Dear Parents and Carers

God of bold beginnings and second chances,

You called Peter, the fisherman who failed,

And Paul, the persecutor who changed.

Help us follow you with courage and heart.

Lead us like Peter. Transform us like Paul.

Sunday was the Feast Day of Sts Peter and Paul, and last Friday, Trish Collis led the staff in prayer, focused on the Feast Day of our two patrons. The prayer focused on the very human realities of Peter and Paul. The Dominican Cardinal, Timothy Radcliffe, calls Peter ‘the patron saint of slow learners’, by which he means, those of us (which is all of us) who are slow to realise that God is a God of love and mercy, and asks nothing of us in terms of performance or achievement. Through their long, often painful and worked through reflections on the person of Jesus, Peter became a great leader and Paul a great transformer. If they can be so transformed, why not us? Why not our school community? Peter and Paul, despite the separation of two thousand years, were not so very different from any one of us. They yearned for the fullness of life that God offers us all, and that same yearning resides, I believe, in the depths of every human heart.

School Reports

On Monday, school reports were published to the school community, via Compass. My thanks to all teachers who compiled and weighed assessments, and who then wrote the reports. Please take the time to read your child’s report and discuss with him or her areas of progress and areas that may need some attention. Thank you to all parents for your support and collaboration with the school, and in particular, your child’s teacher.

Staffing News

In staffing news, our wonderful Classroom Support Teacher, Maryanne Armstrong, is taking a well-deserved holiday for the remainder of the year. Maryanne’s leave is effective from the beginning of Term 3. I wish Maryanne all the very best for her break and we look forward to her return. Samantha Mance, our excellent Assistant Principal, will step into the role of Classroom Support Teacher and do a very good job. I thank Sam for taking up the role. Nic Marsham will take Sam’s place in 4M, and teach 4M for half the week, with Michele Halis-Pratt continuing to teach 4M for the other half of the week. Nic’s great dedication and tireless work will serve the children very well.

Performing Arts Assembly

This Thursday, we are holding our Performing Arts assembly at 2pm in the hall, led by Lisa Gill. All parents are invited, and it promises to be a wonderful celebration of the children’s talents and gifts. My thanks to Lisa for her excellent work. As a result of the longer assembly, our week 10 awards will be presented at the morning assembly on Thursday morning.

Last Day

A reminder that the last day for students is Thursday, July 3rd. Term 3 begins for students on Tuesday, July 22nd.

I would like to thank the parent community for their support of the school and the staff over the last term. It is greatly appreciated. Have an excellent holiday with your children and I look forward to seeing our students and families at the beginning of next term.

Best wishes

Cameron Johns

Principal

Feast Day

Thank you to everyone who attended our Feast Day Mass last Friday. It was a wonderful celebration as a wider school community, to remember the wonderful legacy of Saints Peter and Paul. The day was an overall success, with students learning more about the lives of our patron saints and testing their knowledge with a quiz during the afternoon. Each class completed some Saints Peter and Paul artwork which will be displayed around the school. Thank you to Lauretta Raccosta for organising a special hotdog lunch for all of the students! There were smiles all round during the joyous occasion. 

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time - The Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37

God’s mandate seems straightforward: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ But what does this mean practically, in our everyday lives? Jesus provides the example of the Good Samaritan to demonstrate what loving your neighbour looks like. In our own lives, on any given day, we could be walking down the street and come across a person on the sidewalk, lying on a piece of cardboard, with a notice in front requesting money or assistance. What do we do? What can we do? What would Jesus do? In that moment we could stop and bend down and ask the person ‘How can I help?’ We can concretely demonstrate that we can see you and know you are worthy of care and attention. Such acts demonstrate concretely, God’s love and concern towards others. We see you. We love you. We’re here for you. Just as God is always here for us. 

From God’s Word, Daily Reflections, 2025

Yours in Christ, 

Andrea McQuirk 

Religious Education Coordinator 

Youth Ministry

Hello Everyone! 

As we wrap up an exciting and faith-filled term, I wanted to take the time to reflect on two incredible days from the last couple of weeks that brought our students together in learning, leadership, and spiritual growth.

