Dear Parents

Our spirits have definitely lifted with the beautiful sunshine, warmer days and showers in between. We look forward to the Spring weather to re energise and spend more time with family outdoors.

Happy Father’s Day and BBQ

Last Friday the school was abuzz with laughter, conversations and lunchtime games.  Thank you to all our significant male figures who attended our BBQ lunch, it truly was a special afternoon. The students were so excited to have special visitors and it was a fantastic opportunity for all to catch up.  

We hope all families enjoyed Father’s Day last Sunday or celebrated significant others in their lives.  Our special male figures (Dads, Grandfathers, Uncles and family friends) play such an important role in our lives and it is such a heartwarming day to celebrate their contributions and sacrifices.

5/6 Excursion Next Week

The students in Year 5/6 will be leaving on Tuesday 16 September for their much anticipated Victorian Goldfields excursion.  Over the course of Term 3 they have been learning about the properties of gold, had a special guest speaker Mrs Kim Paton who presented the Geology of Gold, have learnt about significant gold discoveries in Australia and mining techniques.  They will visit the historic Port of Echuca, go underground at the Deborah Mine in Bendigo, and pan for gold and watch the Eureka Night Light Show in Ballarat and Sovereign Hill. Over the four day excursion they will be accompanied by Mr Ferguson, Miss Bartlett, Miss Wilson and myself.  In my absence Mrs Kate Howe will be Acting Principal.

Welcome Mrs Armour and Miss Cotterill - Additional Learning Support

We warmly welcome two new Learning Support Assistants to our school staff.  Miss Ashleigh Armour will work every Tuesday and Thursday 9:30am -12pm and Miss Brylee Cotterill will assist us every Monday, Wednesday and Fridays 10:15am -1:15pm.

With the addition of Mrs Armour and Miss Cotterill, our Learning Support Assistant Team increases to five staff (joining Miss Bartlett, Miss Smith and Mrs Johnson).  

Our students are very fortunate to have such experienced and motivated support staff assisting them everyday!

Street Stall

A big thank you to our street stall coordinators Tash Smith and Lisa Peterson who have been super busy organising this upcoming fundraiser.   Thankyou to all parents who have sent in goods for the raffle hampers, volunteered to be rostered on and to all families who have purchased raffle tickets.  It is still not too late to assist in any way. Please contact the front office if you are available to be rostered on.

Little Learners

Our Little Learners has been a big hit with our Preschoolers every week.  They have moved through the exciting programs under the guidance of Mrs Johnson. 

This Friday the children will come dressed as their favourite Superhero!

A big thank you to the Years Five and Six students for their assistance in the fun activities, Mrs Johnson especially appreciates your help.  The younger children have really loved having the big kids involved and establishing trusting friendships with them.  Thank you 5/6!

Wiradjuri Language Lessons

Today we welcomed Aunty Sue and Aunty Winnie to our school to visit each class to learn about the Wiradjuri language and culture.  The students were so excited and engaged with the lessons and we are so fortunate to have such personal and strong connections with our special visitors.  Thank you Aunty Sue and Aunty Winnie

Arrival To School

Just a reminder that all students are expected to be dropped off before the 8:55am warning bell. Arriving on time for morning play allows all students to get ready for the day, form friendships and hear important announcements on morning assembly.  Arriving on time is allowing them that time to settle and sets them up for a successful day. 

Have a lovely week,

Lisa Wilson

Assistant Principal 

Canonisation - September 7, 2025

Pope Leo proclaims Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati Saints

Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Italians Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis as saints of the Church on Sunday, decreeing their veneration among the Catholic faithful.

The canonizations of the two men, promulgated before an estimated 70,000 people in St. Peter's Square, were the first of Leo's pontificate.

Below are two quotes that reflect the momentous occasion:

So Much Joy ! "To see so many youth and young adults here, exuberantly passionate for their faith gives me such hope for the Church.  So much energy, so much devotion, so much joy" said American Dana Marie Buchanan who attended the canonizatoin of the two Saints.

What an honour to be here!  "What an honour to be here from Australia to witness the canonization of two young Saints, the perfect examples for our modern times". said Australian Caroline Khouri." The joy in the atmosphere here is incredible and something I'll remember forever. St Carlo and St Pier.

