Volume 4

A Prayer for Harmony

Loving God,
We thank You for the wonderful diversity within our school community.
Each person you created is special, unique, and loved by You.

During Harmony Week, help us to live out our school charisms:

Compassion – so we can notice when others need kindness, and respond with open hearts and gentle words.
Forgiveness – so we can let go of hurt, say sorry when we need to, and make room for healing and new beginnings.
Desire for Unity – so we work together as one community, celebrating our different cultures, stories, and gifts.

Fill our school with Your peace.
Teach us to listen carefully, speak kindly, and act with fairness.
May we build friendships that show Your love to everyone we meet.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Harmony Week Assembly

Harmony Week is a celebration of Australia’s rich diversity and the many cultures that contribute to our community. It is also an important occasion for our school, where we value inclusion and belonging.
Tomorrow we will be celebrating Harmony Week. Children are encouraged to come to school wearing orange or cultural dress. Families are warmly invited to attend the morning assembly.

Student Leaders

Congratulations to the following students who have been chosen by their peers and staff to be student leaders this year. During tomorrow’s assembly, our Year 6 Leaders will receive their leadership badges.

Student Representative Council Leader:

Arianna Phiri
Abul Alaak
Taiki Hosking-Tinirau
Emmy Pense
Athie Madit
Raphaela Duenas
Maverick Dumaop

Library Leader:

Elsa McCabe
Lochlain Mellow

Sustainability Leader:

Harry Benedict
Het Patel
Jessica Cronin
Kareesha Pugh

Staffing

Mrs Phillips will be taking planned personal leave from the beginning of Term 2 for the remainder of the school year. We are grateful for the care, energy, and dedication she has brought to the Year 3 classroom so far, and we wish her well during her leave.

While she will no longer be the classroom teacher for the remainder of the year, we will still see her around the school, as she will continue to provide relief teaching when available.

From the start of Term 2, Ms Andrea D’Souza, an experienced and capable teacher, will step into the Year 3 classroom. She brings a strong commitment to student learning and wellbeing, and we are confident she will be a wonderful fit for the class. Ms D’Souza will be visiting the school and Year 3 class tomorrow.

2027 Kindy Enrolments

Is your child turning 4 between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027?

If so, please collect, complete, and return a Kindy application form to the front office as soon as possible. Interviews for kindergarten places have commenced, and several families have already enrolled. We encourage you to apply early.

Pre‑Kindy

We are excited to announce that starting Term 2, we will once again be offering a 3‑Year‑Old Pre‑Kindy program. The program will run on Tuesdays for a full day and is designed to support a smooth transition from home to school, helping children feel happy, confident, and secure. Places are limited. If you are interested in securing a place for your child, please contact the school office.

P&F Dates

Our P&F has had a very busy start to the year, with several community events planned for this semester:

April 1 – Easter Raffle
Ticket books are due back by Friday, March 27. We are also asking families to send in Easter donations for the raffle by the same date.
May 6 & 7 – Mother’s Day Stall
Open before and after school. All items are $5.
June 12 – School Disco

Canteen Orders

When placing Thursday canteen orders, you only need to line up at the canteen if you are paying by EFTPOS. Cash orders can be placed directly into the baskets.

School Commences at 8:25am

Children in Years 1–6 may arrive from 8:00am. Breakfast Club is open from 8:00am, and either Mr Bigwood or I will be on oval duty at this time.

Classrooms open at 8:15am, allowing students time to settle before lessons begin at 8:25am.

Spelling starts each morning at 8:30am, so it is important that students are in class and ready to learn by 8:25am.

Breakfast Program

We are proud to partner with Foodbank to provide breakfast each school day in the Assembly Area from 8:00am to 8:20am for any child who would like something to eat.

A very big thank you to Mrs Harris for coordinating the program, and to Lachlan and Het for their help with serving. We also appreciate our staff for donating food items and volunteering their time on Wednesdays.

School Advisory Council

Office bearers for the School Advisory Council have been finalised for the year, I wish to thank

Yuot Alaak for continuing in the role of Chair, Steve O’Brien as Deputy Chair and Magodi Sakala as Secretary.