Illuminate 2025

On Thursday of Week 9, our Youth Ministry Team attended Illuminate 2025 at John Paul II College, an annual event hosted by CSYMI and the Canberra Goulburn Youth Ministry Team, designed specifically for Year 6 primary school youth ministry leaders. The day welcomed around 400 students from 16 schools across the archdiocese. It was a day bursting with joy, music, and meaningful learning. Students took part in engaging sessions that deepened their understanding of what it means to be a young faith leader. These sessions included:

- Leading Christian Meditation
- Mini Vinnies
- Charisms – Gifted for the Mission
- Prayer through Music
- Youth Ministry Leadership Skills
- Make a Rosary Workshop

They also spent time learning about Blessed Carlo Acutis, a young modern-day role model whose life and faith journey deeply resonated with the students.

“Illuminate was really fun. It gave us the opportunity to grow as young leaders in our
community. My favourite part was hearing everyone singing together.” – GJ

Confirmation Retreat Day

In preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation, our students also took part in a special Confirmation Retreat Day with the students from Holy Trinity Primary, where they reflected on the meaning of the Holy Spirit in their lives and explored the fruits and gifts received through the sacrament.
Highlights of the day included the Dove Artwork activity, where students created beautiful pieces symbolising peace and the presence of the Holy Spirit. We were also blessed to have Luke Maher from the Catholic Education Office join us to help lead a session. During this session, students explored the Chocolate Milk Analogy, a powerful visual where the syrup (representing our gifts and talents) sinks to the bottom until Confirmation “shakes it up,” activating the Holy Spirit within us. Another favourite was the Holy Spirit Balloon Game, where students worked together to keep a balloon afloat while moving across the room, a playful and meaningful representation of the breath and movement of the Holy Spirit.

“The Confirmation Retreat was an amazing experience for me to learn what happens
during Confirmation and the fruits/gifts we receive when we experience
Confirmation.” – Poppy

Both Illuminate and the Confirmation Retreat reminded us of the joy found in community, the power of faith, and the unique leadership gifts each student brings. We look forward to seeing our young leaders continue to shine in Term 3!

God Bless!

Julia Norgrove
julia.norgrove@cg.catholic.edu.au

Year 4 camp was held on the 10th & 11th of June at Birrigai.

To say the leas,t 4W and 4M had a wonderful time. They participated in a crate climb, built and lit a camp fire as well as making damper. Some had golden syrup for the first time and struck a match to light the fire.

We were well fed by the amazing staff and a slight party atmosphere was present in the dorms, but we did mange to get some sleep.

The children had a great camp!

The Year 4 team

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to the following students who are celebrating a birthday this week and in the holidays.

Ines STM

Chen-An L

Edie H

Czarmaine L

Savannah G

Christopher K

Matilda R

Adhiraj SK

Mahima M

Penny A

Ethan P

Claire DV

This week, year 1 are making no-bake playdough. For a bit of holiday fun, you can try it at home!

NO BAKE PLAYDOUGH

Ingredients

1 cup salt

2 cups plain flour

4 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 cups boiling water

Food colouring (optional)

Method

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. The mixture cools quickly so that little people can join in.

Stored in an airtight container, this playdough can last up to 6 weeks.

GARDEN CLUB

Our last garden club for Term 2 – very sad but a great turn up to get our garden ready for the holidays. We discovered our hose had sprung a leak due to being frozen so we had lots of fun watering!

Garden Club will return in Term 3 every Friday at lunch. Listen for the announcement in the morning.

Email Katherine.Birch@cg.catholic.edu.au for more information.

The Garden Club

Australian children's author Katrina Nannestad is coming to the school on Monday August 4th and will visit/work with students from Years 4-6.

OPEN TUESDAY MORNINGS

8.30 – 9.30AM

The Uniform Shop is a service for the parents and children. We sell new & quality second-hand school clothing, and all money raised goes back to the school to provide resources for the children.

The school uniform is available via Qkr! Tuesdays - Fridays, orders will be delivered to your child’s classroom. Orders need to be placed before 8.45 am.

It is usual practice for most schools to offer second-hand clothing at the uniform shop to families at a discounted price. Quality second-hand clothing can only be purchased during uniform shop hours. We do understand that this may not be convenient for some families so please feel free to send me an email if you are unable to get to the uniform shop during its’ hours and I will do my best to attend to your needs.

The uniform shop is limited with space, so if you wish to donate pre-loved items, PLEASE ONLY DONATE CLOTHES that are washed and in perfect resalable order.

Lauretta Raccosta

Uniform Shop Lauretta.raccosta@cg.catholic.edu.au