Dear Parents and Carers

Several of our Year 3 students made their First Holy Communion last weekend. The word 'Communion' means 'to be united with'; Catholics believe that in Holy Communion we are united in a special way with Jesus Christ. This is a Sacrament of Initiation, Holy Communion and the whole celebration is also known as Eucharist, from a Greek word meaning ‘thanksgiving’. We congratulate the children and their families who celebrated this special occasion. 

We are sending a special invitation to our Grandparents and special people on Wednesday 25 September starting at 9:10am for a blessing, then into open classrooms. Our special visitors will then be invited to the matinee performance of our amazing school production ‘Superstan’.  On the day our visitors are invited to enjoy a picnic lunch with the students during intermission, and return for the second part of the performance after lunch. If Grandparents are unable to join us please feel free to invite a person that makes a difference in your child’s life.  

Our play ‘Superstan’ would not be possible without the dedication of Mrs Daniella Cooper, Mrs Erin Chard, Ms Bridget Tegart and Mrs Glenda Johnston, these ladies have dedicated so much time and attention to bringing the arts alive for our children. Please make sure you come along to a perfomance on either Tuesday 24 September at 5:30pm or our matinee on Wednesday 24 September at 10:00am. It is always a great joy to witness the confidence that each child gains when they step onto the stage to act, sing or dance. 

I am pleased to announce following a recruitment process, Dylan Anderson will be joining our St Mary’s community in 2025 as our Religious Education Coordinator. Dylan has been teaching and leading in the Wollongong Diocese since 2020, most recently Dylan held a leadership position at St Michael’s Catholic Primary School, Nowra. Dylan holds a Bachelor of Education (UOW) a Graduate Certificate in Religious Education (BBI) a Graduate Certificate in Leadership & Theology (BBI) and is currently completing a Master of Educational Leadership (UOW). We are looking forward to welcoming Dylan to our school community.

Next week I will be accompanying our Stage Three on their overnight excursion to Canberra. As Mrs Valenitni is currently on leave, during my absence Mr John Walsh will be Acting Principal next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Mr Walsh is a wonderful Principal with many years of experience. If you see him in the playground please have a chat, he is very happy to have a few days in our beautiful school. 

I hope to see you in our school next week,

Yours in partnership
Laurinda Nelson