Dear parents and Carers

“I will help those who feel unsafe and make those who feel insecure feel secure. I will help out in any way I can to make better the injured and reassure the worried.”

Finley, Year 6 leader, Leadership Letter

“I understand that younger students look up to us and it is our responsibility to be role models and show them the right way to behave around the school and community. I am a hardworking, honest person and always try to show empathy to others.”

Claire, Year 6 leader, Leadership Letter

Finley’s and Claire’s recent leadership letters are emblematic of the quality of writing and thought that I encountered when I recently read the Year 6 Leadership Letters. I was, and remain, very impressed with the maturity of our Year 6 students and their own understandings of what leadership entails. Their letters reflect very well their own family upbringing as well as their experiences at Sts Peter and Paul. I look forward to working with the Year 6 students this year and watching them continue to flourish and grow as leaders.

Swimming Carnival

Last week on Thursday we held our annual Swimming Carnival. My thanks to Mary de Smet for organising a wonderful carnival and to all staff for their support and help. My thanks too to the many parents who supported and encouraged the students, and who volunteered their time on the day. Your presence was invaluable – thank you. My thanks too to Marie-Anne Barrett for being in charge of the school and looking after Kinder and Year 1 students very well while the Leadership Team were at the pool.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

This week we have held our parent/teacher interviews. Again, my thanks to the parent body for attending the interviews and supporting the teachers and most importantly, the students. The interviews are an invaluable opportunity to hear how your son or daughter has settled into their class and grade. If you haven’t yet booked a time to meet with your child’s teacher, please book a time by making contact directly with your child’s teacher. My thanks to Paul Jenkins for organising the booking sheets.

Principal Retreat

I am away this week in Bowral at the annual Principals’ Retreat. It is an invaluable opportunity to explore the mission of leadership within our shared Catholic faith. Part of the retreat is also given over to a discussion around initiatives of the Catholic Education Office. In my absence, Sean Rutledge will very capably lead the school.

Working in 3/4B

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is the opportunity to work alongside teachers in the classroom. Next week I start working in 3/4B, for an hour a day, for the rest of the term. I will be working alongside Sarah Kennelly as we attempt to implement an inquiry approach to the teaching of Mathematics. I am very much looking forward to working with Sarah and 3/4B.

Online Survey Newsletter Article / Website

Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn (Catholic Education), will shortly release an online survey to better understand your opinion of the value Catholic schools like ours provide and what that means for you and your children. The findings of this research will be used by Catholic Education to improve the offering of Catholic schools.

The survey will be sent out to parents via email in the coming week and should take less than 15 minutes to complete. 

Privacy and confidentiality

Please note that Catholic Education has engaged JWS Research to host the survey, collect the data and analyse the results. JWS Research is an independent, fully accredited, Australian research agency (see www.jwsresearch.com for further information). Survey results will be reported in the aggregate with individual responses remaining completely confidential and treated in accordance with the relevant privacy laws, including the Market and Social Research Privacy Principles and the industry’s code of professional behaviour.

I encourage all parents to respond to the survey.

Thank you in advance for your time and participation.

Have a wonderful long weekend with your families.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal