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- From the Principal - Mrs Katie Browne
- From the Assistant Principal - Mr Simon Farrugia
- From the REC - Ms Catherine du Bois
- From the School Office
- Calendar Overview
- P&F News
- 2025 Term Dates and Pupil Free Days
- Road Safety 2025
- Moss Vale Show First Prize
- Caritas Australia
- May is National Family Reading Month
- Awards
- SEL Focus - Week 8 and 9
- Canteen for Term 1 - Thursdays only
- Community News
Dear Families,
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Last week saw the Harmony Day celebrations and the school Trivia Night. Harmony day was a celebration of our unique school community. We are fortunate to have students with many and varied cultural backgrounds. Seeing the children dressed in Australian attire or clothes reflecting their family culture was wonderful. Harmony day celebrated that we are a welcoming and inclusive community that aspires to growth in faith, learning and wellbeing for our students.
The school Trivia Night was a huge success. The Year 6 mums are to be congratulated for the tireless work they did to ensure a wonderful evening was had by all. Thank you to the sponsors and raffle prize donors. It was clear from the hum of conversation and smiles on faces that a night out was what everyone needed. It is events like these that help to co-create our Catholic community.
This term is racing ahead. In Week 11 Families from Year 1 - 6 will have the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher to check in on their progress. We will be holding the School Cross country on Tuesday of the same week. NAPLAN is now finished and we await the result later this year which will assist us with our planning.
God Bless,
Katie Browne
Principal
Emergency Procedures Practices
We have completed our practices. It is necessary that we practise these procedures so we are prepared if we are required to hold any of them due to a critical incident. The children were prepared for the practices by their teachers and provided a debrief following the practices, however there is always some element of surprise to ensure that the children know what it feels like should we be in the unfortunate situation where we do actually have to call an emergency evacuation or lockdown.
Years 1-6 Parent/Teacher Interviews
This year, we will be holding our Semester 1 interviews during Week 11 Term 1 (7 April - 11 April). This gives you an opportunity to discuss your child’s academic progress so far in 2025. It is often a good opportunity to discuss some goals for your child with their teacher as they move into Term 2.
Years 5 & 6 will also involve the student in this interview process. We are inviting your child (if they are in Year 5 or 6 to attend these interviews with you and be a part of the discussions involving their educational journey. A three-way interview actively involves parents, students and teachers in reflecting on student progress and setting future goals/targets. A three-way interview acknowledges the most important participants in the learning process – student, teacher and parent.
Interview time slots will be available for booking in the coming days.
Cross Country
Our Cross Country carnival will be held on Tuesday 8th April on the school grounds.
Sports uniform is to be worn on the day, however students may wear a t-shirt the same colour as their colour house if they wish.
Parents are welcome to attend. We are looking for volunteers to assist with marshalling on the day. If you are able to help, please let the office know.
Students need to bring their school hat and sunscreen. Students may bring a rug/tarp to sit on, plenty of food for lunch and afternoon tea, as well as plenty to drink.
There will be a coffee van onsite for adults to utilise - students are not permitted at the coffee van.
Sacramental Program: Reconciliation
The First Reconciliation program is well underway.
Classes will be held on Sundays only: 16th, 23rd, 30th March & 6th April. Weekend Mass attendance is also required.
Thank you
Catherine du Bois
Religious Education Coordinator
Contact details
It is important that your contact details are up to date. It would be appreciated if you could log onto the Compass Parent Portal and check that your mobile/telephone number and email address are correct.
If you find that they are incorrect, you may update them in the portal.
Please also check that your email address is reachable, we sometimes find that we receive ‘bounce backs’ due full inboxes.
School Fees
School fee statements have been issued. Payment of fees is by BPay, Compass Portal or at the office. Fees can be paid by instalments – weekly, fortnightly, termly or via a lump sum. The necessary form would need to be completed ASAP and returned to the school office.
From the commencement of the 2025 school year, the management of certain aspects relating to school fee accounts in Primary Schools has been transferred to the School Fees Liaison Office at the Catholic Education in Wollongong.
