Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the 2025 school year! A new year brings fresh opportunities, and I am excited to begin another school year with all of you. It is with great joy that I share that we have had a smooth and positive start, with students returning with enthusiasm and a great spirit after the holiday break. I want to extend a heartfelt welcome to all our new and returning students, families, and staff members. Our school community is stronger and richer because of the diverse talents, perspectives, and experiences each of you brings. Together, we continue to foster an environment where learning thrives and where every individual is valued and respected.

It has been a great pleasure to welcome our second cohort of Early Learning Centre (ELC) students. It's hard to believe that just one year ago, we were in the hall with our Foundation classes, waiting for the building to be completed. Now, our Foundation class is in kindergarten and has transitioned so smoothly, settling in and engaging with their learning. It's a joy to visit them every day. My heartfelt thanks go to all our Early Years staff members who have worked tirelessly to ensure the transition into ELC and Kindergarten has been seamless.

2025 is shaping up to be a big year for the school, with many community events and projects already in the works. One major project will be formulating our Strategic Plan for 2026-2028 as we approach the end of our current plan. Keep an eye on the Newsletter and Compass for ways to contribute to this important planning process. 

Our new 3/4 Toilets were completed over the holidays, and the students love the new Jet hand dryers, mirrors, and water bottle filling stations in the corridor. We’ve also tidied up the gardens around the BASCA building and completed minor renovations on our 5/6 block. This year, we plan to install an electronic sign at the front of the school, continue garden work around BASCA and Year 1, and update the Sensory Playground, thanks to funds raised in 2024 from our Colour Run. 

Interviewing the Prime Minister

On Wednesday, some of our Year 6 students had the opportunity to work with the Behind The News (BTN) team from the ABC to brainstorm questions they, as young Australians, wanted to ask the Prime Minister of Australia. They were fortunate enough to visit Parliament House on Wednesday to meet Mr Albanese, have a behind-the-scenes tour of his office, and conduct a press conference where they asked him some hard-hitting questions about environmental policy, the influence of Donald Trump, balancing his time as PM and world peace. My thanks go to the team from the ABC and the Prime Minister’s office for making this opportunity possible it is something the students will forever remember. The BTN episode will be apart of Tuesday’s show next week. You can find it here BTN - Behind The News.

Year Level Coordinators

This year, we will do more to promote the role of our Year-Level Coordinators to the community. Their role is to assist the grade-level teaching teams and offer support to staff and parents with communication, behaviour expectations, and extracurricular activities. While the stage coordinator can be contacted directly or cc’d in any emails to teachers, we ask that all initial communication go through the classroom teacher. Below are our Grade-Level Coordinators:

Kinder – Jeremy Stevens jeremy.stevens@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 1 - Lauren Macdonald lauren.macdonald@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 2 - Annie Mcarthur annie.mcarthur@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 3 - Lauren Macdonald lauren.macdonald@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 4 - Sharee Thomas sharee.thomas@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 5 - Jeremy Stevens jeremy.stevens@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 6 - Sharee Thomas sharee.thomas@cg.catholic.edu.au

Specialists (Music, STEM & Library)- Sean Rutledge sean.rutledge@cg.catholic.edu.au

PIN Night

This is a reminder that our Parent Information Night for 2025 is on Monday night. As a school community, you can visit classrooms, meet your child’s teacher and enjoy a BBQ dinner on the Hardtop. Further information, including information on registering for catering purposes, is available on Compass.

Blessings and best wishes,
Sean Rutledge
Principal

Yuma and welcome to the Jubilee Year; a year of renewal and new beginnings!

The theme for this year, chosen by Pope Francis, is ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’

“Hope does not disappoint,” the Holy Father said, urging the faithful to rediscover the value of pilgrimage and uncover the signs of hope by getting involved in Works of Mercy.

“In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and outcome of good things to come.”

Traditionally, a Jubilee year is proclaimed after every 50 years. It is an economic, cultural, environmental and communal reset, when the land and people rest. In biblical times, this was a year of releasing people from their debts, releasing all slaves and returning property to those who owned it. This year was fully dedicated to rest. During this year, the Israelites were not supposed to reap or harvest; it was a time for people to spend quality time with their families and loved ones.

