2026 Newsletter 7

Dear Parents and Families,

What a busy and rewarding end to Term 2 we have had! It has been wonderful to see our students embracing every opportunity with enthusiasm, faith and a love of learning.

A special congratulations to our Year 6 students who recently celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation. This significant milestone marks an important step in their Catholic journey as they publicly affirm their commitment to living their faith. We thank Father Jude, our parish community and our families for supporting our students throughout their preparation for this special occasion.

Another exciting highlight this term was our school being selected as the face of Catholic Mission. Filming took place on Wednesday, with many of our students proudly sharing their connection to their faith alongside Father Jude. We look forward to seeing the finished production and celebrating this wonderful opportunity to showcase our vibrant school community.

Swimming has also been a fantastic addition to our curriculum over the past fortnight. A heartfelt thank you to our families for the behind-the-scenes organisation involved in ensuring students arrived prepared each day. It has been wonderful to see so many smiling faces at the pool as students have developed their confidence, skills and enjoyment in the water.

Behind the scenes, our teachers have been working tirelessly to analyse student data, celebrate learning growth and prepare Semester One reports. These reports reflect each student's progress and achievements throughout the first half of the year. We encourage families to take the time to celebrate your child's successes and discuss the goals identified for Semester Two as we continue working together to support every learner.

As we come to the end of another successful term, I would like to sincerely thank our dedicated staff, supportive families and, most importantly, our incredible students for making our school such a positive and welcoming place to learn. We thank our Year 6 teacher, Marcia, for her support of her Year 6 students in the first half of this year. We wish her well as she returns to Darwin to support family. We welcome Madison Scarnegie at the beginning of Term 3 as she takes over Marcia's classroom and joins our community.

We wish everyone a safe, restful and enjoyable holiday break and look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for another exciting term of learning.

Warm Regards,
Michelle

📅 Term 3 Important Dates

July:

July 14 (Tue): Term 3 Starts - ⏰ School starts at 8:50 ⏰
July 19 & 26 (Fri): TK Tuckshop – Order via Spriggy before 8:00 AM.
July 20 - 22 (Mon - Wed): 🦷 Teeth on Wheels Dental Visit
July 21 (Tue): Year 1 Excursion - Animal Land 🚜 (Please ensure permission notes are completed on the compass app)
July 24 (Fri): Year 2 Excursion - Scienceworks 🤖 (Please ensure permission notes are completed on the compass app)
July 29 (Wed): Year 6 Excursion - Puffing Billing 🚂 (Please ensure permission notes are completed on the compass app)
August 5 (Wed): COMPULSORY First Eucharist Family Workshop (5:30 PM - 7:00 PM).
August 7 (Fri): 100 Days of Prep
August 7, 14, 21, 28 (Fri): TK Tuckshop – Order via Spriggy before 8:00 AM.
August 10 (Mon): Learning Conversations - Student Free Day
August 10 (Mon): Year 5 - Fitting and Sizing for Graduation Jerseys
August 13 (Thu): District Athletics
August 17 (Mon): Book Week Parade
August 22 (Sat): Sacrament of First Eucharist (10:30 AM - 11:30 AM)

Looking Ahead

September 4 (Fri): Father’s Day Event
September 9 (Wed): SFA ART SHOW
September 18 (Fri): 🛑 End of Term 3: Students finish early at 12:00 PM - Footy Colours Day & Hot Dog Lunch

📢 IMPORTANT NOTICE

Late Pick Up Fee Implementation!

Due to a significant increase in the number of students being picked up late after 3:20 PM, we are implementing a formal late collection fee for any students not booked into After School Care.

Starting from Term 3, a fee of $10 per minute will apply to any student who has not been collected by 3:30 PM. This charge is strictly payable by the parent or carer at the time of the late pickup.

💡 How to avoid this fee: We strongly encourage all families to proactively register their children with Extend (https://www.extend.com.au/), our Out of Hours School Care program, so an alternative is always available if you are running late.

We appreciate your cooperation and promptness in ensuring all students are collected safely and on time at the end of the day.

🔔 Learning Starts at 8:50am.

To ensure students are settled and ready for learning, teachers mark the roll promptly at 8:50am when the bell rings. We kindly ask families to have children arrive earlier to allow time to reach classrooms, organise belongings, and prepare for the day ahead.

⏱️ Late Arrivals

Drop-off: Any cars that have not crossed the pedestrian crossing by 8:50am will be required to park, and parents or carers will need to accompany their child to the office to sign in.
Late Arrivals: All Students arriving after 8:50am MUST be signed in at the office by a parent or carer. Students are not permitted to sign themselves in.

