St Edward's Primary School, Tamworth

Principal Reflections

Pilgrims of Hope - Jubilee 2025

The spiritual theme for the 2025 Holy Year of Jubilee is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. This year is a special year of grace and conversion, involving prayer, pilgrimage and sacramental repentance, ordinarily held every 25 years. The goal of a Jubilee year is to inspire and encourage holiness of life among the faithful and therefore to strengthen the Church’s witness to God’s loving mercy in and for the world. 

 

The most striking element of the Jubilee 2025 logo is the cross, which bends toward humanity and takes the shape of an anchor. This symbolizes the cross as a source of strength and refuge, especially in turbulent times. It offers a modern interpretation of a timeless biblical image, echoing the words of Hebrews 6:19: "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

Far from being a relic of the past, the cross remains a vibrant symbol of God’s boundless love. It unites and carries us forward on our shared pilgrimage toward heaven. Hope does not disappoint. 

Lent and Ash Wednesday:  A Time of Renewal

Lent begins on March 5 and lasts 40 days (excluding Sundays), starting on Ash Wednesday and leading to Easter. It is a sacred time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, drawing us closer to God.

On Ash Wednesday, we receive ashes in the shape of a cross as a sign of repentance and humility, reminding us to turn away from sin. This tradition dates back to the early Church.

Through prayer, fasting (especially on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) and charity, we prepare our hearts for Easter, the most important Christian feast.

Yesterday we celebrated Ash Wednesday with our Years 1 - 6 Mass and a Kindergarten Liturgy. It was a beautiful celebration  to mark the start of the Lenten Season.

May this Lent bring renewal and grace to our school community.

NAPLAN 2025

Next week, our Year 3 and 5 students will commence their NAPLAN assessments. The timetable for these is as follows:

  • Wednesday 12th March - Writing

  • Thursday 13th March - Reading

  • Tuesday 18th March - Conventions of Language

  • Wednesday 19th March - Numeracy

  • Any students who are absent on a test day will participate in catch up sessions when they are back at school

  • The testing window closes on Monday 24th March

To ensure students are well placed to put in their best effort during NAPLAN, we would ask parents and carers to make sure children are:

  • well rested and have had a good night’s sleep,

  • enjoy their breakfast each morning so that they have energy for the day, and

  • arrive at school on time each morning with a positive mindset for the day ahead!

We wish the students all the best during these assessments and are looking forward to seeing the fantastic results from all of their hard work.

Enrolling Now for Kindergarten 2026

Our enrolment period for Kindergarten 2026 is now open! Please visit our school websitehttps://stedwardstamworth.catholic.edu.au/ for enrolment details or contact the office on 67657847 for further information.  Enrolment applications must be accompanied by the relevant supporting documents as listed on the cover page of the application form. Applications close on Tuesday 8th April. If you know anyone who has a child wishing to start Kindergarten at St Eddies next year, please share this information with them, along with details regarding our Open Day for 2025.

 

Open Day 2025

 

Until next week,

Keep Smiling, 

Alison Hatton

(Principal)