This week, we are celebrating one of the most important events on our calendar, which is of course, Mary MacKillop Week. We are having all our usual events such as the Art Exhibition in the Church which Mr Miller and his team of helpers have set up. It highlights the talent of our budding young artists, and we all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Did you know that Vincent Van Gogh only ever sold one painting whilst he was alive? Now, his works are all considered masterpieces! The exhibition runs from 1 August until 12 August. We also had a special whole school Mass this morning to celebrate the life and achievements of Mary. This was followed up with our traditional cup cake day with our classrooms being open for parents and grandparents to visit. This Friday, our Year 6 students will run a fete to raise money for the missions for the St Joseph sisters around the world. All money raised goes to help underprivileged people so please give generously. As our school is named after Mary MacKillop, it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon this unique and remarkable woman who is still Australia’s only saint.
Resilience Reflection One of Mary MacKillop’s greatest strengths was that of resilience. She had complete trust in God, and this helped her overcome all obstacles.
Catholic Day Every year, all Catholic schools are granted one extra day away from school in recognition of the work and commitment we make to the Church outside of school hours. This year, we are taking Monday 8 August as our Catholic Day, so please note the school will be closed for the day.
Book Fair Last year, we introduced the Scholastic Book Fair as a way of promoting reading for our students and it also was an opportunity to raise money to purchase extra books for our Library. As it was such a huge success, we have decided to run it again this year. The fair will run from Tuesday 9 August to Thursday 11 August. This leads up nicely to Book Week which will be run the following week from Monday 15 August to Friday 19 August which culminates with our annual parade at assembly on Friday 19 August where the students get to dress up as their favourite book characters. As usual, we ask parents not to spend too much money on costumes. Often the best ones are made for free from items around the house.
School Audit for Registration Once every 5 years, our school has to undergo an extensive audit from the State Government in order to maintain its registration to operate as a school. The amount of compliance involved is daunting and we have been working on it for over 6 months. On Wednesday 10 August, we will participate in the final part of the process and then we will be reregistered until 2027. I would like to express my thanks to Mrs Liebregts, Mrs Tucker, Mrs Mueller, Mrs Haynes, Mrs Burton and Mrs Coniglio for their efforts in compiling the huge amount of evidence required.
Confirmation This is a very exciting time for our Year 6 Students who make their commitment pledges at Mass this weekend. They will then participate in a retreat day run in conjunction with Servite College on Tuesday 16 August and they will be receiving the final Sacrament of Initiation on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 August. In the mean time, Fr John will lead the parents through an information session from 7pm on Wednesday 10 August. All parents and sponsors are encouraged to attend. The evening starts with Mass in the parish.
School Advisory Council and P&F Meetings These will be held on Monday 15 August with the P&F commencing at 8.45am and the SAC from 6pm. Both meetings will be held in the staffroom.
Yours sincerely
Laurie Bechelli