4th April, Week 10, Term 1

From Our Principal - Mr Brendan Moloney

Dear Families,

It is hard to believe that Term 1 is almost over, we do have next week as the last week of the term. School finishes for Term 1 on Friday 12^th April.

As we reflect on our first term for the school year, I would like to thank all our families for their continued support and collaboration. We have had a number of highlights throughout the term including our more recent celebrations for St Joseph’s Day and our Easter Hat Parade for example. Our most important celebration is for our students and the way they continue to focus on their learning and apply themselves to their classroom activities.

While we have also had to remind our students of our expectations at times, particularly the way we respect each other in our words and actions, it has been very positive to see the improvement in these areas.

Catholic Schools Week

Next week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week across the Diocese. The Catholic Schools Office provides a range of services to support approximately 2,500 staff in 45 vibrant and dynamic school communities that serve more than 18,000 students. This week gives us the opportunity to celebrate our contribution to Catholic Education in this Diocese and in particular, to the community of Coraki.

As part of our activities, we will be holding an open day on Friday 12^th of April for any interest families from K-6. We are particularly looking to get numbers for our 2025 Kinder enrolments with our transition program beginning in Term 3.

Easter Hat Parade

Thank you to all those families who attended to help us celebrate with our Easter Hat Parade, as always we had a wonderful turn out. We had lots of fantastic Easter Hats with the judges having a tough time picking the best hat from each class. Well done to everyone for the creative flare on display!

It was also wonderful to have Coraki CWA Preschool and Mid Richmond Neighbourhood Playgroup joining us, they also had some wonderful Easter Hats to display.

Parent Pick-up

Currently we have some children who who are leaving before they are dismissed by the teacher from he Parent Pick-Up area. Parents are reminded that the school procedure is that all students who are on the Parent Pick-Up line remain seated until the teacher on duty asks them to move to their parent/carer. This process is in place for safety reasons.  We appreciate parents adhering to this procedure.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Information was shared with families yesterday regarding our Parent/Teacher Conferences for next week. Please keep an eye out for this information which has been posted on COMPASS as well as a hard copy being provided. Parents are asked to please make their appointment via COMPASS or return the note with their contact preference. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to celebrate the progress of their child/ren throughout Term 1 and to ask any questions they may have about classroom routines or their child’s progress.

Cross Country

With the unfavourable weather our Cross Country Carnival set down for tomorrow has been postponed. We are hoping to hold this event on our alternate day being Friday 12^th April, this will be combined with our Colour Explosion.

The planned BBQ lunch will still go ahead as planned tomorrow.

Attendance Figures for Term 1

Our school attendance continues to be a concern. Parents are reminded that the target for school attendance is 95%. With any student absence an explanation for this should be provided to the school. Our attendance figures for this year are as follows:

Our current student population is 60

Whole School Attendance is at 75%

We have 23 students whose attendance is above 90%

We have 5 students whose attendance is above 95%

While we are able to celebrate the high attendance of a small number of students, a large number of our students attendance is a concern, as it is well below expected attendance levels. As part of our Parent/Teacher Conferences teachers will share with you the attendance figure for your child/ren. We ask that we work together to address these attendance concerns and are always open to discuss these with you to improve attendance where required.

God Bless,

Brendan Moloney

Mission News

Second Sunday of Easter Gospel Reflection

This Sunday’s reading from the Gospel of John is proclaimed on the Second Sunday of Easter in each of the lectionary cycles. This fact alone should alert us to the significance of the encounters with the resurrected Jesus that are described in this reading. This Gospel combines two scenes: Jesus’ appearance to his disciples after his Resurrection and Jesus’ dialogue with Thomas, the disciple who doubted.

Shoe Drive

In line with our preparation for Lent, we are currently running a shoe drive! If you have any shoes at home that you have grown out of that are still in good condition please bring them into the school office. These will be donated to St Vinnies to support their wonderful work. 

Sacrament of Confirmation

Students who have been Baptised and are in year 3 or above are eligible to begin preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Please let Mrs Campbell know if you wish for your child to participate. 

Celebrating the Events of Holy Week

To commemorate Jesus' journey to his death we gathered on Holy Thursday to reflect on the story of Easter. Stage three wrote the script and designed the presentation of the Easter Story to share with the other students. Well done stage three!

Stage three also created gifts for the Kindergarten and Stage One students as part of their learning in Religious Education. They presented these Way of the Cross spinners to the younger children to take home.

Save the Date

Catholic Schools Week Celebration Friday April 12

Sacrament of Confirmation Monday May 20th 6pm

Easter Hat Parade 2024

Well done to our 2024 Easter Hat Parade Winners

Kinder - Alia, Yr 1 -Leo, Yr 2 - Jack, Yr 3 - Braxton, Yr 4 -Katie, Yr 5 - Cally, Yr 6 - Joeiesha

Sports News

Cross Country is postponed to next Friday 12th April in combination with our Colour Explosion run.

Stage 1 News

Stage 1  Art

Still Life on patterned background

Stage 1 Science

The students did a fantastic job of creating the life cycle of a butterfly with modelling clay.

General Business

Happy Birthday to the following who have celebrated their birthday since our last newsletter: 

Casey Magee

P&F & Canteen News

P& F Easter Raffle

Thank you to Spar Coraki, Coles Lismore and all our families who donated Easter Eggs. $368 was raised. Congratulations to Pip, Airies & Shelby for taking home the prizes.