Mothers Day
Mother’s Day will be celebrated this coming Sunday, a time when we celebrate the special part Mothers and Grandmothers play in all our lives.
‘Mothers are the sweetest gift from God, to us’.
There is no way we can ever really thank our Mothers for all they do for us, nevertheless we must make it a habit to keep reminding ourselves of the various sacrifices they make and the abundant and limitless love our Mothers give.
On behalf of the school, I take this opportunity to wish all the Mother’s and Grandma’s of the school a Happy Mother’s Day. I hope you have a very enjoyable and relaxing day and that you receive all of the love and spoils you deserve.
During the week the students have had the wonderful opportunity to visit the ‘Mother’s Day Stall’ and to pick a special gift or two to surprise their mums with. I sincerely thank the P&F for all of their hard work in organising this and enabling the students to purchase a secret something for this Sunday.
The Mother’s Day Stall will also be open on Friday 12 May, for 3-Year-Old Kindy and for the students who missed out on Tuesday.
Feast Day
On Wednesday the whole school community had a fantastic day celebrating its St Damien’s Feast Day. The day began with students celebrating in a Feast Day Mass, followed up by engaging in some ‘Buddy Art Activities’ throughout the school. All students received a special treat of a sausage sizzle from the school, as well as the P&F providing an icy-pole and popcorn to celebrate the day. Thank you goes to all of the staff and the P&F for contributing to making this day a special celebration for all of the students.
First Holy Communion
On Tuesday evening, Year 4 students and their parent(s) attended the First Holy Communion information and faith formation session, in the parish. To begin the session, all families celebrated in a Mass, followed by some information regarding the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, facilitated by Mr Hazebroek. I thank all of the families who were in attendance, as well as Mr Hazebroek, Fr Chris and the classroom teachers for assisting in the running of this session.
Extra-Long Weekend Approaching
A reminder to parents that the school will have additional closure days attached to the June long weekend, in a couple of weeks’ time. The school will be closed on Friday 2 June, with students returning on Wednesday 7 June. I hope all families enjoy the extended long weekend break.
Indigenous Classroom Names
Last Friday, the school officailly launched the Indigenous names for each of the classrooms, during the Friday morning assembly. To accompany this, each class was given a mascot to display in rooms, as part of the launch. Thanks goes to Mrs Cross and Miss Harman for all of their work over the past few months organinsing this initiative across the school.
Book Fair
The Scholastic ‘Book Fair’ begun this week, where students and families will get the opportunity to purchase some fantastic books to read. Parents can purchase items before and after school in the library from Tuesday 9 May to Wednesday 17 May.
PSSA Sports
PSSA sport begins this Friday 12 May, for all students in Years 5 and 6. The students compete against Ocean Road Primary School, with all games beginning at 1:40pm, at the following locations:
· Netball A & B (Ocean Road PS), C Division (St Damien’s CPS)
· Soccer (Ocean Road PS)
· AFL (St Damien’s CPS)
· Volleyball (St Damien’s CPS)
· Hockey (Ocean Road PS)
New PSSA Uniforms
Our new PSSA sports uniforms have arrived, and they look fantastic. After a few months of planning and waiting for delivery, our new uniforms are ready to be used at tomorrow’s PSSA Winter Sports fixture. Thank you to Miss Sanders for all of her work in organising these new uniforms.
Walk Safely to School Day - 19 May
Friday 19 May is National Walk Safely to School Day, which is a community initiative that aims to raise awareness of the health, road safety, transport and environmental benefits that regular walking (especially to and from school) can provide for the long-term well-being of our children.
To support this event, we are encouraging all families, where possible, to walk to school. For students who live too far from school to walk, we have dedicated 3 locations where students and parents can meet with staff and walk safely to school. More information regarding this will be shared in the coming days.
Enrolments
The enrolment period has begun for students beginning in 4-Year-Old Kindergarten for 2024. If you have a child who is eligible to begin 4-Year-Old Kindergarten next year, please ensure you complete and submit an enrolment form to the school office as soon as possible.
If you have any questions regarding the enrolment process of the school, please contact the office on 9583 2500.
Dr Justin Coulson Parent Presentation
Last night parents got the opportunity to attend a workshop, hosted by guest speak Dr Justin Coulson. Feedback from the session was that it was very informative and gave some excellent strategies and ideas for parents to use, as they navigate the important and complex task of raising their children. Prior to the parent session, the school staff attended a workshop with Dr Coulson, which focussed on the theme of the ‘emotionally Intelligent Teacher’. I thank the parents and staff who were able to attend the sessions and hope the workshops provided worthwhile information and ideas.
Assembly
This Friday the 12 May, we have a whole school assembly in the hall, beginning at 8:45am. During the assembly, the Year 5 class will be presenting an item as well as Principal’s Certificates being presented to the deserved students for their efforts and hard work over the term. All parents are welcome to join us for the assembly.
School Calendar
Parents are encouraged to visit the school’s term planner on a regular basis to ensure you are informed about upcoming events during the year. The term planner can be accessed by clicking on the following link: School Events Calendar
Principal Awards
Over the past week some students have been sent to my office to receive a Principal’s Award for completing some exceptional work. I congratulate Matilda Summerskill, Jasmine Frost, Heidi Farrant and Xander Rees from Year 1 Gold, for their great work in Writing; and Imogen McKenzie, Rose Wozniuk, Amberlee Banfield, Darcy Brown, Lucy Muletta, Hayley Jensen, Benjamin Gillan, Jesse Spencer, Riley Blair, Brianna McStay, Louisse Stanley, Chloe Butler, Izzabelle Franklin, Ben Divine and Louie Heap, from Year 6 Gold, for their fantastic efforts in Mathematics. Well done and keep up the great work!
God Bless,
Daniel Gooch
Principal