What does this mean for families:
- Your school’s administration office is your first place for enquiry regarding school fees. School staff will provide information regarding instalments, methods of payment, giving access to an Application for Fee Concession and attend to other general enquiries.
- If you are experiencing financial difficulty or need to make an arrangement for payment of your school fee account, please email sflo@dow.catholic.edu.au with your name and the school in which your children are enrolled. The School Fees Liaison Office will then contact you directly to offer assistance.
- Please note that each school has a dedicated School Fees Liaison Officer to provide a personalised service to individual families. This Officer will also have a close relationship with your school.
If you require further information about this initiative, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
Injuries
If you child sustains an injury outside of school eg broken arm / leg and they have a cast/sling etc the office must be informed and a letter from the Doctor / ED report must be given to the office so that a risk assessment and care plan can be done for the student.
Only medication that is prescribed by a doctor is permitted to be dispensed at School upon completion of a “Consent to Dispense Medication” form which is available from the office. The form and the medication are to be given to the office staff in the original packaging with the student’s name and dosage. We are not permitted to administer Panadol unless prescribed by a doctor and the necessary form completed. Thank you for your cooperation with this.
If your child is Asthmatic or Anaphylactic please ensure the necessary plan has been forwarded to the office along with any medication so that it can be processed. We also need a "Consent to Dispense Medication" form to be completed.
Please see below the calendar overview for Term 1 2025:
| Week 9 |
Wednesday 26 March - Book Club Orders Close off Friday 28 March - Gymnastics K to 6 Friday 28 March - Western Region Football Trials (Good luck James, Henry and Aaliyah) Friday 28 March - Mackillop Hockey (Good luck Scout) |
| Week 10 |
Monday 31 March - Easter Egg Raffle ticket sales close today Wednesday 2 April - McKillop Swimming Trials (Good Luck Henry) Thursday 3 April - Assembly at 2:15pm - Easter raffle prizes handed out Friday 4 April - Gymnastics K to 6 Saturday 5 April - Brigadoon |
| Week 11 |
Tuesday 8 April - Cross Country Carnival K to 6 - 9:30am Start Friday 11 April - Gymnastics K to 6 Friday 11 April - Last Day of Term 1 |
Trivia night thank you
Easter Raffle
We are running the annual Easter Raffle again this year.
We are raising much needed funds to put shade over the prayer garden.
Tickets are $2 each. Please purchase these via the Spriggy App.
Ticket sales close on Monday 31st March.
Prizes will be handed out at the assembly in Week 10 on Thursday 3rd April.
When purchasing for multiple students please check that you have selected each individual child and their year so they can be entered into the correct class draw.
Tesselaar Bulb Fundraiser
This year we will again be doing the successful Tesselaar Bulb Fundraiser! Catalogues have been sent home. We are trying to raise money for shade to be installed above the prayer garden in the playground.
Orders can be placed by clicking on this link:
Please place orders by 11/4/25
Brigadoon
Why? Because we get paid! Our school receives a percentage of the funds raised during the event. The amount is based on the number of volunteers we can provide.
| Term 2 | 28 April - July 4 |
| 28 April - Pupil Free Day | |
| 29 April - Students Return | |
| 10 June - Pupil Free Day | |
| Term 3 | 21 July - 26 September |
| 21 July - Pupil Free Day | |
| 22 July - Students Return | |
| Term 4 | 13 October - 19 December |
| 13 October - Pupil Free Day | |
| 14 October - Students Return | |
| 18 December - Last Day for Students | |
| 19 December - Pupil Free Day |
*These are provisional dates and are subject to change
As part of our Road Safety focus, please see attached brochure on Bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters.
Congratulations to Year 6 who came First Place at the Moss Vale show for their Prayer Mat under the category of Junior Handcrafts, Class Project Year 5-6!
Well done Year 6, Mrs Ponticello and Mrs McAndrew.
