Dear Parents and Caregivers
One of the things I love most about our community is its diversity. We are very diverse in many ways, including culturally and academically. We actually have one of the highest proportions of families in Catholic Education who come from a non English speaking background. Nearly fifty per cent of our students have a parent who doesn’t have English as their first language. We are also one of only six Catholic schools who runs a large centre for students with additional needs (the St Joseph Centre). We are indeed a very complex, but beautiful community. This week at the staff professional development day, we had a presenter talk to us about catering for the needs of students who have autism. Whilst I believe that we already do a great job in this space, it is really important to familiarise ourselves with the latest research and best practice so that we can do an even better job. We are very lucky to have a dedicated and passionate staff who do so much to support our students who have autism.
Scripture Reflection Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Book Week Parade This Friday 22 August, we will be holding our annual Book Week parade during the assembly from 8.45am. The theme of this year’s parade is ‘Book an Adventure’. As usual, we ask parents not to spend any money hiring costumes or getting fancy clothing. It is just meant to be a bit of fun where the students use their own creativity to make something interesting. Also, this year, we won’t be holding the Book Fair. Instead, the P&F are organising a colour run later this term. Details will be sent out soon.
One Big Voice Mr Maxwell and Ms Fazio have been very busy preparing the choir for their performance at the One Big Voice concert at RAC Arena on Friday 29 August. It promises to be a fantastic day and I know everyone is very excited about participating in it. I would like to extend a big thank you to Mr Maxwell and Ms Fazio for all of their hard work with the students. All details have already been sent out to parents.
Confirmation The big day is close! Our Year 6 students have been well prepared and they will receive the final Sacrament of Initiation on either Saturday 30 August at 6.00pm or Sunday 31 August at 9.30am in our Church. Fr Vincent Glynn will be representing the bishops of our diocese and he will lead the celebration on the Saturday night, whilst Fr Vinh will be the ‘Bishop of Ballajura’ on the Sunday morning. I would like to thank all the staff members who have done so much to prepare our students for this very special occasion. I’m sure it will be a highlight of the year.
Father’s Day With Father’s day fast approaching, please be aware that the P&F will once again be holding their stall so that all students will have the opportunity to buy something small for the special man in their lives. The stalls will run on 3, 4 and 5 September. More details will be sent out closer to the date.
Laurie Bechelli
Principal