Dear Parents and Caregivers
Every year on the first Sunday of September we celebrate Father’s Day. It is a day when we spoil and spend time with dad or a significant person, as a way of saying “thank you for all of the things you do for me”.
This Thursday we have a Dad’s and Special Friend's Breakfast and Liturgy to acknowledge the significant role of fathers and special persons in the lives of the students at our school. It should be a wonderful morning which if Joseph the father of Jesus was to witness, he would be very proud. St Joseph is the patron saint for fathers around the world. Father’s Day is a good time to pause to appreciate a unique person that God has put into our lives – our ‘father’. It is easy to take fathers for granted.
Thanks to the staff and P&F for putting this Breakfast on.
Research has shown us that the self-esteem of children is greater when their fathers or a male role model (father figure) are involved in their formation. To have a more balanced view of life, children need both a male and a female role model in their lives; sometimes easier said than done.
I hope the ‘father’ or ‘significant person’ in your family has a wonderful Father’s Day on Sunday.
Book Week Parade
A landmark in the school year is the annual dress up for Book Week Parade which was last Friday. Although it is a recent memory, I’d like to share my thoughts and congratulations on this cornerstone of Book Week. Fortunately, many parents and grandparents were able to attend and see the variety, colour and spectacle of the hundreds of creative ways of interpreting characters from books. I hear that there was a great sense of awe and wonder at the marvellous costumes that graced the school all day and a deeply felt sense of appreciation from the children, for all of the efforts made at home and in school to make the day so special.
Walk a Mile in my Boots
Congratulations to our students who through a student led initiative have raised $282.50 by participating in Walk a Mile in my Boots for the Hutt St Centre. The day was threatening with rain, however we still pushed on with the mission to raise money and awareness of the Hutt St Centre who support those who are homeless in our state. Amazingly we raised enough money to provide meals for a day for 200 homeless people living on our streets.
Child Protection Week
Next week (Week 7) is Child Protection Week. Each year the Australian Catholic Church dedicates the Sunday at the end of Child Protection Week as Child Protection Sunday. Our parish, St Ignatius Church, will have a Children’s Mass on Child Protection Sunday, 8 September at 10am. Please join us if you can.
The theme for the 2019 National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) Child Protection Week campaign is
The mission of NAPCAN is to prevent child abuse and neglect and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every Australian child by promoting positive change in attitudes, behaviour, policies, practices and law. National Child Protection Week runs from the 1st to the 7th of September this year. In Child Protection Week we are asked to be someone who listens to children, someone who will start a conversation with children and if needed, be that someone whom children will turn to when in need. The Commission is committed to the safety, wellbeing and protection of all children and young people from harm. This includes supporting the rights of the child and child safe environments by working together with key partner agencies towards care and protection of children within our community.
Tournament of Minds
Next Sunday I will have the absolute pleasure of joining the Tournament of Minds team and their families as they compete in the Tournament of Minds at Flinders University. Mrs Vassallo-Wakefield, Mrs Lewis and Mrs Cruickshank are immensely proud of all of their work, enthusiasm and commitment to date. We wish our two teams of seven students all the best!
Disco
Thank you to the P&F and Jess Nelson, Mrs Vassallo-Wakefield and Mr Heaney for assisting to host the annual SJMS Disco. Please enjoy the photos that were taken on the evening.
Debating
Thank you to Mrs Lewis and Mrs Brewer for coordinating Debating over the past two terms. This has been a new and successful initiative that has seen 26 students improve their debating skills and become very confident public speakers. Each team could confidently say that they have improved from the beginning of the season. Well done debaters on a great inaugural season.
God Bless
Brady Stallard