Catholic Identity 

First Eucharist

This month some of our students will be participating in the Sacrament of First Eucharist. An earlier newsletter article stated that this mass would be held on Sunday morning on 19th June. We have had to make a change to this date due to Father O'Shea's leave from the parish for a short time. The new date for the First Eucharist Mass will be Saturday 18th June at 6pm. Notes with this information have also been sent out to relevant students this week. 

Catholic Schools Week Mass

Last week, our Diocese celebrated a very important occasion with Catholic Schools Week Mass. The theme of this year's week is 'Our Hope Filled Future' which signifies our intention for a positive and affirming future for all students and their families that is underpinned by our faith in God. 

Our Year 6 Student Leaders were invited to attend the Catholic Schools Week Mass at the Cathedral in Armidale. Our leaders participated alongside school leaders and students from Tenterfield, Walcha, Uralla, Glen Innes and Armidale to show their support to not only our school but to Catholic Education in our Diocese. Our school continued the celebrations by holding their own Catholic Schools Week Liturgy with all of our school's students. 

Thank you to all of our Year 6 students who represented our school with great pride and a very special recognition for Tom Graham who very courageously presented the Acknowledgement of Country to a packed crowd at the mass. 

Real Talk Parent Information Nights & Visits for Year 4 & Year 6

Next Thursday 9th June, our school will be hosting the Real Talk Education Team to our school. Real Talk is an organisation that is all about getting REAL on the topics of sex, relationships and personal identity. Based on Catholic Christian values, Real Talk provides up-to-date resources, presentations and programs that help young people to understand God’s amazing plan for love and life.

The Real Talk Team will be running seminars for Year 4 about the topics of self worth, personal identity, good decision-making and cyber-safety. Students in Year 4 will learn about how to stay safe and vigilant when using social media and using digital technologies. The team will also be running longer seminars for students in Year 6 who will focus on content about self worth, personal identity, good decision-making, love and relationships. Real Talk presents these topics in a fun, interactive and contemporary way whilst being real and honest with the students. We seek to encourage and empower students to make positive choices that show respect for others and for themselves

We and the team appreciate the importance and irreplaceable role you all play as parents and in respect and value of your role as parents, they encourage you to engage in pre and post discussions with your child to support them when learning about these concepts. 

The Real Talk Team are also holding Parent Information Nights via zoom meetings throughout the year. They have set four different dates for parents to join them, however, the same content will be delivered at each. Hopefully you can select the most appropriate time to log in and participate in these vital information sessions. These sessions aim to address issues concerning parents and the raising of their children in an ever evolving world and will provide some strategies and tips that you can use to help keep your children safe and informed. Please refer to the Real Talk Education Parent Information Flyer in this newsletter for the dates available and the zoom meeting ID. 

Miss Tiffany Martin