A Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Reconciliation

Congratulations to our students; Phoebe Farrant-Wills, Ricky Hird, Jorja Jamieson, Rosie Lee and Maddison Tetley who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation last Thursday in St Brigid’s Church. This Sacrament helps the students learn about the importance of forgiveness in their lives; how God forgives and how each of us needs to learn to forgive and be forgiven. Thank you to our teachers involved in the students’ preparation, Wendy Rheinberger and Amanda Bartholomew for so generously giving your time.

School Attendance

As a school we are focused on improving the learning of each student and one barrier we face is student attendance. I cannot stress enough the importance of your children attending school every day unless they are sick.  Due to COVID some students have missed more school than usual but there are still some students who regularly miss days and this is concerning. I would like to remind parents it is their responsibility to ensure that their children attend school regularly; explain to the school any absence within 7 days and take measures to resolve any attendance issues. Class teachers will contact families if a student is away from school for more than three consecutive days without prior notification. If poor attendance persists an interview will be arranged with the parent, class teacher & Principal to discuss ways to improve attendance.  Holidays should not be taken during the school term unless there is an extenuating circumstance. Extended leave, of 10 or more days, must be approved by the Principal and forms need to be completed and kept on the student file. For further information please read the attached Policy from the Catholic Schools Office.

NAIDOC Week

Thank you to Mrs Taylor and Miss Allen for coordinating many learning activities for the students for NAIDOC Week. This week we learn more about the history of the Indigenous Australians, also known as First Nations people who have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were Australia’s first explorers, first navigators, first engineers, first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists. NAIDOC Week 2020 acknowledges and celebrates that our nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact whether in 1770 with Captain James Cook, or in 1606 with the arrival of the Dutch on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula. The very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations people.

It is important for our students to learn about history because “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” (Marcus Garvey)

Have a wonderful week

Pauline Long

Principal