Father’s Day

Thank you to the SRC and Mr Makeham, for presenting a lovely Mass for our father’s, Grandfather’s and special male role model sin our lives. We hope you all had a wonderful day on Sunday.

Kinder Mass

On Friday 19^th September at 12 noon, Kindergarten will be presenting the Mass. Kindergarten are very excited to be able to present a Mass just like the ‘big kids’ do. Everyone is welcome to join with us.

Kate Howe

REC

National Child Protection Week 2025 will focus on what we can do to prevent child abuse.

National Child Protection Week reminds us about the important role we play in keeping children and young people safe.

This year, National Child Protection Week is from 7 to 13 September 2025. The theme is ‘Every Conversation Matters: Shifting Conversation to Action’. It highlights that while open discussions are crucial, words alone are not enough. We must turn dialogue into meaningful action.

From Conversation to Action - Every Child Deserves to Feel Safe

The Daniel Morcombe Foundation believes that every child in every community needs a fair go and that begins with making their safety a national priority.

Please visit the site below for a Parent/ Carer Guide

https://danielmorcombe.com.au/national-child-protection-week/

This Friday will be the last of Term 3  SRC fundraiser. We have chosen to run a Crazy Hair and Sock day. Students are invited to come to school out of uniform and wearing their craziest designs and colours.

We will have a short parade at 9am to show off our fun.

Students are asked to bring a donation with proceeds going to our local CanAssist.

While we encourage your creativity, please remember that there is still learning happening at school so nothing too distracting or oversized would be much appreciated.

Looking for extra support with your child’s learning?

Lauren Phelps, an accredited teacher with experience in both primary and secondary education, is now offering private tutoring sessions. Sessions will be tailored to support individual student needs.

Two 1-hour spots available weekly.
Available: Mondays & Tuesdays, 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Call Lauren on 044185310 for enquiries.

Jacki will be away on leave from 18th September and will return at the start of Term 4. Mrs Paula Butt will be in the office while Jacki is away. 

All the weeks and months of preparation for our dancers will be on show next week. 

Our Kindergarten, Year 1/2 and Yr 3/4 have been invited to attend this year's dance concert with the Christine Wishart Dance Studio.  The concert is on Thursday 18th of September at 10.00am.  Students are asked to arrive at school on time as they will be walking to the high school with teachers and classroom support assistants to watch the performance.  This permission note falls under the general walkers consent.  The students will watch the performance and then head back to school afterwards.

As per our last Newsletter our annual street stall date has been set for Thursday 26th September and Friday 27th September.  Please save this date in your diaries as we will be calling upon our families for donations of baked goods, garden produce or donations. 

Information has previously been sent home for items that need to be sent into school to build our hampers.  Thank you to the families who have already sent in their items.

Kinder and Yr 1/2 need to bring in a gardening item for our Spring Hamper. Items like gardening gloves, pest spray, garden tools, potting mix, plants, seedlings or even vouchers from Bunnings or Mitre 10 

Year 3/4 are asked to please send in an item for the Spring Cleaning Hamper.

Year 5/6 have the Party Hamper which will no doubt be a favourite for any family.  Items like chips, lollies, biscuits, drinks or anything you feel would be a great party hamper item. 

We have baskets set up in the front office for items to be dropped off.  Hamper items can be sent in anytime now until Friday 12th September. 

Raffle Tickets will also be sent home shortly per family.  Raffle books will be to the value of $20.00 each. 

Tash Smith & Lisa Peterson

Just a reminder that our Term 3 School Fees are now due. Please have these settled by the end of Term 3 (25th September). If you are experiencing any difficulties then please contact the office. All conversations are confidential.  Remember we are here to support you and your family. 

Last Thursday the Year 5/6 students made their way down to Gundagai’s sporting ovals to enjoy a fun day in the sun at the Mortimer Brothers Gala Day. We were able to field both a LeagueTag and tackle side (with the help of St Mary’s Batlow).

The Tackle team played 3 games against McAuley, Gundagai Public and Tumut Public. The team tried hard all day and made many strong tackles and more than one barnstorming run. James McLean from St Mary’s was voted as player of the day.

Our LeagueTag girls played well across their 3 games against stiff opposition: McAuley teams 2 and 3, and Tumut Public. The team displayed outstanding sportsmanship and effort all day, even volunteering to help the St Mary’s team who was short of players. Molly Lott was chosen as the player of the day.

