Dear Parents and Carers,

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." ~St Francis of Assisi

Welcome to Week 7, the term is flying along, and the year is almost over. Advent is on the horizon, and this holy season marks the end of school's academic year. We are blessed with these weeks to refresh ourselves spiritually as we welcome the birth of the Lord into our lives. Holidays allow us to refresh our body, mind and spirit.

Our teachers are hard at work assessing, moderating and collating end-of-semester reports, which will be sent home on Friday, 8th December (Week 9) via the Compass portal. Please keep teachers in your thoughts and prayers during this time as they undertake this significant work. This Semester, there will be comments on the reports. The comments will focus on key successes this Semester, challenges and future directions for students. I thank the teachers for their hard work and dedication; many hours are spent outside the school day in preparing these important assessment records.

We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for making our School Fete an outstanding success! The vibrant atmosphere, enthusiastic participation, and generous support from our community truly made the night.

A special thank you goes out to our incredible Fete Convenors, Narelle and Anita, whose dedication, leadership, and tireless efforts were instrumental in orchestrating this fantastic event. Their passion for our school and commitment to excellence were evident in every detail, ensuring that the fete was a resounding success.

A huge vote of thanks is also due to the entire Fete Committee, whose creativity, teamwork, and hard work brought the event to life. From coordinating stalls to managing logistics, to securing sponsorship, your collective efforts did not go unnoticed. The diverse range of activities, stalls, and entertainment made the fete an enjoyable experience for all, showcasing the talents and spirit of our school community.

To our wonderful volunteers, parents, students, and staff who contributed their time, skills, and resources—thank you for your unwavering support. Your willingness to pitch in and help wherever needed truly embodies the sense of community that makes our school so special.

The funds raised during the fete will move our sports shed outside, refresh the sports equipment we have available for PE lessons, and refresh our offerings to the students at lunchtime.

Once again, thank you to everyone involved in making this year's School Fete a remarkable success. Your dedication, enthusiasm, and community spirit shine brightly, and we look forward to building on this success in the future. We will look forward to our next fete in 2025.

Raffle Winners from Fete

We congratulate the following winners of our Fete raffle! Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket.

1st Prize - $2000.00 - Marlene Armstrong

2nd Prize - $1000.00 - Melanie Butler

3rd Prize - $500.00 - Sonja Treanor

Renovation Update

We have been handed back the last two rooms of the ¾ block, the Inclusive Education classroom and our teacher's office. The internal corridor has also reopened, meaning we have connected internal access to all parts of the school again. We also have Music, Library, STEM and BASCA back in their normal spaces. The students love their new spaces, as do the teachers, after a long time in temporary classrooms. I appreciate your support of this project; it has really transformed these spaces and given the students an excellent environment in which to foster learning.

Move Back to Peace Garden

With the Peace Garden being returned, we will move back here for afternoon pickup from Monday. This move back offers some shade for students and less cross-over between BASCA and Car line students. Thank you for your support with this. The entry via the car park near the ELC will remain closed until next year. Access to collect students from the peace garden will still need to be via the front of the school.

ELC Orientation

On Wednesday, we will hold our ELC orientation in the hall. We look forward to welcoming our foundation class of students into the ELC in 2024.

Ms Rachel Southwell has successfully gained a full-time teaching role in our ELC from the beginning of 2024. We congratulate Rachel on her new position and wish her all the best. We currently have a full-time teaching position advertised, which closes at the end of this week.

Community Council

On Monday next week, we will hold our final Community Council meeting for the year. Some agenda items include the school budget for 2024, a sneak peek of our School Improvement Agenda for 2024, and a presentation about school fees set by the Catholic Education Office. If you are interested in joining the Community Council, I will put a call out for new members in the new year.

Blessings and best wishes

Sean Rutledge

Principal

Last Book Club of 2023!

REMINDER that Scholastic Book Club orders are due by 9am next Monday 27^th November. This will be the last opportunity to order Book Club this year and might be the perfect time to buy some books as Christmas presents. 

The Christmas/Festive season is fast approaching, and along with it is the additional Christmas/Festive preparation expenses, not to mention the bills that will start rolling in come the New Year!

Care continues to facilitate the ACT Government’s Rent Relief program for those who rent privately in the ACT.  Eligible renters can apply for the one off grant of 4 weeks rent up to a maximum of $2,500.

Please note: The current turn around for applications is 2-3 weeks, but could increase depending on the volume of applications received.

For more information, eligibility criteria and application form head to our website – www.carefcs.org/rent-relief-scheme

Care will be closed for Christmas from Friday 22nd December 2023 reopening Tuesday 2nd January 2024.