Cans for Caritas & Project Compassion
Our Mini Vinnies have been working hard to support Project Compassion through their Cans for Caritas initiative. Students have been generously donating cans to help raise funds for those in need, and their dedication is truly inspiring! In just two weeks, we have already raised $50 simply by recycling juice poppers and cans contributed by students.
Thank you for your generous donations so far towards our Project Compassion boxes! Each class has a donation box, and students are encouraged to bring monetary contributions each week. Every donation, big or small, makes a meaningful impact in supporting those in need. Let’s continue working together to make a difference!
NATIONAL FAMILY READING MONTH is an initiative that represents the heart of our business— literacy being the key to learning and achievement. We believe that all children, with the help of their families and reading role models, can benefit from a lifelong love of reading.
This year marks the 29th Scholastic’s National Family Reading Month (NFRM), which encourages families to read together on a regular basis to create strong reading habits. Most of us know how important reading together is and its long-term value to our children’s success in school and in life. However, we also know it is not always that easy to put into practice with our busy schedules and increasing competition with screen time.
That is why we ask you to take the 31-Day Challenge— to inspire you to make reading together for at least 10 minutes every day a focus, to create positive, long-lasting reading habits and lifelong readers!
NFRM will launch on, THURSDAY 1ST OF MAY 2025, AT 11AM AEST AND 1PM NZST where it will be livestreamed all across Australia and New Zealand via Facebook and YouTube. Mr Luke will read his book Guess What We Are Doing Today? together with illustrator Chris Kennett and kick off the 31-Day Challenge, as we
READ EVERY DAY! READ MORE IN MAY!
You are invited to go to our website to download more assets and join the 31-Day Reading Challenge with us. Visit scholastic.com.au/
Let’s encourage the 31-Day Reading Challenge and celebrate National Family Reading Month together!
Congratulations to the following students who were awarded the Principal's Award in Week 8
| Kindergarten | George | Edwards |
| Year 1 | Opal | Lee |
| Year 2 | Sahas | Basnet |
| Year 3 | Izabella | Russell |
| Year 4 | Grace | Desborough |
| Year 5 | Henry | Simpson |
| Year 6 | Summer | Cuttriss |
Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Merit Award in Week 8
| Kindergarten | Benjamin | Barton |
| Year 1 | Xaviar | Robles |
| Year 2 | Zoe | Barton |
| Year 3 | Grace | Gawthorne |
| Year 4 | Dowa | Banda |
| Year 5 | Oliver | Day |
| Year 6 | Cruz | Fortier-Di Rosa |
Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Mission Star Award in Week 8
| Kindergarten | Zachary | Horenko |
| Year 1 | Samriddhi | Pokharel |
| Year 2 | Esra | Anderson |
| Year 3 | Patrick | Grange |
| Year 4 | Kellie | Lopez |
| Year 5 | Angela | Lin |
| Year 6 | Sophia | De Michiel-Worgan |
Having a Conversation
Social Awareness
- Look at the person.
- Use a pleasant voice.
- Listen to what the other person says,
- When there is a break in the conversation, ask a question or share your thoughts.
We we have a company called Lunch Bunch Canteens who will be fulfilling our lunch orders each Thursday only.
Please find the menu below and how to order details.
Upcoming Open Day at Chevalier College
We warmly invite families to attend our upcoming Open Day on Saturday 29th March. Open Day is a wonderful opportunity to explore our 100-acre campus and discover everything Chevalier College has to offer, including the key learning areas, extracurricular sports and activities, the working farm, visual and performing arts, and visitors will get the opportunity to enjoy some great hospitality from our student-run Jules café. Tours are led by the students so you and your family can ask any questions and get a feel for day to day life at Chev.
- Principal Talk from Greg Miller will take place at 11.00am in the John Fahey Centre.
To register for Open Day, please click here
Applications for 2027
For families with students currently in Year 5, now is the time to apply for enrolment at Chevalier for Year 7 2027. Applications are due by 1 June 2025. With a healthy level of interest in this year group, we want to ensure our Catholic families are not missing out.
League Stars Holiday Clinic - April School Holidays
St Paul's International Festival
