Principal's News
Dear Parents and Carers,
“I often think God might be too quiet for the noise of the world, just like the elm trees and my parish church. Pope Francis writes that we find God in those little things. We find him when we say thank you, please and sorry. In a world of bad manners and bad speech, those words are the “the keys that open the way to a well-lived life, to a life of peace”. In that peace we might find forgiveness, asked and given.”
— Stan Grant, Praying for Pope Francis
In last weekend's Paper, Stan Grant reflects on Pope Francis’ illness and recent time in hospital. He draws from the Pope’s newly published biography, Hope, using it as a lens through which to consider the passage of time and the changing seasons. Pope Francis' current health challenges remind us of the deep value of relationships and the things that truly matter. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for Pope Francis.
Executive Director Appointment
Last week, the Archdiocese received the very pleasing news that David de Carvalho has been appointed as the next Executive Director of Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra/Goulburn. David has been the Chair of ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) and more recently has been working at Notre Dame University, Sydney. David brings a wealth of experience and insight into education and will bring many gifts to the role. Please see the announcement in this newsletter from Catholic Education and the Archbishop.
Canteen Manager
Kathie Crosbie has decided to step down from her role as Canteen Manager from the beginning of Term 2. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Kathie for her dedicated and effective management of the canteen over the years. Her hard work and commitment have played an integral role in ensuring the smooth operation of this vital service, and we are grateful for all she has contributed to the school. We currently have a Canteen Manager role advertised on the Catholic Education Employment page. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please make sure you let them know about this opportunity.
Leave
Annie McArthur will be taking LSL in Weeks 7 & 8. After EOI processes, I am pleased to announce Mrs Sharee Thomas will be Acting Assistant Principal and Mrs Amanda Ducker will be Acting REC during this time. I congratulate Sharee and Amanda and look forward to them undertaking their important roles later this term.
Swimming Carnival
On Monday, we had a very successful Swimming Carnival at Queanbeyan Pool. I thank Sharee Thomas and the Swimming Carnival Team for running such a successful day. Congratulations to all our swimmers who participated on the day and to Polding House, who won the carnival. To celebrate, we will host a wear blue uniform-free day on 19/3.
I would like to thank the large number of parent volunteers and senior students from St Mary MacKillop College who were instrumental in successfully running our carnival. Without their support, our carnivals could not take place.
Communication Between School and Home – School Calendar
The digital school calendar is the most up-to-date representation of what is happening in the school and is our one source of truth. There are a couple of ways to access this quickly:
- Through the Compass app or desktop webpage, by selecting the school calendar.
- Download a public .ical file to overlay the school calendar on your personal or work calendar. https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/saintfrancis.calwell%40gmail.com/public/basic.ics
- Directly visit the School Calendar browser public link https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=saintfrancis.calwell%40gmail.com&ctz=Australia%2FSydney
Blessings and best wishes
Sean Rutledge