Principal's Message

with Mr Brendan Gill

Dear Families

Our new hall is on schedule to be open in just over two weeks. After consultation with parents, students, staff, the Advisory Board and the Father Mark, the school community has settled on the name Emmaus.

Why Emmaus? Emmaus is a village mentioned in the New Testament in which Jesus appeared to two of his disciples after his resurrection. This event is described in the Gospel of Luke and is known as the Road to Emmaus appearance. It is a powerful and moving story of how the disciples, who were initially saddened and confused by Jesus' death, came to recognize him in the breaking of bread and were filled with joy and hope. Naming the school hall after Emmaus serves as a reminder of this important event in the Christian faith and encourage students to reflect on the themes of faith, hope, and the transformative power of encountering Christ. It also symbolises the idea of journeying together as a community, just as the two disciples walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. The breaking of bread that will occur in Emmaus, as part of our school lunches program, is a tangible plan and a real commitment to support all our families, but particularly those in our community who experience concentrated disadvantage.

We will disseminate some set times so parents can have a tour through the new space with some of our student leaders.

Photo: Our new multipurpose hall Emmaus is nearly completed

This week, students in Prep, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 5 and Grade 6 have participated in Music excursions. These have been wonderful experiences. Thank you to Mrs Krishnan for her organisation and passion for Music. I am really pleased with how our Music program is improving and the new space should make a considerable difference.

As previously communicated, we have now signed a formal agreement with Lady Gowrie. We are still waiting on a firm start date for our new before and after school care service to begin. Families have been so patient. I am confident that the new service will meet the needs of the school into the future.

Learning conference bookings will be released next week. Parents can also meet with specialist teachers for our Term 2 conferences. Parents will receive a hard copy of their child’s report and will have an opportunity to discuss it with the teacher, as well as viewing work samples. Thank you to those who completed our recent survey, which was an effort to reflect on our new approach.

Inside this issue you will find some wonderful student work by our Grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 classes and find out how cake and a sloth came to our library! We also have some photos and a report from our recent Cross Country Carnival to enjoy.

Brendan Gill

PRINCIPAL

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