group visited plenty of sites significant to the Diocese of Ballarat and the foundation of our Catholic schools in this part of the world.

From Trinity College in Dublin we visited the “Book of Kells”, written about the year 800 A.D. and containing the four Gospels of the New Testament, we visited Beaufort Rathfarnham which is the original convent and school of the Loretto nuns before visiting “Catherine McAuley’s house” in Baggot Street, Dublin. Catherine McAuley established the Mercy order of nuns who provided the first principal and nuns to Sacred Heart in Colac.

The pilgrimage was led by Fr Justin Driscoll who is the Vicar General of the Ballarat Diocese. After leaving Dublin we visited the St Brigid’s Centre at Kildare, the cathedral at Kilkenny for a meeting with Bishop Niall Coll and on to Waterford to visit the Edmund Rice Centre. Our group was certainly kept on the move through the Glenstal Abbey where we attended Mass with the monks that live there, the jaw dropping Catholic Church at Knock among other highlights before rounding the trip off in Derry and then Belfast.

It was a fantastic experience. I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity although as always it was nice to get home too.

I joked with one of our Grade 5 boys yesterday as he came into school, “Did you miss me?”

“I think we all missed you, Mr Lengahan” he said - How good is that?

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM The First Communion and Confirmation program is off and running in our Parish. Fr Michael has asked me to pass on his thanks to staff and parents for supporting the program and to the children for their reverent attendance at the Sunday Dismissals.

SCHOOL REVIEW SURVEYS Just a reminder to those parents that received an invitation to the online survey informing our next School Review, if you can find 30 mins or so to complete the survey we would be very grateful.

THINK U KNOW A reminder too, about the upcoming Online Safety lessons to be presented by Stephanie Ward from Victoria Police to all classes next Thursday August 15th. Parents and Carers are invited to attend these sessions. The timetable for the lessons is on page nine of today's newsletter. The sessions will be held out of the school's Multi-purpose room.

Jack Lenaghan - Principal

ARTWORK FROM THE CHILDREN IN MISS CAMPIGLI'S CLASS (1LC)