Emmaus Catholic Primary School
Term 3 Week 6 Newsletter: Friday 28 August 2026
An early prayer for Father's Day
Gracious God,
Bless fathers and all father figures with
such love and faithfulness that children
flourish and grow in uprightness and joy.
Bless those who long to be fathers and
those whom this day is difficult.
Amen
As part of our recent Book Week activities at Emmaus, students were asked about their reading habits at home. The responses gave us an important reason to reflect. The majority of students indicated that they read books or stories fewer than three times each week, while many of our younger students shared that their parents do not regularly read to them at all. While we recognise how busy family life can be, these responses provide a timely reminder of just how important regular reading at home remains.
Interestingly, this reflects a broader trend highlighted in a recent 6PR report, which discusses research suggesting that the number of parents reading aloud to their children has reached an all-time low. University of Tasmania Professor of Literacy and Education Robyn Cox acknowledges the very real pressures facing families today, including busy working lives, financial pressures and the demands placed on parents.
Reading together, however, is one of the simplest and most valuable ways families can support a child’s learning. Regular reading builds vocabulary, comprehension and fluency, develops imagination and general knowledge, and helps children develop positive attitudes towards books and reading. The conversations that happen around a story are equally valuable, providing opportunities for children to predict, question, explain and make connections.
Importantly, reading aloud shouldn’t stop once children can read independently. Hearing an adult read exposes children to vocabulary, expression and texts that may be beyond what they can yet comfortably read themselves. Older children also benefit from sharing novels, discussing books or simply seeing the adults around them reading for enjoyment.
Finding time doesn’t need to be complicated. Try making 10–15 minutes of reading part of the daily routine—perhaps before bed. Let your child choose something they are genuinely interested in, take turns reading, talk about the characters and pictures, predict what might happen next, or ask them about their favourite part. For older children, ask about what they are currently reading or consider sharing a novel together.
Above all, try to make reading an enjoyable family experience rather than another homework task. Even a short amount of shared reading each day can send a powerful message: books matter, reading is enjoyable, and reading is something we value beyond the classroom.
This term, our Year 6 Confirmation candidates prepare for their holy Sacrament. Parents, please note these important dates:
CONFIRMATION RETREAT (students only)
When: Tuesday 8 September
Where: At Emmaus CPS
Time: All day; Commences at 9am
What: Mrs Bateman will facilitate the retreat. Students are to wear sport uniform (leavers shirts)
CONFIRMATION WORKSHOPS (parents and students)
When: Wednesday 9 September OR Thursday 10 September
(Parents pre-book with Sacrament Coordinator)
Where: Parish Centre at St Helena of the Holy Cross Parish
Times: 4:00pm OR 5:30pm
What: Mr Harris from CEWA Catechist Services will facilitate an interactive session with parents and children. Note that a brief rehearsal follows the workshop session.
RECONCILIATION BEFORE CONFIRMATION (students only)
When: Wednesday 16 September
Where: At Emmaus CPS
Time: 10am
What: Confirmation candidates receive reconciliation ahead of their Confirmation, facilitated by Fr Bona.
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION (parents and students)
When: Sunday 20 September
Where: St Helena of the Holy Cross Church
Times: 11:30am OR 3pm
(Parents pre-book with Sacrament Coordinator)
For enquiries, please contact Hannah Wager (Sacrament Coordinator): youth@sthelenaellenbrook.com
A SYMPHONY OF STORIES!
What a wonderful week we had celebrating Book Week and our love of stories! Our students and staff embraced the theme “A Symphony of Stories” through a range of exciting experiences.
We enjoyed our Book Parade, where the students proudly dressed up as their favourite book characters and shared in the excitement with the school community. We were also entertained by a fantastic Perform Education incursion, which brought stories to life through music, drama and imagination.
DECORATE A DOOR COMPETITION
The competitive spirit was certainly alive at Emmaus during our Book Week “Decorate a Door” Competition! 🎨🚪 Students and teachers showed incredible creativity (and just a little friendly rivalry!) as they transformed their classroom doors to reflect this year’s theme, “Symphony of Stories.”
A huge congratulations to Year 4, who impressed the judges and took out first prize, with Year 1 Blue close behind in second place!
Take a peek at the amazing doors across the school in the video: Book Week Door Displays.MOV
Well done to all our classes for embracing the fun of Book Week and bringing the magic of stories to life around our school! 📚✨
It was a fantastic celebration of books, imagination and the joy of storytelling! 📖🎶✨
On Friday 21 August, our Year 5 and 6 students were lucky enough to travel to the Regal Theatre to watch Mercedes College’s wonderful production of Beauty and the Beast. The students were amazed by the incredible talent on stage, from the singing and dancing to the impressive costumes and sets. They thoroughly enjoyed being swept away into the magical world of the story and were excited to cheer on the talented performers. It was a fantastic experience and a wonderful opportunity for our students to enjoy live theatre!
On Friday evening, our Emmaus Senior Choir proudly took to the stage at Perth Arena as part of the spectacular One Big Voice event. Surrounded by hundreds of young voices singing together, our students helped create a truly memorable performance. The incredible vocal talent, energy and joy showcased throughout the evening made it a genuine goose-bump experience for everyone in the crowd!
A very special thank you to Mrs Plint, whose weeks and weeks of rehearsals, preparation and encouragement ensured our choir was ready to shine. We are incredibly proud of our Senior Choir members, who rehearsed tirelessly and represented Emmaus with enthusiasm and pride on the night.
Thank you also to the many parents and families who came along to support our performers and share in this special experience, and to Mr Caddy for providing additional assistance throughout the preparation and event.
Congratulations to everyone involved – what a wonderful celebration of music, teamwork and the amazing gifts of our Emmaus students!
See a snippet of the performances here: IMG_0021.MOV
We ask families to please ensure students are wearing the correct Emmaus school uniform each day. Wearing our uniform correctly promotes a sense of pride, belonging and unity within our school community.
A few important reminders:
- Ties are compulsory for all students in Years 1–6 when wearing the formal uniform.
- Uniform shorts and trousers must be the approved Emmaus Uniform Shop items, including the Emmaus embroidery. Similar items purchased from retailers such as Kmart or BIG W are not part of our school uniform.
- Sports shoes must be white or predominantly white running shoes. Black or brightly coloured shoes are not part of the approved sports uniform.
- Only black lace up shoes or strap shoes are part of the formal uniform (not running shoes).
Thank you to our families for supporting these expectations and helping our students wear their Emmaus uniform with pride.
The next newsletter will be issued on Friday 11 September.
Mr Coniglio
Principal