“My heart aches greatly at the worsening situation in Ukraine. Despite the diplomatic efforts of the last few weeks, increasingly alarming scenarios are opening up. Like me, many people all over the world are feeling anguish and concern. Once again, the peace of all is threatened by partisan interests. I would like to appeal to those with political responsibility to examine their consciences seriously before God, who is the God of peace and not of war; who is the Father of all, not just of some, who wants us to be brothers and not enemies. I pray that all the parties involved refrain from any action that would cause even more suffering to the people, destabilising coexistence between nations and bringing international law into disrepute.” ~Pope Francis

I am sure many of you have been watching the events taking place in Ukraine with great concern. There are a lot of distressing images and news reports coming out of Ukraine at present, and we as a community continue to pray for those affected. As our Holy Father reflects in his recent statement calling for peace and an end to the conflict, he reminds us of what it means to be people of peace to live in unity with one another. Our counsellor Sharman has included some text and strategies to support parents in discussions with their children regarding these events.

Today marks the beginning of the Lenten season, and our school celebrated this special period by joining a combined parish online Liturgy to mark Ash Wednesday. Fr Josh spoke to the students with great symbolism and imagery to bring this period of Lent to life for our students. He linked Lent with the preseason of sporting codes, where we prepare ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually for what lies ahead. Lent is traditionally a period of preparation and sacrifice through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in the lead up to celebrating the resurrection of the Lord at Easter. Pope Francis has challenged us this Lenten season to mark it with periodic fasting, in solidarity with Ukrainians. We thank the parish and particularly Fr James and Josh for preparing this liturgy and our Religious Education Coordinators who looked after the logistical operations.

Playground Equipment

We are awaiting delivery of our new Senior Equipment which has been delayed by 2 weeks due to Covid delivery disruptions. Work should begin in Week 7, and the equipment will be ready for use by the end of the term. We are also working towards getting our Junior Playground operational again. We hope to have a timeline for this in the coming weeks.

Masks

The mask mandate has been lifted in the community; however we are still required to wear masks indoors at school as we are classified as a high-risk setting. NSW will remove the mask mandate for primary schools next week; however it is still in place for the ACT for the foreseeable future. Parents are reminded that we cannot have visitors on site unless they are for scheduled appointments or to sign your children in and out of the school through the front office. I will update parents as soon as any relaxation of protocols are scheduled by ACT Health and Catholic Education.

Principals’ Retreat

Next week, the annual Principals’ Retreat is taking place at Bowral, NSW, under heavy COVID restrictions. The retreat is an important part of the calendar as it is one of the few times that all 56 principals in the Archdiocese and senior leadership within Catholic Education, including the Director of Catholic Education, Mr Ross Fox, come together. The Archbishop of Canberra-Goulburn, Archbishop Christopher Prowse, will lead the retreat. I will be attending from Wednesday until Friday, and in my absence, Mrs Tiffany Reedy will very capably lead the school.

Blessings and Good wishes

Sean Rutledge

Principal