Welcome to Week 8!  

This week we witnessed some of the Year 3 students receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in front of their family and friends. Reconciliation is one of the 7 Sacraments of the Church which offers us forgiveness for the times we have sinned and turned away from God.  Every time we don't make a good choice (sin), we hurt ourselves, other people and God. Through Reconciliation, we are given the opportunity to say sorry for our sins and receive forgiveness from God, aiming to make better choices in the future.  

A special congratulations to Anastasia Dwyer, Cooper Battista, Willow Matthews, Elke Horsford, Harri Murphy, Ben Murphy, Max Roberts, Maggie Kelly, Jacinta Schoenmaekers, Anushka  Hollingsworth and Olivia Nicolaci who received this special sacrament. 

It is hard to believe that my 3 weeks as Acting Principal finishes today.  I have thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with the students and families  and learning more about the amazing children we have at St Mary's.  I have been really impressed with the resilience of all of the students in managing the daily changes due to staff absences or smaller class sizes from student absences.  Throughout all of these challenges, the staff and students have maintained a calm and consistent environment that has ensured that minimal impact has occurred within the classroom.  Walking through each of the pods and seeing all of the students engaged in their learning and working diligently has been a highlight of my time at the school.    It is a testament to the hard work and caring nature of the staff and the support and friendship each of the students extend to each other.

A final reminder that next Friday, 24th June is a Pupil Free Day.  The staff will be attending a workshop which will focus on the Inquiry Process in Religious Education.  As a result, the last day of the term for all students will be Thursday, 23rd June at 3:15pm.  There will be special afternoon of activities in each of the Pods, which all parents are invited to attend.  A special afternoon tea will also be on offer for those families who ordered a donut and drink from the P & F Donut Drive.  The afternoon festivities will be followed by our final assembly for the term.  We look forward to welcoming parents and guardians to celebrate the end of Term 2. 

Thank you everyone for your support over the last 3 weeks.  I wish you all the best for the remainder of the term and be sure to celebrate the wonderful achievements your children have made throughout the semester when you receive their school reports next week.

Kind regards

Di Austin