Dear parents and caregivers,

It is hard to believe that Term One is coming to a close. The weeks have been extremely busy with lots of different school activities. Thank you to our wonderful staff for everything that they do throughout the term … it does not go unnoticed!

Our enthusiastic P&F committee held a fabulous Sundowner on Wednesday evening which was enjoyed by a large number of families. Thank you to Tara, Dawie and their team for organising this as another great ‘friendraising’ event. Also, to DJ Steve, thank you for always providing a fun and entertaining atmosphere!

Parent/teacher interviews started this week, and it was great to hear all the positive talk about connecting with parents. These opportunities are very important, and I encourage anyone who may not have booked an appointment yet, to do so. Parent/teacher interviews will continue next week.

Sunday is Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday. In Christian tradition, this is the first day of Holy Week and commemorates Jesus’ triumphant arrival into Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. Palm Sunday is known as such because we will often receive palm fronds at Mass which are used to participate in the re-enactment of Jesus arrival into Jerusalem. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of homage. This was a customary practice for people of great respect. Please take the time over the weekend to reflect with your family on the significance of Palm Sunday as we head into Holy Week.

This term has seen an increase in families taking holidays during school time which ultimately disrupts the teaching and learning programs that our teachers have thoroughly planned. It also impacts the ongoing learning cycle for your child. If you are planning on taking time away, I strongly encourage you to do so during the school holidays and remind you that a formal written request seeking permission to withdraw you child from school, needs to be emailed to myself.

A reminder that if you are using Kiss and Drive for drop-off and pick-up, it is important that you remain in your car at all times.

I would like to wish Mrs Tanika Farmer all the best as she begins her maternity leave. Mr Patrick Harman will be taking over the Science specialist role for Term 2 and 3. Please make him feel welcome.

Finally, all the best to our Year 6 students and staff as they venture off to camp on Tuesday. I hope you have an amazing time and make some great memories!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Rebecca Clarke

Principal

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to complete the Parent Survey. We will be reflecting on this data on our Fogarty planning days next week.

Confirmation Commitment Masses

Congratulations to our Year 6 students who attended their commitment masses last weekend. It was great to see so many excited faces joining our church community and supported by their families.

Sixth Sunday of Lent

This Sunday marks the 6th Sunday of Lent. The readings remind us that God is always with us and always caring for us, no matter where we are or what the circumstance.

The first reading tells of how Peter and John went from Jerusalem to Samaria to pray with the people there and call down the Holy Spirit on them. The psalm is our response to God’s loving care for us.

The second reading tells us that Christ suffered for all of us, righteous and sinners alike. And in the gospel, Jesus tells us that he has not abandoned us. He has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us always. Teaching us to;

• Trust in God
• Reverence for human dignity and
• Be Guided by the Holy Spirit

Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross is a prayerful meditation that commemorates Jesus’ journey from being sentenced to death to being laid in the tomb. As Catholics this is performed each Friday during Lent.

Our Year 6 Students lead by Sue Curtis have been diligently rehearsing to lead the Stations of the Cross at St Elizabeth’s on Thursday, 6 April at 11:00am in the school hall. We would love to see as many families as possible join us.

School interviews continue to take place this term for PP - Year 6 students. This enables parents/guardians and teachers to discuss student progress and emphasise the partnership between home and school in developing each child to their full potential.

Meetings are for fifteen minutes only. To book your meeting, please book through PTO (Parent Teacher Online) website then use the code: 2yw3n

Using a desktop computer?

https://bookings.parentteacheronline.com.au/?school=2yw3n

Using a mobile device?

Download the PTO Mobile App

Enter the School Code: 2yn3n

It was lovely to see so many families at the P&F Sundowner - our community is growing and it's great to have these opportunities to get to know each other.

Please note – due to circumstances these dates may occasionally change, please refer to the latest newsletter sent every Friday for the latest information – Thank you

Term 1 Start Date Wednesday 1 February

Term 1 End Date Thursday 6 April

Term 2 Start Date Wednesday 26 April
Term 2 End Date Friday 30 June

Term 3 Start Date Monday 17 July
Term 3 End Date Friday 22 September

Term 4 Start Date Tuesday 10 October

Term 4 End Date Friday 8 December

Friday 3 March

Monday 24 April
Friday 18 August
Monday 21 August

Monday, 9 October

Please note, these dates are subject to change. If these dates for Professional Learning do require amending, parents will be notified well in advance.

Friday 3 February - Beginning of School Mass

Sunday 19 February - Staff Commitment Mass

Tuesday 21 February - Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday 22 February - Ash Wednesday Liturgy

Thursday 6 April 11:00am - Stations of the Cross Liturgy

Friday 7 April - Good Friday

Sunday 9 April - Easter Sunday

Confirmation

Candidate Commitment Mass

Saturday 25th March 6.00pm

Sunday 26th March 7.30am

Sunday 26th March 9.00am

Parent/Child Workshop

Tuesday 16th May 5.00pm

Candidate Retreat

Friday 19th May

Sacrament

Saturday 27th May 6.00pm

Sunday 28th May 11.00am

Saturday 10th June 6.00pm

Certificate Weekend

Sunday 11th June

First Holy Communion

Candidate Commitment Mass

Saturday 24th June 6.00pm

Sunday 25th June 7.30am

Sunday 25th June 9.00am

Sunday 25th June 6.00pm

Parent/Child Workshop

Tuesday 8th August 5.00pm

Candidate Retreat

Friday 11th August

Sacrament

Saturday 19th August 6.00pm

Sunday 20th August 9.00am

Sunday 20th August 6.00pm

Saturday 26th August 6.00pm

Sunday 27th August 9.00am

Sunday 27th August 6.00pm

Certificate Weekend

Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd September

Reconciliation

Commitment Mass

Saturday 16th September 6.00pm

Sunday 17th September 7.30am

Sunday 17th September 9.00am

Sunday 17th September 6.00pm

Parent Workshop

Wednesday 25th October 5.00pm

Candidate Retreat

Friday 3rd November

Sacrament

Tuesday 7th November 5.00pm

Wednesday 8th November 5.00pm

Thursday 9th November 5.00pm

Certificate Weekend

Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th November