Dear Parents and Carers

“We need to foster our contemporary sense of the transcendent and openness to the other, the world and culture that are not all bad. We need to be attentive to the arts and culture, open to ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and mutual learning.”

Fr Frank Brennan SJ. ‘Handing on the Faith’

In 2012, the Australian Jesuit priest Frank Brennan addressed the teachers from the Diocese of Sandhurst, in central Victoria. His address, as the title suggests, was concerned with Catholic education in the 21^st century and what it means to hold and pass on the faith. His address is as relevant now as it was 11 years ago. The paragraph above suggests a spirituality that sees God in all things and finds a presence of the divine everywhere. A rich and healthy spirituality is not closed off from the world, but rather sees the reality of grace at work everywhere. Doing our work well at Sts Peter and Paul, in partnership with our parish community and our parents, means giving our students the ability to ‘read’ our culture and discern where God is present, and where God is calling us to act, to meet a need.

First Eucharist

This weekend, our children in Year 4 who are making their First Eucharist are receiving the Sacrament at one of the parish Masses at Curtin. My thanks to our Religious Education Coordinator, Veronica Hall, for her excellent work in supporting our students; and our Year 4 teachers, for the same work and support: Michele Pratt, Nic Marsham, Bridget Pigram and Katie Birch. My thanks also, to Fr John Woods for his support and encouragement and to all of our families for their help. Congratulations to all of our students for this step in their faith and commitment to their journey.

School Registration

Last week, the school welcomed our Registration Panel for a two-day visit. Registration takes place once every 5 years and provides an opportunity for an independent panel to affirm the journey a school has been on, as well as collaborate with the staff and the Leadership Team in articulating goals for the future. The two-day visit was a very positive and affirming experience for the staff and the school, and I would like to thank the parents, staff and students who spoke to the panel members. The full report will be made available to me in the coming weeks and will help inform our 2024 Annual Improvement Plan, which will be written next term.

Andrew Fuller Visit Next Term

I am very pleased to announce that next term, on 14 November, the child psychologist Andrew Fuller will be speaking to our parent community. His visit is being hosted by the Community Council. Andrew will be speaking on building resilience in our children. Further details will be made known soon.

Grandfriends Day

A reminder that Friday week – the last day of the school term – grandparents and grandfriends are invited to visit our school to be part of a celebration that honours the role that grandparents play in our lives. Grandparents and friends are invited to come to school at 12.30 and participate in classroom activities with their grandchildren, and then join the school community for lunch at 1.10 (parents are also invited to the lunch), on the oval. Please bring food, blankets and chairs. It will be an excellent day and I look forward to seeing you on the 22^nd.

Kindergarten 2024 Orientation Day and Information Night

Next term, on October 31^st, we are holding our Orientation Morning for 2024 Kindergarten students, from 9.30 – 12pm. A letter is being sent to all of the parents of the 2024 Kindergarten students. That evening, from 6pm in the School Hall, we are holding an Information Night for parents, which will share information about our 2024 Kindergarten program. I look forward to seeing our new parents on the night.

The Wallabies have begun the World Cup in France with a win – the next test for the team will be against Fiji, next Monday morning. It was sad to see the Raiders get bundled out of the finals campaign. I hope that your team, whatever the code, has gone through to the finals.

Have a wonderful week with your families.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal