Principal's News

Dear Parents and Carers,

      Tomorrow our school will celebrate Book Week with our annual parade and activities. It’s a day when the kids make a few lasting memories of school. As adults it can be hard to remember one of our own school days from the next - certainly I can’t remember the day I learnt “‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’” for instance or those tricky 7 times tables but I do remember the day we had the “Coca Cola Yo-yo” champs come to our school and do all their tricks. 

(My apologies in retrospect to the hard working teachers that did teach those other “less glamorous” but ultimately more important skills during my own Primary school days.)

The Book Week parade, though, does provide a fun opportunity for our community to come together, celebrate the importance of literature and the joy of reading and create a few memories as well.

All parents and friends are welcome to attend the parade which will commence at about 9:10am in the courtyard.

After the parade the children will head off to classrooms where they will be working on different activities based around this year's Short list of the Children’s Books of the Year.

THINK U KNOW Last Thursday Constable Stephanie Ward, from Victoria Police addressed the children about safety whilst online. A number of parents took up the opportunity to come along and inform themselves about a matter that is constantly shifting and needs to be monitored by parents especially while the children are in Primary school.

I sat in on the Grade 5 & 6 session and Stephanie asked the kids if they knew how to block and report someone who made the kids feel uncomfortable or was acting and communicating in a way that they didn’t like. All of the children (I think) put their hand up to indicate that they knew how to do this.

It prompted me to ask the same 120 children how many of them had actually blocked and reported someone. 

The same number of hands went up.

To my eye, and I didn’t count them, but almost every child in the room put their hand up to indicate that they had blocked and reported someone for misbehaving online.

I might be a bit naive but I was a bit staggered by this. I share it with parents and carers so you know it too and are prompted again to monitor your childrens’ online activity in the interests of keeping them safe.

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM The children who have been preparing for the First Communion and Confirmation have a big week. After the Book Parade tomorrow, they will be taking part in our Bread Baking Day on Thursday, followed on Friday by Mass and final practice for candidates for the weekend's ceremonies and then all Year 3s finishing at the Colac Bowl for a game of Ten Pin bowls (more details on page 'Up and Coming Events' in today's newsletter) 

We do wish all families who are looking forward to this weekend’s celebrations all the very best for a great day. 

Jack Lenaghan - Principal