Jesus told us that we are expected to use the gift he gave us in order for them to grow. He did so through the parable of the talents. The servant that was given five talents repaid the master with five more because of his investment and use of what the master had given him. We too must use our gifts and we will be rewarded with receiving even more. When you think about it, we do get better at anything with practice and none of our gifts is any good unless we share it. What good is the gift of singing if no-one ever hears us?

Did you know...

Talents were actually a unit of currency in biblical times. The servant would have invested the money so the interest could be returned to the master too.

From the Principal...

It was lovely to see so many families over the weekend as we celebrated First Communion. While smaller and quieter, the Masses were just as special and I know the children will always remember their First Communion Day. I thank Mrs David and Father Sean for the tireless effort that went into preparing the students. I also salute our wonderful staff, all of whom have attended at least one of these special occasions.

I have received only two requests from parents to split their child from another students. Please remember that if you want this to happen, I need your request in writing by Friday. Even if you think the teachers are aware of an issue, please make the request so we don’t miss something. Once classes are announced, there will not be any changes.

Year 5 had a wonderful camp and their participation and behaviour was a credit to their families and their teachers. I visited them on the first evening and they had all had a marvelous time. I was very proud of them. They also let their teachers sleep! Mr Bell and Mrs Mignacca-Guzman did a wonderful job getting it all ready in a short time and I thank them for their efforts. Our competitive swimmers raced for places at the representative carnival on Monday. They all did a very efficient job due to high levels of co-operation from the students. I thank Mr Hyland and Miss Mignacca-Guzman for their preparation of the event. I hope we will be able to have all students in Yrs 3-6 participate next year.

We have had to implement new procedures around excursion permission forms and the administration of medication by school staff. All permission notes need to be returned a week before the excursion, for example, and even over the counter medication must have instructions written by your doctor. I don’t expect you to remember this now – we will remind you when we have excursions etc but I wanted you to know that there are changes we all need to get used to.

I told you about Mr Bell leaving us in the last newsletter. To summarise all the changes we know so far, we will also be saying farewell to Mrs Delivera and to Mrs Coffey – though Mrs Coffey may come back again. She is exchanging for a year with a teacher who is coming to us – Miss Alana Stroligo. We are also welcoming another new teacher, Miss Sarah Florio. So with Mr Bell’s replacement, when we have that recruiting process complete, we will have three new teachers in the school in 2021! We are very grateful for the years of service our leaving teachers have contributed to the school, wish them all the best on their new adventures, and look forward to welcoming our new staff members. 

I hope you can take advantage of our tree planting experience. I know some families wanting to do it will miss out but we will do it again. We will see how this one goes and I look forward to your feedback.

I am aware that some parents are finding the changes to the gate times challenging. It will take a while to get used to. If you feel the need to give feedback to the parish, please put it in writing and hand it in to the parish office. Alternately you can leave it at the school office or email the school info@ account and we will pass your feedback on. You have adjusted very well to leaving the five parking places free for the OOSH minivans – thank you! Mrs Smith and I are meeting with a traffic consultant commissioned by the parish about the possibilities for the car park. I will keep you posted about any developments. In the meantime, please drive slowly, walk on the pedestrian pathways and hold your children’s hands.

God Bless

Michelle Rolfe

Principal