From the Principal's Desk...

Dear Parents and Carers

It has been a very busy term with lots happening at St Helena's Catholic Primary School with our students engaged in various learning experiences from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 6. Check out all the wonderful learning shared in this week's eNewsletter! Our teachers have also been very busy writing reports in preparation for the end of the term to share with parents/caregivers. Please take the time to celebrate successes with your children and set goals for Semester 2 after reading the reports over the holidays together. Parents and caregivers are most welcome to make a meeting early next term with their child's classroom teacher to discuss their Mid Year report.

Congratulations to all the students who received their First Eucharist in our Parish over the last 3 weeks. Thank you Mr Vine, Mrs Norman and Miss Hearn for preparing the students for their First Eucharist and thank you to our students and staff who came along in support of this special Sacrament.

Thank you to our students and families for your donations to the Vinnies Winter Appeal last Friday. It was wonderful to see students and staff get into the spirit and come along to school in their PJs with gold coin donations. Our endeavour for social justice and the respect for the human person and helping out for the common good are Catholic Social Teachings we strive to model at St Helena's Catholic Primary School. It is so very important that we teach all our students the importance of charity and the genuine desire to help other people, and not just to get something in return. We want to always strive to do Something Beautiful for God.

This week we are celebrating NAIDOC Week at St Helena's and the students across the school are enjoying various activities. We came together as a school community yesterday and celebrated a lovely Mass with Fr Bona to celebrate NAIDOC Week. NAIDOC Week's a time to celebrate the histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It’s held each year during the first week of July and is an important annual event where everyone’s invited to join in the celebrations. This year the 2023 theme is For Our Elders. Thank you Mrs Hutchinson and the Aboriginal Perspectives staff team for planning the Mass and the week's activities.

Our SHCPS Cross Country is on tomorrow, which I am sure will be another great day! Our Cross Country Champion Faction winner and individual awards will be presented tomorrow as well. Thanks in advance to all the staff and parent helpers and spectators on the day, and in particular to Mrs Hesse for organising and coordinating the day.

We come to the end of a very busy Semester 1. Thank you to all our students for their efforts and hard work, and to our parents and caregivers for their cooperation and support too. Thank you once again to our staff who continue to be amazing and going above and beyond in their roles at St Helena's. We are very blessed to have such a dedicated and hard working team who have once again shown their commitment to the students and each other. They are very deserving of their holidays coming up! Thanks SHCPS Team!

We wish Miss Nika Velebir all the best as she leaves St Helena's Catholic Primary School at the end of Term 2 to return to work in the Kimberleys at Birlirr Ngawiyiwu Catholic School in Ringer Soak/Yaruman. Mrs Emma White and Miss Melissa Myles will be the teachers in Year 2 Echidnas for Semester 2.

Congratulations Mrs Katie Bogdanich and Michael who welcomed their baby girl, Violet Grace on 26 June. All doing great!

Have a wonderful break and enjoy family and friends time. Safe travels for all those travelling by road or air these holidays. See you all back on Monday 17 July!

Peace & Happy Days!

Santino Giancono

Principal