Dear Parents/Carers,

Recently our Parish celebrated First Holy Communion which included many of our students from Year 3 and one of our Year 4 students. The two masses were beautiful and highlighted for me just how special an occasion it is for the children to strengthen their connection to Jesus. For them to now be able to fully participate in the Mass will have even greater significance. I pray that they continue to be spiritually nourished through the Eucharist.

Such a significant day cannot go so well without a lot of hard work. I would like to thank: our school staff, particularly Miss Winarczyk, Mrs Kavanagh, Mrs Menzies and Mr Rice who played such a significant role in preparing the children and organising the masses; Fr Peter who always provides such pastoral leadership and who helped the children to understand more about the parts of the Mass as part of their preparation; other members of the parish, including Michaela Donovan the Parish Secretary and the Catechists; the parents and carers, for being so willing to have their child participate in the Sacrament and for providing them with such love and support. 

We are in the midst of a significant part of our annual reporting process with Parent/Teacher Interviews being held this week. These interviews are an excellent opportunity for you and your child's teacher to review their progress thus far and to set some realistic goals for the rest of the year. 

Student academic reports for children in Years 1-6 were made available on Compass last week. This report is ‘a picture in time’ based on assessment information, the teacher’s knowledge and professional judgement, and classroom tasks completed by your child.

On the front page of the report is an explanation of the A-E grading system. The Commonwealth Government has mandated this system for all students in Australia from Year 1-Year 10. It is important to understand that if a student is achieving the expected outcomes for the Year level they are in, they will receive a ‘C’ grade acknowledging that they are working with sound knowledge, skills and understanding. ‘A’ and ‘B’ grades require students to work with their knowledge, skills and understanding at an extensive or thorough level. Students working at these levels would be able to transfer their knowledge, skills and understanding to new situations with limited guidance or assistance.

Once again, we apologise for the delay we experienced in publishing the student reports last Friday. Technology is reliable most of the time and, of course, it is unreliable at the most inconvenient of times! Please let our school office know if you have any issues with Compass.

This Friday brings Term 2 to an end, meaning we are half-way through the year. I thank you for your continued support and I hope your children have a restful break for the next two weeks. If you are taking some time off from your normal commitments, I also hope that you find time to relax and recharge your body and spirit.

I look forward to seeing you all in Term 3,

Paul Moroney

Firstly, the students visited Parliament House, where they were given a guided tour and had the opportunity to act out the law-making process through debating. In the afternoon, the students really enjoyed their visit to Questacon- the National Science and Technology centre and to the Australian Institute of Sport. The following day we then made our way to the Australian War Memorial. This part of the tour served to underline the significance of ANZAC Day, the role of the Commonwealth Government in the nation’s defence and the sacrifice many Australian men and women have made to protect our nation. We also visited the National History Museum where students were able to go back in time and discover the ways First Australians and the early settlers lived on the land. Our final destination was the National Electoral Education Centre. Students viewed an informative audiovisual presentation about government in Australia, role-played an election and even found Mr Moroney’s name on the electoral roll. 

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit their National Capital as part of their civics and citizenship education. To assist parents in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $20- per eligible student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) programme toward the travel expenses incurred. This contribution will be paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion. We would like to thank the Australian Government for their support of this program.

The refurbishments of the wet area of the Stage 2 building have been completed. The work included carpeting the floor, putting coloured pin-boards on the walls, installing new bag racks, replacing the entry doors and creating a new 'break-out' space in which small groups of children can work.

These refurbishments were financed through the School Enhancement and Debt Servicing Obligation (SEDSO) component of the school fees, so we are grateful for your commitment to this. Refurbishing of the wet areas of the other classroom blocks is planned to be completed over the next two years.