Principal's Update

Dear Families,

My wife and I returned from a period of Enrichment leave where we visited England, Scotland and Ireland – a wonderful time of learning from other educators, as well time to be tourists.

I am incredibly grateful for the work of our leaders – Grace Scalora, Marg Brohm, Dave Waters and Luke Freeman while I have been away over the past 8 weeks. I am also thankful for each staff member who took on extra duties whilst I was away. Thank you.

This week, I reflect on the inspiring works of Neale Daniher, who showed us what courage, faith, and purpose look like in action. Neale reminded us that while we cannot always choose our circumstances, we can choose how we respond. His message was simple yet profound: “Don’t wait for the storm to pass—learn to dance in the rain.”

As a Catholic school community, we are called to live with hope, even in the face of challenge. Neale’s journey with Motor Neurone Disease is a powerful example of resilience, service, and love. He has turned personal suffering into a mission to help others, reminding us that every life has meaning and every act of kindness matters.

Let us encourage our children to be brave, to care deeply, and to use their gifts to make a difference. As we move through the winter months, may we carry Neale’s spirit of determination and joy in our hearts.

I share with you a winter prayer for kindness and love...

Loving God,

As the days grow colder, warm our hearts with Your love.

Help us to be kind to one another, to share with those in need,

and to bring light to others through our words and actions.

Bless our school, our families, and our friends.

Guide us in our learning and help us to grow in faith, hope, and love.

May we always remember that You are with us, even on the darkest days.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Sacred Heart of Mary Liturgy

All parents, carers and grandparents are invited to take part in the liturgy celebrating the Sacred Heart of Mary at 1.00pm on Friday 19 June.

All welcome.

Staffing News

We have a number of staffing changes over the coming weeks:

We farewell:

Chelsea Mazzarino who has been our school nurse over the past 2 years and has decided that she will return to her passion of midwifery nursing. We wish you well. Tashi Baker will take over our nursing role on a full-time basis for Term 3 & 4.
Kate Williams will be leaving for the last half of year to enjoy travelling our beautiful country. We wish you safe travels. Will Edwards will teach Foundation W for the last semester of 2026.
John O’Connor who has been teaching RRRR over the past term. I appreciate John’s ability to connect with all students so quickly. Jacqui Pethybridge will return from maternity to teach Indonesian for Term 3 & 4.

Leave

Rachelle Mangan is currently overseas enjoying leave for 4 weeks. Rachelle will return on Monday 27 July.
Donna McNamara will be taking leave for the first 4 weeks of Term 3. Donna will return on Monday 10 August. We wish you safe travels. Karina Murphy will be teaching Foundation D while Donna is away.

Semester 1 Reports

All parents will be able to access their child's reports on Thursday 16 July from 4.00pm. Please take the time to read through the reports and enjoy the growth of your child.

If you have any questions, please write them down and bring them to the Learning Conversations that will be held in Week 3 Term 3.

Term 2 Holidays

Please note that Term 2 ends on Friday 26 June at 2.30pm. Please note the early finish to the day.

Term 3 will commence on Monday 13 July.

I hope all enjoy a safe and enjoyable holiday period.

Term 3 Pupil Free Days

St. Francis of the Fields will be holding a Pupil Free Day on Wednesday 5 August . All schools in the Sandhurst Diocese will access a Staff Spirituality Day for their staff.

This will be the only pupil free day for Term 3.

Shed Unavailability

The shed will be unavailable for training use on the following dates in Term 3:

Tuesday 4 August (afterschool) - Set up for Staff Spirituality Day
Wednesday 5 August (all day and afterschool) - Staff Spirituality Day

Repeat - Traffic Safety Concerns – Urgent Reminder to Our Community

Over the past two weeks, we have experienced several serious near misses involving students being placed at risk around our school. This is extremely concerning, and we are asking every member of our community to take immediate action to help keep our children safe.

Please ensure you:

Reduce your speed to 20 km/h when entering the school grounds
Do not use mobile phones while driving
Show courtesy and respect to other drivers and pedestrians

Accidents can happen in seconds, and the consequences can be devastating.

We also ask that families:

Avoid entering the school before 3:20pm unless absolutely necessary
If you must arrive earlier, please park in the gravel car park and walk along the designated footpaths to collect your children
Do not block entry routes, as this creates dangerous congestion

Importantly, we need all adults to act as role models. We are seeing children copy unsafe behaviours, such as crossing near the roundabout where vehicles are continuously moving, rather than using designated pathways. This significantly increases the risk of injury.

We all share responsibility for the safety of our students. Please slow down, follow the rules, and model safe behaviour so that we can prevent a serious accident from occurring.

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to keeping our children safe.

Assembly - Week 9

We will hold our next school assembly tomorrow, Friday, 19 June at 2:45pm, where 4H and 4M will lead us in their presentation.

All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend.

Please note that we will not hold an assembly on Friday 26 June as school will finish at 2.30pm due to this being the last day of Term 2.

Kind Regards,

Tim Moloney

Principal