Dear Families,

Friday marks a very special occasion in the life of our school community, the Feast Day of the Sacred Heart, our namesake and a celebration of the deep love and compassion that inspires all we do. This feast invites us to reflect on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a symbol of unconditional love and service, values we try to live out every day.

At the ‘heart’ of Friday lies our school motto: "nurturing hearts, minds, and spirits." This is woven into the fabric of our school life, seen in the way we care for one another, strive for excellence in learning, and grow together in faith. Friday’s events bring this motto to life: through our prayerful gathering at Mass (nurturing the spirit), our learning about community outreach (nurturing the mind), and our acts of service and generosity (nurturing the heart). It’s a day that reflects who we are as a school, compassionate, connected, and committed to making a difference.

We have a joy-filled day planned and warmly welcome all families to join in the celebration. Our whole-school Mass will begin at 9:30am, and we would be delighted to see many of you there. Afterwards, students will enjoy a sausage sizzle lunch, followed by three engaging activity rotations:

1. Floriade Community Garden – Students will plant beautiful bulbs donated by Floriade to brighten the front of our school.
2. Vinnies Workshop – The Vinnies Night Patrol van will visit, and students will learn about this important outreach service. Donations from our recent Winter Woollies Day will be handed over and taken back in the van.
3. Acts of Service – Students will carefully package our homemade cookies they made this week, ready to be delivered to Vinnies for the Night Patrol Van.

We will finish the day with a lively school disco in the hall, a chance for students to unwind and celebrate. It’s a day filled with fun, reflection, and meaningful service to others, perfectly reflecting the heart of our school’s values. A huge thanks to our Acting Religious Education Coordinator, Laura Stumbles, for planning our special day.

This year’s feast day is especially memorable as we also celebrate Fr Emil’s 25th Anniversary of Ordination. We extend our warmest congratulations to our Parish Priest, Fr Emil, whose kind, pastoral presence has guided and supported our school community with generosity and deep faith. His commitment to nurturing both the spiritual and everyday needs of our students and families is a true blessing.

Reports and Parent Teacher Interviews

Semester 1 reports will be available on COMPASS from 3:00pm Friday. While these reports do not include written comments, they reflect the thoughtful assessments and professional judgements our staff have made after weeks of diligent work, collaboration, and moderation. We sincerely thank our teachers for the time and expertise they bring to this process, it’s a significant effort that helps paint a clear picture of your child's progress and learning so far. We strongly encourage all families to read the report thoroughly and ensure you’ve booked a Parent-Teacher Interview for next week. These meetings are important to strengthen the partnership between home and school, gain deeper insights into your child’s achievements, and work together on their future learning goals.

Vinnies Sleepout

The Vinnies Sleepout last Thursday was a powerful and eye-opening experience. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported it in any way, your generosity helped raise both awareness and vital funds for those facing homelessness in our region. I’ll be honest: it was cold, uncomfortable, and sleep was in short supply, but stepping into that reality, even briefly, was humbling beyond words. It reminded me of just how fortunate many of us are, and how crucial it is to stand in solidarity with those who are doing it tough.

I had the privilege of hearing from Lucy Hohnen, CEO of Vinnies ACT, whose address shared some sobering truths. Over 1,700 people are experiencing homelessness on any given night in the ACT, a third of them under 25. The leading cause continues to be family and domestic violence, and the faces of homelessness are as varied as the people it affects: the couch-surfing teenager, the pensioner in a car, the single parent holding everything together. Vinnies’ impact last year alone, responding to thousands of calls for help, providing millions in support, and helping people move into secure housing, shows what’s possible when communities rally together. And last week, we did just that.

Thank you again for supporting this cause so close to our hearts. Your compassion and action make an enormous difference.

Pupil Free Day- next Friday 4 July

Just a quick reminder that next Friday, 4 July, is a Pupil Free Day. Our dedicated staff will spend the day deepening their own spiritual journey during a formation day themed “Pilgrims of Hope”.

Thank you!

A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful parent helpers. Special thanks to the three families who came and prepared the garden bed, and to all the mums for making and baking the delicious cookies to be shared through Vinnies. Your generosity, time, and support demonstrate the vital importance of the partnership between schools and families in building a vibrant and compassionate community.

We look forward to seeing many of you Friday morning as we come together in celebration, service, and school spirit.

In faith and partnership,

David Austin

Principal

Attendance

It has been a challenging period in terms of student attendance. Our data is indicating that a number of students have attendance for the year now falling below 85%. 

We realise some absences are unavoidable due to health issues or other circumstances. In fact we encourage you to keep your child at home if they are unwell to ensure a speedy recovery and to help restrict the spread of germs. This has been a major factor this term, with chest infections meaning some children are missing school for more than a week as they recover!

However, we also know that when students miss too much school, no matter the reason, it can cause them to fall behind academically. The more absences your child has the harder it is for them to catch up on missed learning, to complete assessments and stay connected to their school community. Absences add up quickly. If your child is absent just one day every two weeks over the course of a school year this will add up to 20 days of lost learning. This is almost half a school term. 

So how do we strike the right balance? Generally positive steps include:

• Expect your child to attend everyday. School is not a choice.
• If one sibling is sick, send the well siblings to school.
• Arrive on time every day and schedule appointments, whenever possible, for outside of school hours. 
• If you are planning a family vacation in term time, please give the teacher plenty of notice and enter the details in Compass. If the leave required is more than 11 days, notice of this must be made to the office. The office will complete Compass for you and advise you to discuss learning with your child’s teacher. Planned absences of more than 25 days across any school year require parents to complete an application for extended leave.
• Talk to your child’s teacher early if your child is exhibiting any signs of school refusal. We can do many things to support your family.

Community holiday program for children from migrant backgrounds

https://rebustheatre.com/programs/another-home/

This free four-day theatre program is designed for migrant and refugee children aged 8–12, offering a fun and inclusive space to explore creativity, build confidence, and connect with their community through drama and performance. 

Children’s crossing safety 

Children’s crossings are provided near schools to make it safer and easier for children to access the school. When driving and parking around the school, please keep a lookout for pedestrians when approaching the crossing and remember to stop and allow pedestrians to clear the road completely prior to proceeding. 

Never park on the approach to a crossing, it reduces visibility and safety, particularly for children who are less visible to motorists. It is also important that motorists never try to pass other cars at a crossing or queue through a crossing, this type of behaviour significantly reduces safety for children. 

Please drive slowly and be patient near the school to keep our community safe. 

Yours in working together

Kerry Wode

Compass Notifications

Please refer to Compass for the following notifications:

• Hot Milo

Pupil Free Day

Due to staff training, the Front Office and the Clothing Pool will be closed on the pupil free day, Friday 4th July.

Lost Property 

Thank you to Katie H for taking the time to sort the lost property and return it to their owners. We really appreciate everything that you do to assist us.

The below are pictures of all the lost property that does not have a name. These items are in the lost property container that is located in the school hall.

Rising Star Tennis Academy are offering lunch time tennis lessons for 6 weeks.

If your child is interested, there is a first week FREE trial. If your child would like to go ahead with the lessons, then they will be $140 for the next 5 weeks. There will need to be a minimum of 6 students for tennis to go ahead. If you are interested, please email Laura Stumbles .