Dear Parents and Caregivers
Welcome back to a new term! As usual, it will be a busy one with lots of great things happening. Hopefully, you would have noticed that all the car parks have been repainted with clear lines and directions. The car park on Cassowary Drive continues to be a point of concern as a number of parents/grandparents are still not following the directions. There are very clear signs on the ground indicating which direction you must travel in order to make everything flow properly. There are also four signs clearly indicating that you MUST NOT TURN RIGHT onto Cassowary Drive at peak times. When people don’t follow these signs, it increases the risk of an accident happening. It also slows down the flow in the car park which causes traffic to back up. When this happens, the local residents can get very upset and blast their horns at the ‘Mary MacKillop traffic jam’. Barb and Jane even get abusive phone calls from local residents and I have received a number of nasty emails over the years. I’m sorry to sound negative, but this is the single biggest issue we have on a continual basis. Please use the car park properly for the safety of our students and the convenience of the whole community. Also, please note that we have very clear zebra crossings marked in the car parks. These MUST be used when walking through. I have seen a number of near misses when parents are taking their children on a ‘shortcut’ to their parked car. An injury to a child would be devastating!
Scripture Reflection Matthew 5:43 – 44 “You have heard it said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy’. But I tell you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.”
ANZAC Day The scripture reading above is very appropriate, especially as we are living in such troubled times. This weekend, we commemorate ANZAC Day and we will be holding a special ceremony on Friday morning at the assembly. Please keep all the people around the world in your prayers, especially those who are suffering from the terrible effects of war.
Long Weekend Due to ANZAC Day, next Monday 27 April will be a public holiday. Also, please note that Tuesday 28 April will be a student free day as the staff will be undertaking further learning in Mathematics. School recommences for the students next Wednesday 29 April.
Kindergarten 2027 I am well into the enrolment process for next year’s intake. If you have a younger child who is coming here next year, please contact the front office immediately. Also, our playgroup starts this Thursday 23 April at 8.45am in the Kindy Blue classroom. We have already enrolled 15 students and parents which is wonderful. Mrs Dalglish and Mrs Zdraveski will run our new playgroup which will give us excellent continuity and connection. Please remember that all children attending the playgroup must be always accompanied by a parent.
Interschool Swimming Carnival Our talented swimmers will be participating in the interschool carnival on Friday 1 May. Miss Thorp has already sent home all the details. We wish our athletes all the very best and I know they will compete in the right spirit. Parents and grandparents are most welcome to come along and support our squad.
P&F Meeting Our meeting for Term 2 will be held on Monday 4 May at 8.45am in the staffroom. All welcome! The Term 2 School Advisory Council meeting will also be held that same day, however, it commences at 6.00pm in the staffroom.
School Uniform As usual, we allow a grace period of two weeks as we transition into winter. This means that the students can choose to wear either their summer or winter uniforms during this time. However, from Monday 4 May, all students must wear the full winter uniform. If you are not sure what to wear, please go to the school’s website and click the ‘Uniform’ tab and it will very clearly show you what is required. Please remember that it is not the responsibility of the students to decide what to wear to school. It is a parent responsibility and we need everyone on board with us, supporting us to make sure the uniforms are worn correctly and with pride.
Laurie Bechelli
Principal