The essence of Jubilee is God’s inspired vision to interrupt the status quo .It’s a reset  embedded in the way of life for God’s redeemed and liberated people, emphasising the relationships between humanity, creation and God.

 Within the reality of our life today in a world of broken relationships, Jubilee is an expression of God’s desire for all of creation to flourish. It is radical,  countercultural and it is prophetic – then and now. It is a model for a community living well so that they can thrive both as individuals and as a community,  in so doing, shine as a light to the rest of the world.

This year we have been invited to embark on a journey of faith and transformation. Over the year I will be sharing ways in which you and your family can be Pilgrims of Hope. This week I will share The Jubilee Prayer and hope that you will pray it as a family across the week and into the year.  

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.
Amen

SACRAMENTS for 2025

Once again this year we will celebrate the Sacraments in the following years:

Confirmation (Term 2) - Year 6

Eucharist (Term 3) - Year 5

Reconciliation (Term 4) - Year 4

Early next week, parents with students in those grades will receive information about the enrolment process and key dates. ALL CHILDREN who wish to receive a Sacrament in 2025 will need to enrol in TERM 1. 

SAVE THE DATE - OPENING AND LEADERSHIP MASS - 9:30AM WEDNESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY @HOLY FAMILY CHURCH 

Our Opening School and Leadership Mass where all Year 6 will receive their badges will occur on Wednesday 19th February at 9:30am at Holy Family Church Gowrie. All children (except Kinder who will be on their last rest day) will catch buses across to the Parish Church. The SRC students and Choir members will also be given their badges at this mass. We welcome all Year 6 parents and families as well as those from the SRC (you will receive a notification if your child is their class SRC nomination) and Choir to attend this mass.

Class Masses

This year classes will once again be rostered to attend the local Parish Mass on Wednesday morning's at 9:30am. We would love to see families come along to this Parish Mass if they are able. All Parish Masses are held in the 'little church' across the ring-road and are a wonderful, intimate opportunity for prayer and sharing the Eucharist. 

If I can be of ANY assistance during the year, please do not hesitate to contact me at school or via email.

Have a great week!

Sharee Thomas

This year we are once again using The Resilience Project in our school to support student well-being and mental health. Attached is a flyer explaining TRP and why it is so important for EVERYONE in our community to have positive mental health strategies to prevent mental ill-health and build our capacity to deal with adversity.

As part of the school TRP Program, we also have access to The Parent HUB. This hub will introduce you to the program and the TRP GEM principles, as well as links to research, additional resources, and well-being activities for families to try at home. It provides tools to support you to engage in the program that your children will be involved in through their weekly lessons at school.  

The Hub can be accessed via this secure link (or through the QR Code below), with no account setup or login required: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2025-parent-carer-hub-inspire-3/

Why?

The Resilience Project works with parents and carers in the school community, not only because well-being is relevant to you too, but because it helps to build the school-home connection. Families will be introduced to the key concepts of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness & Emotional Literacy, and the benefits of regularly practising these.

We have many exciting events planed for our community in conjunction with TRP for 2025 so please watch this space!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me here at school or via email.

Thank you!

Sharee Thomas (REC)

sharee.thomas@cg.catholic.edu.au 

The StFA Podcast is back again in 2025. We are currently reviewing processes to work out how often we can bring you the podcast, how long it goes for and what content we cover this year. As part of making the podcast the best it can be, we ask for your feedback. If you have a minute or two to fill in this feedback form letting us know what you are interested in hearing, it would be much appreciated. 

https://forms.office.com/r/Yy3JXuCCNj

We look forward to being on the air soon.

Just a quick reminder to contact the front office via email and/or phone to update your child's medication records if there have been any changes recently. Please also take a moment to review any medical action plans to ensure they are current. It's important we stay on top of these to provide the best care for our Students.

Thank you for your attention to this!