Walk Safely to School Day
This Friday 19 May is National Walk Safely to School Day. Correspondence was sent out to families on Wednesday, via SEQTA, informing parents how the school is going 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 some staff and walk safely to school, which are as follows:
· Florida Beach Carpark (900 metres – 15 minute walk)
· Florida Park (700 metre walk – 10 minutes)
· Dawesville War Memorial (1 km – 20 minute walk)
For those families meeting at one of the above locations, the walk back to school will begin at 8:10am (sharp), where parents must accompany their own child/children.
This event is completely optional for families to participate in. The weather looks great for an early morning walk to school.

National Simultaneous Reading Day
Next Wednesday 24 May is ‘Simultaneous Storytime’. National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country.
This year the students will hear the story, ‘The Speedy Sloth,’ written by Rebecca Young. All students will gather in the hall at 11:00am to listen to the broadcast of this great story.

PSSA Sports
Last Friday our St Damien’s teams had a very competitive day, competing against Ocean Road Primary School in the sports of hockey, netball, soccer, volleyball and football. Once again, all of our students are to congratulated for the way they played the games in a truly fair and competitive manner.
Our next fixture is a home game against Falcon Primary School on Friday 9 June.
NAPLAN Science
Next Tuesday 23 May, a selected number of Year 6 students will be sitting a pilot NAPLAN Science Assessment, as part of the National Assessment schedule being trialed this year. The participating students have been randomly selected by ACARA to sit the assessment. We wish them the very best.
5-A-Side Soccer
Next Thursday 25 May, a number of students from Year 3 will be participating in the 5-A-Side Soccer carnival. This is a great opportunity for the students to compete against other schools in a friendly and fun atmosphere. We hope they all love the experience.
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.
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.
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 Louis Millena-Chandler, Harlow Waddell, Nate Earl, Matilda Bryant, Ciaran O’Donnell, Annabelle Ellis and Lily Spadanuda, from Year 3 Blue, for their fantastic efforts in Spelling. Well done and keep up the great work!

God Bless,
Daniel Gooch
Principal