Dear Parents/Carers,

Over the next few weekends many of our students from Year 3 are celebrating their First Holy Communion. To organise this in the midst of the current restrictions placed on places of worship has required much planning and organisation. I would like to acknowledge the dedication of Fr John, Mrs Hampton (our Religious Education Coordinator) and the parish Sacramental Coordinators who devised an online program for the children. They then put their skills of logistics to work to enable the children, and a small number of their family members, an opportunity to attend a Parish Mass to celebrate the sacrament. While the experience for them will have been different to those of past years, it was a preferred option than to have cancelled the program altogether.

On behalf of our school community I would like to offer our congratulations to those children and to pray for them as they deepen their relationship with Jesus through this most holy sacrament.

Staffing

Mrs Catherine Crowley, our Visual Arts teacher, has begun a period of maternity leave as she prepares for the birth of her second child. We wish her every blessing. We welcome Mrs Rita Gruning-Fankhauser, an experienced Visual Arts teacher with more than 20 years’ experience, in this role until the end of this year. As her surname may be difficult for young children to remember and pronounce, Rita has been letting the children call her ‘Mrs G.’

Excursions and Camps

As you would be aware, schools are unable to organise excursions and camps due to the risk of COVID infections. The latest restrictions are in place until the end of Term 3. While it seems unlikely that these restrictions will be fully lifted, at this point in time we are waiting to hear about any prospects for Term 4 before making a decision to cancel them altogether. It would be a shame for the children if we made a decision too soon if there is a chance, no matter how small, of an excursion taking place. Rest assured that refunds for any payments made for excursions and camps will be provided in the event of a cancellation.

COVID Directives

One of the directives that has been complex for us to follow has been the requirement to have parents collect children from school when they are unwell. I acknowledge that this can be inconvenient for parents/carers when they are in the midst of a busy day, however our staff in the office must follow the protocols handed down from NSW Health, and they gather as much information about the child’s health before making a call to parents. All schools are trying their very best to avoid COVID spreading within their community.

I am very grateful to those parents who follow the requirements depending on the health of their child. This may require a COVID test to be done and we are currently finding that results are being returned within a 24-hour timeframe. This means that most children are not absent from school for too long. It is important that children are clear of any flu-like symptoms before returning to school, and you are reminded that while children are absent from school due to illness work is not be provided for them.

P & F Father’s Day Stall

Following the most recent update to restrictions for schools, the P & F are moving the Father’s Day Stall to an online format. You will be able to order gifts online and they will be delivered to your child at school. More information about this process will be provided by the P & F and I thank them for their time and effort in still providing an option for the children to purchase a gift.

Wishing you a safe week.

God bless.

Paul Moroney
Principal

BOOK CLUB DUE BY FRIDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER

Scholastic Homepage is Scholastic

Orders/Registration is Scholastic LOOP 

Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthday this week, August 22nd - August 28th

Just a reminder that all students need to bring Drink Bottles to school each day.

The School bubblers are not in operation at the moment due to covid restrictions

   

Congratulations to the following students who received Good Samaritan Awards this week.

KR - Katrina P

1R - Girvan T

2R -Kristina P

3R - Noah H

4R - 

5R - Chloe H

6R - Elizabeth K

Week 5 - Awards: INFANTS

St John The Evangelist Catholic Parish Primary School

School Photography Date: 18/08/2020

ONLINE ORDER CODE: 7RB 8N4 CFX

Online Order link: https://www.advancedimage.com.au/keycode/keycodefinder.aspx?keycode=7RB8N4CFX

Dear Parents,

Photographs can be purchased by following the link above for 15 days from the day photos are taken, after which late fees/additional charges will be incurred.

Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups available at your school’s advancedorder site (follow the link above)

Important Information:

• School photos purchased online DO NOT require envelopes returned to school*
  ●Late fees/additional charges will be applied for purchases after photo day
  ● Photos will be returned to your school for distribution approximately six weeks after photos are taken

advancedlife would like to express our appreciation to your school for placing your trust in us. Please remember we offer a 100% money back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience as fast as possible, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or feedback relating to your advancedlife experience please contact us at-

www.advancedlife.com.au/contact

Ice creams/Ice blocks are no longer available for lunch order, they will only be available over the counter at break times

If your child is away from school it is important to let the school know as soon as possible with a specific reason, e.g. what type of illness they have, If you are filling in a note on the Compass app, please add an explanation in the details/comments box .

It is really important to keep your child at home if they are unwell, this will help with the spread of illness. In the current COVID 19 climate ,It is preferrable that you get a medical clearance for your child to return to school 

If your child has a covid test, please notify the school when they have the test and as soon as you get your results please forward these on to the school.

Due to COVID restrictions parents are currently not allowed on school grounds. We also need to limit the amount of visitors that come into the office, so please only come into the office if necessary.

  It is important that you let the office know as soon as possible, via email or phone, if you are picking your child up prior to dismissal (including time).  We can then arrange to have them in the office ready for you. Please note we are unable to arrange collection of your children during break times (11.15am-12 & 1.15pm-2pm) without prior notice. Please do not enter late arrivals or early departures into compass, this needs to be done by the school office.

Thank you for your assistance with this matter.