Dear Parents and Carers,

On Monday, we had a very successful Swimming Carnival at Queanbeyan Pool. I thank Sharee Thomas and the Swimming Carnival Team for running such a successful day. Congratulations to all our swimmers who participated on the day. Ribbons for our 50m events will be given out at Monday morning assembly next week. I would also like to thank the large number of parent volunteers and senior students from St Mary MacKillop College who were instrumental in successfully running our carnival. Without the support of these volunteers, our carnivals could not take place.

Semester Reporting

Catholic Education Canberra-Goulburn (CECG) has communicated to schools regarding reporting to parents/guardians. CE has advised schools that general comments will not be required on Semester 1, 2024 reports but to prioritise Parent/Teacher Conferences for every family in Term 2. These meetings provide an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, strengths, challenges, and future areas of focus. A Semester Report will still be sent home as in previous Semesters, providing A-E grading and attendance information.

CE has advised schools that Semester 2, 2024 reports will have a general comment for all children. This general comment will provide a summative comment for the year, areas of achievement and areas to focus on for the following year. A-E grading and attendance information will remain as normal.

We would encourage all parents/guardians to engage regularly with their child/ren’s learning, connecting with their class teacher/s regularly to discuss learning progress. Our formal reporting Schedule is included below:

 Term 1 

• Personalised Plan Meetings
• Opportunity to provide information about your child to class teachers via Microsoft Form.
• Interim report sent Via Compass.
• Optional Parent-teacher meetings as required.

Term 2

• Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Semester Reports (A-E) with no general comments

Term 3

• Learning Exhibitions

Term 4

• Semester Reports (A-E) with general comments
• Availability of Parent/Teacher Conferences as requested

School Fees

Family Fee Statements went out on Thursday. Catholic Education who now process fees centrally made the decision to keep school fee billing on a per term basis, rather than billing fees annually. Discounts for siblings (including those in Systemic Secondary Schools) have already been applied.

You can still make payments in instalments at a frequency that works for your family, nothing that our preferred payment method is BPAY. Your BPAY information is on the bottom of your latest fee statement. Please be aware this information has changed since October of last year, and ensure you are using the new BPAY information.

Shortly you will receive an email requesting confirmation of your intention to contribute to the voluntary building fund. The email will be sent from donotreply-accounts@cg.catholic.edu..au. Included in this email is a link to an online building fund form that is required to be completed by all.

If you require an application for a school fee concession, assistance with calculating your instalments or have any other questions regarding school fees, please contact Julie.rummukainen@cg.catholic.edu.au

Principals’ Retreat

Next Tuesday PM – Friday, I will be attending the Principals’ Conference and Retreat with the Director of Catholic Education, Ross Fox, as well as other senior leaders within Catholic Education. The three days are invaluable for the discussion and sharing of system initiatives including what the impending incorporation means for our system, strategic planning, as well as the time spent on faith development with a retreat facilitated by Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP.  In my absence, Annie McArthur will do a wonderful job leading the school.

Blessings and Best Wishes

Sean Rutledge

Principal

Gospel Reflection John 2:13-25

In this Sunday’s Gospel, we witness Jesus cleansing the temple in Jerusalem. It's a powerful moment that reveals several important lessons for us and our children. Firstly, Jesus’ actions show us the importance of reverence and respect for sacred spaces. The temple was meant to be a place of prayer and worship, but it had been turned into a marketplace. Jesus teaches us the significance of treating places of worship with reverence, reminding us to approach them with hearts focused on God.

Secondly, Jesus' zeal for the house of God reflects his passion for righteousness and justice. He was not afraid to confront wrongdoing, even in the most revered institutions. This teaches us the value of standing up for what is right, even when it might be challenging or unpopular.

Furthermore, this passage reminds us of the need for inner cleansing. Just as Jesus cleansed the temple, we too must allow him to cleanse our hearts of anything that distracts us from God’s presence. It's a call to self-examination and repentance, inviting us to rid ourselves of anything that hinders our relationship with God. Ultimately, this passage invites us to encounter Jesus in a deeper way – to allow him to cleanse our hearts and lead us into a closer relationship with God. May we as a community strive to live out the lessons found in this passage, guiding our children to grow in faith, reverence, and love for God.

