Newsletter March 30th, 2021

Congratulations to all of the students who last week celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. For the children who were part of Tuesday’s celebration, their patience has been amazing. They completed all of their preparation for Reconciliation during Lent last year, yet due to the Covid-19 restrictions had to wait a full twelve months before they had the opportunity to actually celebrate together. Well done also to the 2021 group who participated in their ceremony on Thursday night. Our thanks to Therese Winter and Father Sajan for their preparation and participation. Thanks and well done to all of the parents who as first educators of their children oversaw the home based activities.

Every blessing to:

Madison Buttigieg, Joel Card, Henry Freemantle, Eamon Grigg, Olivia Meehan, Bryson McMillan, Mate Marinovic, Jake Plageman, Jaimi Reid, Kristian Seketa, Ruby Sims, Chelsea Winter, Aoife Lakey, Angus Eskdale, Clara Monterosso, Tahni Muscat & Terrence Ozimek

Although it seems an eternity ago since we headed into Ballarat for our celebration at the cathedral and Victoria Park, a fantastic day was had by all. In speaking with the children after the day it was amazing to note just how observant and interested they were about everything in the cathedral. In many ways it was unfortunate that we could not have spent more time having a closer look at all of the incredible architecture, icons and structures in the cathedral. I think however, the best question of the day was from a student at St Patrick’s Gordon - were Brigid and Patrick friends?!!

Although the morning did not start well in terms of weather, the day at Mason’s Lane turned out to be a fabulous one. It was wonderful to see so many families coming along to participate - it has been so long since we have all been able to come together as a school in this way. The students did a fabulous job and the determination and grit shown by all was a pleasure to behold. Congratulations to all children for their participation and in particular to:

Jake Plageman for the the 11 year old boys 200 metres record

Logan Monterosso for the 12/13year boys 200 metres record

As has been previously advertised Monday 19th April - the first day of Term Two will be a school closure day for all students. On this day the staff will be working once again on our Visible Learning Project and in particular the Learning Dispositions we desire our students to focus on and develop.

As of last Friday the restrictions in relation to Covid-19 were further lifted in Victoria. As a result I am imagining that by the beginning of next term there will also be much great freedom around what we are able to do at school level which is both a massive relief and very exciting as we continue to move towards greater normality post Covid-19. We will certainly keep you updated in the progress of this - because I think everyone is so looking forward to greater connections at school.

Thank you to those parents and families who have already had or are booked in for a parent teacher chat with your child’s teacher - there is still time to book in for a conference tomorrow - Wednesday.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful donations of easter goodies. Please get your raffle tickets in by the end of the school day on Thursday. The raffles will be drawn at assembly on Thursday so make sure you get your tickets in on time! Thanks in advance to Alison Eskdale for organising and wrapping all of the prizes.

Finally we can begin to see some real progress with our outdoor project and I thank everyone for their patience - most particularly our students. It has been very challenging for them to survive and have fun in a space that is much smaller than usual and in particular no basketball court. We can however see some significant progress with concrete steps and retaining walls allowing the new area to really begin to take shape. Patience! Patience! Patience! It really will be worth the wait.

Certainly, as those who regularly access our After School Care will know that this Thursday marks the last day for our after school care co-ordinator Teagan Tiley. Teagan has been successful in gaining a full time position at a childcare centre in Ballarat and so this week is her last week for after school care. Thank you so much to Teagan for all of your work in our program - you have  been a fantastic asset and will be truly missed. For your information we have also been investigating outside providers to take over the running of this program which would include all of the work around child care subsidies and policies etc. This was initially our intention when we started the program - however this was not to be the case and so Jodie Mullane and myself have been managing the requirements of running the program. This does not mean that those presently working there - Caz and Karen wouldn’t still be key to the program. At this point we do have a provider that is interested in potentially taking on the program - we will keep you updated as this situation unfolds.

School Tours / Information Sessions are now available to book online. Please see the attached flyer for further information and share with family and friends.

Please Keep Ricky Whitcher ( Year 5/6 W) and his family in your thoughts and prayers as they celebrate, yet also mourn the loss of Ricky’s grandmother who died on Saturday morning. Her funeral will be held on Wednesday, which means that Ricky will be unavailable for parent teacher conferences on that day. Interviews booked for Wednesday will need to be rescheduled for early next term.

Mass Times:

Bank Details for Weekly Collections at Mass:

If you would like to make a deposit directly into our Bank account for the weekly loose collection at Mass, our details are as follows:

Bendigo Bank BSB 633 000 - A/c No: 1602 757 98

For enquries please contact Parish Secretary on 5368 9280 or 0492 903 409