Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for joining us on Tuesday afternoon, celebrating the opening of our new buildings, our grandparents and the engagement of our parents and students in learning. It was great to relax and have some fun as a community and for many of our families to visit our new facilities. I am grateful for our staff participation in the Student Led Conferences, cooking of the BBQ, Face Painting, School Choir and/or mingling with our parents, carers and grandparents. It was a great event and reminded me of how good it is to spend time building relationships across the school community. A special thanks to the couple of parents who jumped in to help the face painters move the line along a little faster - so good, thank you! I'm sure there were plenty of coloured bath tubs or showers on Tuesday night.

As we are ending Term 3, it is a great time to look ahead and prepare for the many and varied events coming up in Term 4. Events like Mission Month, the Canberra and Aussie Bush Camp Excursions, the Kinder and Year 7 transition visits and all the end of year activities like the Awards Assembly, Year 6 Dinner, Yr 6 Graduation Mass and our Christmas gathering. This year, we have decided to hold our Christmas event at school. We are a little worried about the weather but will come up with a back-up plan should we need.

Crossing Supervisor

On Day 1 of Term 4, Monday 9th October, the new Crossing Supervisor will commence on the Lake Street side of the school for 1 hour in the morning and afternoon. I am grateful for Transport NSW for assessing the need and providing this service. The service will be in operation between 8:00 - 9:00am in the morning and 2:30 - 3:30pm in the afternoon. 

Pilgrimage

At the end of this week, I head to the Holy Land with 44 other members of staff from across the Diocese to journey 'in the footsteps of Jesus'. During the student vacation, we will visit Bethlehem, Masada, Jericho, Jerusalem, Tiberias, Galilee, Nazareth, Cana and the Dead Sea. This pilgrimage is offered to staff in our Diocese each year as a way of learning and experiencing the places that are important of our Catholic story and tradition. I am grateful for this opportunity and the journey that I will make with my colleagues and will share some of my experiences with you next term.

Please be sure to check out the calendar in Compass in preparation for Term 4. It is easier to view the calendar on a computer rather than a mobile device if you need to put some dates on your calendar.

Day 1 for next term is Monday 9th October and students are able to wear their summer uniform from this time. We always allow a couple of weeks for the changeover so don't worry if you aren't quite ready for the first day. 

Yours sincerely,

Brooke Stephens