As we come to the end of Term 3 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff for their efforts in what has been a very busy term. I would also like to congratulate the students on the way they have engaged in their learning and participated whole heartedly in many extra curricular activities.

A reminder that this Friday (26th September) is supervision only for students. The staff will be very busy packing and getting ready for Years 5 & 6 to move into their brand new rooms and Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 to move into the demountable spaces so their building project can begin! If you can keep your child/ren home this Friday that would be greatly appreciated. Please note this will not affect your child attendance record.

CARLINE - Some very important reminders regarding Carline. It is vital this information is shared with anyone who drops off or picks up your child/ren from the school:

-Please ensure your car is in ‘park’ when children are getting in and out of vehicles. This simple step can help prevent accidental acceleration, particularly when parents are reaching back to assist their children.

-Students must NOT go behind the car for any reason. School bags must be kept inside the car with the child.

-Students must ONLY enter/exit the car from the curbside. No student should be walking around a car at any time.

-Cars must NOT overtake buses in the turning circle. We’ve had two near misses in recent weeks. The buses do not take that long to load, please be patient and wait behind the bus until it pulls out.

CONGRATULATIONS to our Term 3 Gold Award Recipients. A wonderful achievement to reach your Gold Award. This comes from hard work and dedication across the school.

Happy birthday to Fr Michael, who celebrates his birthday on Saturday 27th September! We wish Fr Michael many happy blessings on his special day. 

A Grateful Thank You!

A heartfelt thank you to all our generous families who contributed to the Vinnies Spring Fling collection. Your incredible support has once again shown the true spirit of our school community.

In this special Year of Jubilee, where we are called to be 'Pilgrims of Hope', you have truly lived out this message. Your generosity has proven that we can be a beacon of hope for others in our local community.

We are so grateful for your kindness, and the staff are already excited to be involved in the next steps! Together, we will be using your donations to create pantry hampers, as well as putting together snack packs and toiletry bags. Our local St Vincent de Paul chapter will then distribute these to support families and individuals in our community who are in need.

Your thoughtfulness will make a real difference in the lives of many. Thank you for helping us live out the mission of Jesus by reaching out with compassion and love to those in our community.

Sacrament of First Eucharist

This weekend, we warmly invite our community to celebrate a significant milestone with our young parishioners as they receive their First Holy Communion. Students from our school will join with other children from our parish in celebrating this sacrament with Fr. Michael during our weekend Masses. 

We extend our deepest gratitude to the dedicated members of our parish sacramental team who have so generously given their time and guidance to help prepare these children for this sacred moment.

As our young communicants and their families prepare for this joyous occasion, please keep them in your prayers. May this weekend be a moment of profound grace and a blessed beginning to their lifelong journey of faith.

St. Carlo Acutis 
Last fortnight, in a moment of immense joy and celebration for the Church, Pope Leo XIV officially canonised St. Carlo Acutis. A young man from Italy who passed away in 2006 at the age of 15, Carlo used his passion for computers and the internet to spread the Catholic faith. He dedicated his time to creating an online database documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world.

St. Carlo is a powerful role model for the youth of the Church today, showing us that our modern skills and hobbies can be used as tools for evangelisation. But his witness is for us all. He reminds us that holiness is not about a long life, but about a life lived fully for Christ. Through his example of faith, love, and tireless dedication, St. Carlo Acutis invites each of us to use our unique gifts to bring God's light to the world.

Liz Jensen 
Religious Education Coordinator

Our trip started early with a three hour bus drive to Canberra. Our first stop was Parliament House. A place that was filled with important rooms, people and decisions. The parliament started with a quick break including frozen yogurt! Our tour took place in The House Of Representatives, The Senate and everywhere in between. It then came to a close with a role play. Our next stop was Questacon, the home of the long awaited free fall slide. 

Questacon is a science museum that holds many interactive galleries and activities. We first took a stop at the free fall slide, then after that we saw a gallery about forces, then we went to a gallery about electricity and how it works and travels. After that we discovered a gallery with an earthquake room, which basically stimulated what it’s like to experience an earthquake.We also saw a bug exhibit, and a replica of the moon too.

After Questacon, we arrived at Canberra Park, where we would be staying the night. For dinner, they gave us a scrumptious meal of butter chicken, rice and naan bread. They ended the meal with creamy, delicious vanilla ice cream.

At 7:30 pm, for our night time activity, we went to the A.I.S (Australian Institute of Sport). Here we enjoyed the night with virtual sport games. We had access to winter and summer games such as : the skeleton run, skiing, snow boarding, cricket and soccer penalty kicks! After this, Canberra day one came to a close.

We then woke up around 6am to have breakfast and to start our adventure for day two of Canberra. We first visited the National Film And Sound Archive (NFSA), we watched a few videos throughout history and played a game of would you rather, which we discovered we like old technology better than new. After that we traveled to the National Museum, we then looked around and had a scavenger hunt. 

We visited The Royal Australian Mint, where they make coins for our currency. We walked past a wall full of coins. Even discontinued ones, like 5 dollar coins, rounded 50 cents, 1 cent  and two cent coins. We also got to see how coins were made due to the help of these robots, Penny, Titan and Robbie. We then had the opportunity to make our own uncirculated coin. After that we visited The Royal High Court of Australia.

Here we learnt about the Constitution, and we got to experience a real court case! It was a case about Katy Perry versus Katie Perry. We then watched a video about the 6 ingredients to the Constitution Cake. They were: federalism, democracy, rule of law, separation of powers, nationhood and rights balanced by responsibilities. Afterwards, we met the 7 Justices of the High Court. Then making our way to another courtroom, where we learnt about the important objects in the courtroom. 

Finally, on our bus ride home we took a stop at Sutton Forest McDonald’s. Everyone got a delicious meal that was very long awaited by every year 6 student. We were even looking forward to it on the first day. We all got stocked up on Maccas, and continued our journey home. At last, we arrived back at school at 7:30pm and that was the end of our Canberra trip.

Lexie (6G) and Indianna (6B)

PACER REBATE

"PACER - Parliament and Civics Education Rebate Students from our school have recently undertaken an education tour of the national capital. Students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage, and democracy. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding to our school in the amount of $30.00 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion."

We’re pleased to share that a parent-led support and meetup group is being created for families of children with additional needs in our school community. 

This group is independent from the school and aims to provide a safe, welcoming space for parents and carers to connect, share experiences, and support one another. 

All are welcome, whether you’re seeking advice, connection, or simply a listening ear. 

If you’re interested in joining or would like more information, please contact Caitlyn Morgan at caitlyn.morgan1@outlook.com.

The STM uniform shop will continue to take donations of preloved uniforms in good condition.

A half price sale will be held Tuesday 23 September 2025 8am-9am or by appointment during the week.

Uniform shop will be closed Friday 26 September due to students only for supervision.