Mr Makeham and Ms Bartlett would like to thank all the students for their wonderful sportsmanship and manners throughout the day. Special mention to Jasper, Charlie and Emma for their support work.

To celebrate another successful term the Community Council have organised a Neon Disco Fundraiser for our last day of school. Thursday 25th September from 5.00pm - 7.00pm.  Invitiations have been sent home for families to RSVP.  Please send in your form to the office by 18th September for catering.   The $15.00 per student will allow entry, bbq dinner, drink, lolly bag and more importantly the glow sticks for a fun night.  

This event is for Kindergarten - Year 6 students only. Payment can be made at the door on the night. 

If you need another note send home please contact Jacki this week. 

Thank you to the Community Council for organising this event. Great way to end the Term.

Thank you to our children and families for your committment to Altar Serving on Saturday evenings. 

Roster:

 Sat 13th Sept - Fletcher Smith & Reuben Smart

Sat 20th Sept - Harry Barton & Lachlan Barton

Saturday 27th Sept - Lilly Ferguson, Indi Cole, Maeve Ryan 

4th Oct - RV Calub & Lane Johnson 

11th Oct - Leila Gaskin & Lachlan Hargreaves

Tune into "Sounds of the Mountains" radio station (FM94.1) every Wednesday at 2.15pm to hear about what our classes and school have been up to over the week.

Week 8 (10th Sept) - Mackenzie Little & Conor Cotterill 

Week 9 (17th Sept) Year 4 Students 

Week 10 (24th Sept) Reuben Smart & Emma Brown

Only a few more weeks left of our Meat Raffle at The Family Hotel held on Friday evenings. Thank you once again to all of our wonderful families for your support of this fundraiser. 

Congratulations to our Week 6 and Week 7 class awards. 

Week 6 - Friday 29th August 

Kindergarten: Isabel Knight-Gregson for being a focused and engaged learner always

Year 1/2 :  Harry Ryder for trying hard and participating in all lessons

Year 3 : Isabella Melksham for easy going and delightful nature (absent from photo)

Year 4 : Remi Taylor for increased class participation 

Year 5 : Mackenzie Little for effort and application during Maths 

Year 6 : Lachlan Hargreaves for always trying his best

Week 7 - Friday 5th September 

Kindergarten: Violet Laycock for arriving at a new school with a smile and settling in well

Year 1/2 : Chelsea Crowe for her application in all learning areas. Great work Chelsea

Year 3 : Lance Crowe for all round excellence in classroom/playground

Year 4 : Fletcher Smith for enthusiam in all areas

Year 5 : Leila Gaskin for working well with others and being positive 

Year 6 : Eliza Graham for outstanding Maths achievements

Congratulations to our WildCat Awards for Week 6 and Week 7. 

RESPONSIBLE : Lennox Smart, Macie Hand, Sam Hufton, Levi Bayley, Liam Estacio, Daphne Simpson, Sadie Nicholls, Isabel Knight-Gregson, Lexi Bayley, Nova Nettey, Claudia Worldon, Lottie Worldon, Lucy Nicholls, Toby Nicholls, Remi Taylor, Harley Rose, Phoenix Rose, Olivia Smart, Lachlan Hargreaves, Chelsea Crowe, Anastasia Chittick, Lachlan Barton

RESPECT: Anna Nicholls x 2, Reuben Smart, Leila Gaskin, Kaydee Smith, Lance Crowe x 2, Macie Hand, Isabel Knight-Gregson, Levi Bayley, Lachlan Barton, Dale Paton, Harry Barton, Lachlan Hargreaves 

SAFE: Sarah Gailey, Lucy Nicholls, Max Zhu, Lachlan Barton, Claudia Worldon, Ollie Crowe, Mackenzie Little, Harry Barton

Sending out a BIG birthday cheer to the following students who have recently celebrated a birthday

1st Sept : Olivia Smart

4th Sept : Charlie Ryder

6th Sept : Ned Phelps and Pippi Nicholls 

Due to Jacki being away in Week 10 this will be the last newsletter for the term.  We wish all of our families and children a wonderful and safe Spring School Holidays. 

The long awaited OOSH Service in Gundagai is getting closer to operating. All going to plan should be started next term.   Families will need to enrol using the QR Code below or emailing the admin team

If you are looking for something to do in the school holidays. Attached are some flyers for ideas for all