From the Principal...   

Dear Parents and Friends of St Therese's Primary School,

I hope that everyone had a lovely weekend and relaxed after our first week of school. Mrs Perrins and the Foundation students enjoyed making sunflowers for our front prayer garden. 

***insert photos of the sunflowers in the garden

Over the weekend I learned about Saint Josephine Bakhita and thought it was timely to share her story.

On Monday February 8 it was the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking. It was also Saint Josephine Bakhita's feast day. Josephine Bakhita was born in Sudan

in 1869, into a well respected, comfortable and loving family. However, at about eight years old, Josephine was kidnapped by slave travers. This time was so scary that Josephine forgot her own name, so she took one given to her by one of the slave traders, Bakhita, which is Arabic for "lucky". Josephine's final owner was an Italian diplomat, and so began her journey from slavery to freedom. During this time, Josephine came to know Jesus; she recognized that true freedom and hope came from him, and that he offers fullness of life to all people. Italy did not recognize slavery and so finally Josephine was free. She was baptized and joined the Canossian Sisters in 1893. 

As an African woman with a deep sense of compassion and experienced slavery and oppression, Josephine was able to help and advise the Sisters who were going to serve in Africa. Josephine died in 1947. She was canonized in the year 2000 by Pope John Paul II and declared a saint.

Pope Francis implores us to "promote a new way of thinking about human beings, life, society and relationships with nature". If we accept this invitation and open ourselves to living more simply and compassionately, and to challenge our economic and political leaders to begin to eliminate the differences between privilege and poverty. 

Perhaps this Easter, think about buying free trade products. Look for the symbols on the packaging to know the products have been made free of human trafficking. Together we can make a difference.

School Advisory Board

We are currently looking for parents to join the School Advisory Board. The purpose of the committee is to provide a parent voice and advice to the Principal. It is also a link between the St Agatha's Parish and the school. This is a great way to get involved in the life of the school.

The committee meets once per month on a Tuesday evening for approximately 1 hour. This year would be an exciting year to be involved as we are about to begin a major building project for the school. If you would like to be involved please contact me at the school on 59967525 or email at principal@sttcbourne.catholic.edu.au

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday March 9 at 7pm.

Parent Teacher Interviews

This Semester we are holding parent teacher interviews on Tuesday 23rd February from 2pm till 7:30pm and Wednesday 24th February from . We understand that student learning for much of last year was disrupted. These interviews will provide parents a chance to speak to the classroom teachers and gain an understanding of the academic level that children are currently working at and what is in place to assist in progressing their learning.

A letter will be sent out in the coming week to allow parents to book into a time slot.

To assist us in facilitating these meetings we ask that if possible children are collected at 1pm on Tuesday 23rd February. For those parents who cannot collect their child we will provide supervision for the afternoon.

I hope you all have a terrific week.

Michelle Bruitzman

Principal