SACRAMENT INFORMATION

A reminder that Enrolments are open for ALL Sacraments (Confirmation- Yr 6, Eucharist - Yr 5 & Reconciliation - Yr 4). If you wish for your child to receive one or more of these Sacraments, you MUST complete an enrolment form on the Corpus Christi Parish QkR! Page. 

FAMILIES ARE REQUESTED TO ENROL THEIR CHILD IN ONLY  ONE SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM! If children have missed any sacraments and are catching up with reception of those sacraments, the parish office will contact them, after the enrolment period, to organise an individual program for their child. Parents will need to commit to assisting their child with their preparation. Each circumstance will be considered by Fr James as preparation time for each of the sacraments is essential.

If you have ANY questions regarding the Sacraments, pleas contact Anne Gowan via email TuggeranongSouth.Sacraments@cg.org.au or the Parish office. I am also more than happy to answer any questions you may have, please contact me here at school or via email sharee.thomas@cg.catholic.edu.au

PROJECT COMPASSION 

Ash Wednesday marked the official launch of our Project Compassion fundraising campaign for Caritas Australia. Caritas Australia has worked hand in hand with the most marginalised and remote communities in Australia and overseas to confront the challenges of poverty for over 60 years. The theme for this year’s fundraiser is ‘For All Future Generations.’ Some inspiring stories (suitable for primary school aged children to watch) about people Caritas has assisted, can be found here: https:/youtube/pquSO1uw4Zs?si=sP_aGmnRjL6AdoCM 

Each classroom has a Project Compassion donation box which we encourage all students to donate to throughout Lent. In classes, we have talked about how Lent is a time of fasting, prayer and almsgiving , as well as sacrifice. Donating to Project Compassion, even just a small amount, is a great way for children to embrace the spirit of the Lenten season. We appreciate any donation you have already made or will make in the future.

Have a great week!

Sharee Thomas (REC)

Year 3/4 Netball Gala Day

What a day! Our students were so excited to have the opportunity to attend the 3/4 netball gala day, taking 5 teams from Years 3 and 4. The netballers had a great day competing and playing against teams from a range of other schools. It was awesome to see so many of our players improving throughout the day, some of whom hadn’t played netball at all before! It was also very exciting to have 7 boys split across the teams, having a go at a sport they may not have played before. We know Mr Hosie LOVED having boys involved! Thank you to Mrs Stevens and Mr Hosie for taking the students on the day. Congratulations to all players and teams involved on a fantastic day in the sun, enjoying netball! Our school netball registrations to play on a Saturday have opened. We encourage anyone and everyone who is interested to ask their parents to register!

Please find below the sports that we will be participating in via Gala Days this year. Please watch out for information sent home about how your child may participate and nominate for the various sports.

We are currently calling for Saturday morning netballers to join our teams - please see other sections and Compass for information about this.

My name is Susan Harris. This year I am continuing in my Student Well-Being Support role. As part of this, I will be running several programs for students. These programs include social emotional programs for anxiety or anger management, self-esteem/self-confidence program, social skills/friendship program, and a feelings program for younger students. These programs will assist students in building self-esteem and confidence, learning about their emotions, managing these emotions, and developing their skills with their peers and other relationships. All programs are voluntary, and parents and students can choose if they do not want their child/children to be involved. 

I am available to meet with students and families on Mondays and Tuesdays. If you DO NOT want your child to be involved in these programs, please contact me via email. My email address is susan.harris@cg.catholic.edu.au

Just a reminder to any families wanting access the school counselling program you will need to complete a referral form through the link provided bellow. If your child was accessing counselling support last year and you would like support to continue this year you will need to complete a new referral form as all files were closed off at the end of last year.

Referral Form: https://mccg.my.site.com/housing/s/school-referral-form

If you have any questions about the counselling program you can contact the school counsellor directly via email at Tessa.slater@mccg.org.au.

Second hand uniform shop opening hours:

• Wednesday: 8.45-9.15am
• Thursday: 2.45-3.15pm
• Friday: 8.45-9.15am

We’re looking for volunteers!

Can you spare 30 minutes, once a week to help in the uniform shop?

For more info, contact Miranda: 0402 627 969.