In Harmony

Martin Tucker

Principal

SCHOOL TIMES

Start: 8:25am

Finish 3:00pm

Monday - Finish 2:00pm

KINDERGARTEN TIMES

Start 8:25am

Finish 2:45pm

Monday - Finish 2:00pm

BREAKFAST CLUB

Monday to Friday 8:00 - 8:20am

HUNGRY JPs CANTEEN

Thursday Recess & Lunch

MARCH

Mon 16 - Fri 20 - NAPLAN Y3 & Y5
Fri 20 - Harmony Day Assembly
Mon 23 - Collaborative Conferences
Weds 25 - Collaborative Conferences
Fri 27 - Merit Assembly

APRIL

Thurs 2 - Holy Thursday Mass & Last Day of Term 1
Mon 20 - First Day of Term 2

2026 SACRAMENTAL DATES

Sacrament of Confirmation - Key Dates

Sacrament of Confirmation - Sunday 24 May 9.30am
Parent & Child Workshop - Tuesday 28 April 5.00pm

Sacrament of Holy Communion - Key Dates

Sacrament of First Holy Communion - Sunday 7 June 9.30am
Parent & Child Workshop - Tuesday 12 May 5.00pm

Sacrament of Reconciliation - Key Dates

Sacrament of Reconciliation - Friday 20 November 8.45am
Parent & Child Workshop - Tuesday 3 November 5.00pm

If your child is not baptised and you would like them to receive the Sacraments please contact our Parish Office on 6300 3800.

Please note: Students may receive a Sacrament in a different year level if appropriate (e.g., a Year 5 student may celebrate First Eucharist, or a Year 6 student may prepare for Reconciliation).

We look forward to sharing this important moment of faith with you and your child.

PROJECT COMPASSION

This Lent, our school community is invited to be a part of something incredible. Once again, we are called to stand hand in hand with thousands of others across the country and Unite Against Poverty by supporting Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion.

Last year, our school was a part of a nationwide movement that raised over $10 million to bring opportunity and change to vulnerable communities across the world. This year, with your support, we hope to have an even greater impact.

By taking home a Project Compassion donation box this year, you’ll be answering the Gospels’ call to care for our global family and walk alongside the most vulnerable. Your generosity will enable Caritas Australia to provide life-changing support to communities facing poverty, food insecurity, lack of education and water shortages, while building resilience against future challenges.

Together, through faith and action, we can bring hope and opportunity to those most in need.

Please donate today.

You can support Project Compassion 2026 through the donation boxes or by scanning the QR code to donate online.

You can also donate:
Online at: projectcompassion.org.au
By phone at: 1800 024 413

Thank you for standing with us, as we Unite Against Poverty this Lent.

NAPLAN assessments will take place from 11 March until 20 March.

Assessments are given in reading, writing, spelling, grammar & punctuation and numeracy. Students will complete the assessments online, except for the Year 3 Writing assessment, which will be completed on paper. The NAPLAN brochure sent home at the beginning of the term, to the parents of Year 3 and 5 students, gives more information about NAPLAN.

The NAPLAN assessments are one of the methods that schools use to determine the achievement of our students and can support school improvement by enabling teachers to monitor their students’ progress over time against the national measure. It provides additional information to support teacher judgement about improvement in a child’s level of literacy and numeracy.

Teachers will be working with students to ensure they are familiar with the test format, but it is important not to overstate the importance of the tests or to build up anxiety in the children.

In week 8 we will be holding Collaborative Conferences. These Parent-Student-Teacher meetings provide an opportunity for parents, students and teachers to sit together and discuss your child’s progress to date this year; as well as bring up any questions, queries or concerns that either you, your child or the teacher may have.

These Collaborative Conferences are important occasions that help us work together to provide the best possible learning opportunities for your children.

Collaborative Conferences will be held on:

Monday, 23 March from 2:10pm to 6:00pm; and

Wednesday, 25 March from 3:00pm to 5:30pm

If you are unavailable to meet with your child’s teacher on these days and would like to do so, please make alternate arrangements by contacting them.

Bookings are currently open and will close on Friday 20 March at 3pm.

To book click on this link: https://www.schoolinterviews.com/au/code/sncya

or scan the QR code above.