Dear Families,

Feast of the Assumption

Last Saturday was the feast of the Assumption; however, we celebrated as a school community last Tuesday. The Assumption has been celebrated in the East since about 600 AD, in the West since the end of the 7th century.  We see in Mary a woman of faith: she put her whole life on the line for God who asked her to be the mother of his Son.  She is also a woman who made a very strong choice for God in her life, whose vocation like ours was to bring Christ to the world.  She is the one who now lives with God as we one-day hope to, fully alive in the love and in the life of eternity.

Thank you to Ms Lisa Conroy for organising a very reverent liturgy.

ACT Election-Saturday 17 October

There are 8 weeks until the ACT Election and am sure you are seeing candidates from all parties at shopping centres (or even receiving phone calls from them). I encourage you to approach candidates at the shopping centres and mention or discuss the value of ACT Catholic Schools and quiz them on their party’s support for ACT Catholic Schools. 

In the ACT, there are 29 systemic Catholic Schools who educate 15 000 students. In Canberra, Catholic schools are very similar to public schools, with our schools having almost exactly the same average ICSEA score (1077-1076). Our schools are inclusive, support families from all backgrounds, and operate on a modest budget.

Did you know that when you compare the total funding that Catholic schools in each state/territory receive, the ACT are the second lowest funded Catholic schools in the country? This is particularly impacted by the ACT Government’s low funding of Catholic schools.

Have a chat to the candidates and mention that you are a parent in an ACT Catholic School and funding of Catholic Schools is an important issue for you.

School Uniforms

School uniform seems to be a constant battle recently! We are persistently reminding students at school that they must wear correct uniform to school. We need parental support in ensuring we follow Catholic Education Uniform guidelines and School Uniform Policy. This includes black leather school shoes, not sport shoes, on non-sports days.

Last term, we were aware that Savvy was unable to provide sports uniforms to our families. After a conversation today with Savvy, I have been made aware that all uniforms are currently in stock, in all sizes. I ask that, if you were unable to purchase a uniform earlier this year, you make time to get the appropriate items your child requires.

Could you please ensure that your child comes to school with either a jumper or tracksuit jacket depending on what uniform is required on that day? We have many children turning up to school in very cold temperatures with only a thin shirt on. It is far too cold and children are getting sick as a result.

100 Days of Kindergarten

Yesterday the children of kindergarten celebrated 100 days of school. It certainly has been a very disrupted 100 days, with their first year being very disjointed. Despite this, the children are very happy and their learning is progressing at a remarkable rate. I would like to thank our dedicated Kinder teachers, Mrs Katie Brook, Mrs Jo Grogan, Miss Lauren Mewburn and Mrs Michelle Aiken for ensuring that the children have had a fantastic first year of schooling and have tremendous experiences to support their learning. Congratulations Kinder! 

Science Week

Well if it isn’t Covid, it is the weather. Unfortunately, to date, we have been unsuccessful in our attempt to take part in the world’s biggest selfie. The weather this week has been too cloudy to participate. We hope that we may be able to take part later in the week.

A big thank you to Mr Peter Collins for encouraging the students to participate in a variety of activities this week, both at school and home. I am looking forward to tasting ‘ice-cream out of a bag’ next week. I know Kinder and Year 1 are excited about the Science shows on Friday.

I look forward to seeing some of our budding scientists and their experiments this week.

Peace and Best Wishes

Kate Markcrow

Principal