Dear Parents and Carers,

This famous poem was written in 1904 when Dorothea Mackellar was 19 years old.  Dorothea was living in England and was feeling homesick for Australia. She wanted to express her deep and true love for her country.  Mackellar’s poem, written 116 years ago illustrates the uniqueness of our country. The poem also highlights that the challenges that many Aussies have faced in recent weeks in battling drought, bushfires and flooding rains are a part of living in Australia.  We all know that we live in one of the best counties in the world, but on occasions our country can provide us with many challenges. Let us continue in the coming weeks to pray for our country, those people living in our country who are coping with loss, those who have battled the weather conditions and for those who have helped and assisted their fellow man in any way.  

God of wind and water, stillness and storm, 
your Spirit sweeps over the surface of the sea. 
Give us faith to seek you in times of trouble. 

Reach out your hand to us when we are sinking 
so that we may believe and worship you; 
through Jesus Christ, Sovereign and Savior. 
(based on Matthew 14:22-33)

Congratulations to the 2020 Student Leaders.  These Year 6 students received their badges at our Opening of the School Year Mass which was celebrated earlier this week..

School Captains      Ava Cowie
                                  Jacob Lipscombe

Chisholm (Red)      Imogen Astruc
                                  Dominic Baker

Marcellin (Green)   Jade Isakka
                                  Jack Ashcroft

Polding (Blue)        Isabella Nakasenh
                                  Hugh Browne

MacKillop (Gold)    Grace Edwards
                                  Ethan Littlewood

A huge thank you to all who braved the extreme wet weather last Friday afternoon/evening and attended our Welcome to the 2020 School Year BBQ.  It was great to see some new faces and old faces getting to know each other. A special thank you to the P&F for all of their hard work in organising and cooking the sausages for the BBQ.  Thank you to the Hayes, Cowen, Dowdell, Charnock and Minter families and all of the helpers.  

Our beginning of the year ‘Meet and Greet’ interviews will be held next Tuesday 18th February 2020 from 3.00pm-6.00pm in the School Hall.  This will be an opportunity for parents and children to meet and talk with their class teacher. Please note that this is not a parent/teacher interview but an opportunity for you to discuss with the class teacher your child’s needs, strengths, interests and how they best learn.  All ‘Meet and Greet’ interviews are booked through Compass, except for the Learning Support Centre interviews. Please note that the Kindergarten Meet and Greet interviews will occur on Wednesday 26th February 2020.   

Catholic Schools Week (in Week 6) officially commences the enrolment period for students wishing to attend St Thomas More Catholic Parish Primary School Ruse in 2020.  Spread the word……. we are holding an “Open School” on the afternoon of Monday 2nd March for any new families in our surrounding community who might be seeking enrolment for their child.  Later in Week 6 on Friday 5th March we are holding an Open Classroom session for all current families in our school, which will be followed by our regular Friday afternoon assembly. 

We are still seeking a group of parent helpers (mums or dads) who could devote 30 minutes each morning (except Mondays) to return Library books to the Library shelves in preparation for Library borrowing to occur each day.  You could commit to one morning per week or up to four mornings each week. This will be done straight after the morning assembly. We are looking for 2-3 parents helpers for each morning. If you are able to assist please contact the School  Office.

Best wishes for the coming week,

Philip Barrington 
PRINCIPAL