Dear Parents

As we move into the Lenten period we have much to be thankful for at school. All of our students have settled into school life and are working productively in class. Our children in Foundation are at school each day now and are busy learning school routine and working through the day.Yesterday in Literacy it was fantastic to see the Foundation students writing neatly in books, starting to read and have a basic understanding of number operations.

This week all families will have / had the opportunity to meet with classroom teachers. Thanks for your support in these meetings. If at any time you have questions that need to be addressed please be in contact with the teachers. The same applies if you need to speak to administration staff- we are here to help.

As mentioned we commenced Lent. As you know the Easter egg hunt is so much fun but the history of Easter and the story is a long and complicated one. The season lasts 40 days which represents the amount of time Jesus spent in the desert- fasting and preparing for his ministry- and to celebrate, many Christians choose to make a sacrifice of their own over those 40 days. For 2022, Lent begins on Wednesday, 2nd March and ending on Saturday, 16th April. St Mary’s celebrated Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday at school last week with the rubbing of ashes on the school communities foreheads.

Congratulations to all of the children who have completed swimming lessons and swimming at district and local events. The 15 swimmers who competed at the Sale and District Swimming did an outstanding job under difficult circumstances with the weather. A number of the swimmers finished with placings and represented the school with pride and determination.

Next week the children in Grade 5/6 will finally get to go to camp. The camp will be at Coonawarra Resort in East Gippsland and it has many activities that challenge the kids in an outdoor environment. Our Grade 4 students will be off to Forest Lodge early in Term Two. It is fantastic to finally have our camping program return to the school curriculum.

A reminder for parents who are entering the school grounds, you must be able to show the correct COVID-19 vaccination certificate or exemption certificate. I thank you for your support in ensuring we follow all necessary procedures.

Please enjoy the long weekend.

Jason