“Prayer is the breath of faith.” – Pope Francis
Our school community holds Pope Francis in our thoughts and prayers as he faces illness. Throughout his papacy, he has been a source of wisdom, compassion, and faith, continually reminding us of the power of prayer and unity.

Taking his name from St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis has always had a special connection to school communities such as ours; providing service to those in rural areas inspired to service. As a Catholic school, we are called to support one another in prayer, especially in times of need. We invite you to join us in praying for Pope Francis' health and strength, asking God to grant him comfort and healing. May our prayers bring him peace, just as his words and actions have inspired millions around the world.

Assemblies
Each term we hold three assemblies to showcase learning, share success with our Merit awards and present information to our school community. Selected students from each grade also received a merit award. Please keep an eye out for upcoming assemblies on the parent Compass calendar. Next week Year 5 are hosting assembly on Friday 14 March at 2pm.

COMPASS Parent calendar
Most parents are now using the COMPASS calendar with ease. Please keep an eye out for upcoming events.  If you are having any difficulties accessing it, please inform your child's teacher and/or ask at the front office. 

ATTENDANCE Matters!
Did you know that if a student misses as little as eight days in a school term, by the end of primary school they will have missed over a year of education? 

Education for your child is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options. Our goal is to improve attendance rates and reduce unexplained absences. To assist with this initiative we have set up a reminder email to come out from COMPASS to you as parents if your child is away. This provides an explained absence on your child’s attendance explaining if they are unwell, or you are travelling to a sporting event for example. 

The Importance of Arriving On Time & not leaving early
Student learning is more successful when students are present consistently for the whole school day. Students who arrive “just a few minutes late...” miss out on vital information on the day ahead, doesn’t impact their routine and gives students time to socialise with their friends before class starts. This also applies for leaving early. Often our last session each day are a child’s favourite subject eg art, sport or science. These subjects provide scope for the development of life long skills and building of peer relationships so we want students to be involved in these as well. 

Extended Leave
We recognise there are circumstances where students may need extended leave from school. Parents must seek permission from the Principal for their child or children to travel during school term for periods of time. Travel is considered to be domestic or international travel for the purpose of a family holiday, family business, bereavement or other reasons. Please send a note addressed to the Principal requesting the period of leave.

Legislation requires approval from the Principal and/or CECG if parents or carers wish to take their child out of school for longer periods of time of over 25 days or more. A form (available from the school front office) must be completed and returned for Principal approval prior to leave.

NAPLAN
Next Wednesday NAPLAN assessments begin for Year 3 and Year 5 students. A reminder that these assessments are a snapshot of what your child can do across various domains of literacy and numeracy. These assessments will be held in the mornings so please make sure your child arrives at school on time prior to the bell.

Below is the NAPLAN timetable:

Games Club
Each Thursday & Friday during the second break, we have Lego & Puzzle Club upstairs next to Year 6 for those students who would like some quiet time to build, construct off the playground. If you do have some spare puzzles or lego at home that your children may have outgrown and you would like it to go to a new home, please let us know and we will definitely welcome donations. All students are welcome to join Mr Ziino to build Lego and play cards/board games. If you think your child would benefit from attending but are concerned that he/she may not come on their own, please let us know. We will encourage students to join us.