⏱️ Early Pick Ups

Please be advised that the school office is unable to facilitate student pick-ups during the following break times:

Lunch: 11:10 am – 11:40 am
Snack: 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Due to the large number of students in open play areas, opening the gates during these times is a child safety risk. To ensure a smooth transition, please arrange all early departures before or after these periods.

Please note: Pick ups after 3:00pm are NOT permitted.

🔔 Dismissal - School finishes strictly at 3:20pm.

A reminder that school pick-up is strictly at 3:20pm. We strongly recommend all families to register with Extend, our OSHC provider to assist in unforeseen circumstances where you may be delayed in collecting your child.

💦 Making a Splash: School Swimming Program Wrap-Up!

Our students have officially wrapped up their school swimming program, and we could not be prouder of their incredible efforts and achievements! Throughout the intensive program, everyone dived in with enthusiasm, working hard to build both their water safety knowledge and swimming skills.

From mastering body positioning and breathing techniques to perfecting their strokes and floating, our students truly challenged themselves. It was fantastic to watch their confidence soar and see their determination pay off with steady progress session after session. ✨

Of course, a major highlight was the fun games at the end of each lesson! These activities were a rewarding way to celebrate their hard work while building teamwork and a lifelong love for the water.

A huge thank you to our wonderful swimming instructors for their expertise and encouragement, and a massive congratulations to all students for their positive attitudes and excellent participation! 🎉🙌

🌱 School Garden Update: Winter Crops Are Sprouting! 🥕

The school garden has been a hub of activity this term! Our hardworking Year 3, 4, and 6 students have been busy getting their hands dirty to prepare our garden beds for the chilly season—weeding, turning the soil, and setting up the perfect environment for new life to thrive.

Thanks to their green thumbs, we now have a fantastic variety of winter vegetables tucked into the soil, including:

🧅 Spring onions & radishes
🥕 Carrots & beetroot
🥬 Bok choy & broad beans

Through these hands-on experiences, students are absolutely loving the chance to explore sustainable food production while growing their gardening skills. We can’t wait to watch these crops flourish and look forward to sharing a delicious winter harvest with our school community in the coming months! 🌿✨

✝️ **Congratulations to our Newly Confirmed Year 6 Students!**

A massive congratulations to our wonderful Year 6 students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation! Bishop Martin and Fr Jude were incredibly impressed by the deep reverence and maturity our students showed throughout the ceremony.
It was absolutely wonderful to see so many families come together to celebrate this beautiful faith milestone. Thank you to everyone who joined us to support our candidates, as well as the students who came along to receive a special blessing. We are so proud of you all!

**Sacrament of First Eucharist** 🕊️

A big thank you to all our Year 4 families who have already responded to the First Eucharist note via Compass! If you haven't had a chance yet, please submit your response as soon as possible.
As our Year 4 communicants begin their preparation for this special milestone, we ask our school community to please keep them in your prayers. They will be celebrating the Sacrament of First Eucharist on **Saturday, 22nd August at 10:30 AM** at St James the Apostle Catholic Church.

**🎥 MACS Faith in Action: Lights, Camera, Faith! ✨**

There was a massive buzz of excitement across the school this Wednesday! We were thrilled to welcome Fr Jude and Fr Furdernand from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) to film and celebrate some of the incredible *Faith in Action* happening here at our school.
A huge thank you to all the parents who returned permission forms so their children could take part in the filming. We can't wait to share the final video with you—stay tuned for updates on the official launch! 🎬

🎮Esports Lunch Club!

We are thrilled to launch our Esports Lunch Club! This exciting program brings students together for some friendly competition, turning gaming into a powerful tool for social and personal growth.

Through team-based gaming and structured activities, students collaborate to conquer challenges—building crucial skills that translate directly to classroom success. In this club, participants will:

Level up teamwork: Work seamlessly with peers to achieve shared goals.
Connect and communicate: Sharpen real-time communication and strategy.
Think critically: Develop sharp problem-solving and tactical thinking skills.
Play with honor: Practice great sportsmanship and positive digital citizenship.
Grow stronger: Build confidence, resilience, and collaborative skills.

The Esports Lunch Club offers a safe, inclusive, and encouraging space where students can connect, challenge themselves, and build lasting life skills—all while having a blast.

📋 Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs): Coming Home in Term 3📋

At the beginning of Term 3, your child’s updated Personalised Learning Plan (PLP) will be printed and sent home. These documents provide a wonderful snapshot of your child's growth, featuring a review of their Term 2 goals alongside a clear outline of their new focus areas and goals for Term 3.

Action Required: ✍️ Please take some time to carefully review the plan with your child. For our school records, we kindly ask all families to sign the document and return it to school as soon as possible to acknowledge you have received it.