2025-09 Newsletter - Term 2 Week 8

Principals Message

Over the past few weeks, our students have shown great perseverance and commitment as they completed a range of assessments. I’d like to extend my congratulations to all students for their hard work during this period. A sincere thank you also goes to our dedicated teachers and staff who have supported our learners and ensured the smooth and successful completion of all tasks.

A special congratulations to our Year 6 students who recently completed the Diocesan Religious Education Test. This is an important milestone, and we are proud of their efforts and the way they approached the task. We look forward to receiving the results in the coming weeks—well done!

We also acknowledge and support our Year 3 students—Claire, Hazel and Charlie—as they near the end of their preparation for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. We thank their families and our parish for partnering with us in this important stage of their faith journey. We warmly invite all members of our school community to join us in celebrating this special occasion on Saturday, 29th June at the 8:00am Mass. Our thanks to Fr Reynold for his ongoing leadership and spiritual guidance of all our students.

A heartfelt thank you to all parents and carers who completed the recent School Improvement Survey. Your feedback is an important part of our commitment to genuine parent engagement and voice. It has been pleasing to read your reflections, which, alongside input from students and staff, will help guide future planning, growth, and continued improvement at our school.

We are also looking forward to engaging with parents as our partners in education during the upcoming Parent-Teacher Interviews in Week 10. Thank you to all families who have submitted their preferred times. Student reports will be distributed next Tuesday, 24th June 2026, ahead of these valuable conversations.

A sincere thank you to Robyn Nicholson, Carmel Clancy, Sue Kearns, and Sebastian Matheson who have worked together this term to cover Miss Burke’s classes while she has been on her practicum placement. Your dedication, flexibility, and expertise have been greatly appreciated. We are grateful for the extra time and care you have given to support our students and ensure continuity of learning throughout the term.

We look forward to welcoming Miss Burke back in Week 10 and thank everyone once again for their contributions to a successful and productive term.

In Faith & Truth,

Simone Taylor 

Reflection - Holy Communion

What is the Sacrament of Holy Communion?

The Sacrament of Holy Communion, also called the Eucharist, is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church and a very important part of our faith. It is the moment during Mass when we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the form of bread and wine.

At the Last Supper, Jesus shared bread and wine with His disciples and said, “Do this in memory of me.” (Luke 22:19). Through the celebration of the Eucharist, we remember Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and are united more closely with Him and with one another.

When children receive Holy Communion for the first time, it is a special step in their faith journey. It shows that they are growing in their understanding of God’s love and are ready to be fully part of the Mass and the Church community.

Holy Communion strengthens us spiritually, brings us closer to Jesus, and helps us to live as His followers—sharing love, forgiveness, and kindness with others.

Prayer Reflection – First Holy Communion

Loving God,
As our students prepare to receive Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Communion for the first time,
we thank You for the gift of the Eucharist –
a sign of Your love and a source of strength in our daily lives.

May Claire, Hazel and Charlie feel Your presence in a special way,
as they take this next step on their faith journey.
Fill their hearts with joy, peace and a deep love for Jesus.
Help them to always walk in His light and follow His example of kindness and compassion.

We pray for their families, teachers, and our parish community,
that we may continue to guide and support these children in faith,
as they grow to know You more deeply.

Amen.

Wellbeing Report

It was wonderful to catch up with all the students this week and hear how they are progressing so far this year. I also took the opportunity to ask for their ideas about fun reward activities to celebrate their hard work. Jack Embleton suggested a fantastic idea — a Wear Your Favourite Colours for State of Origin Day. We have decided to turn this into a Year 6 fundraiser to help our senior students raise money towards a special gift for the school at the end of the year.

A big thank you and shout out to everyone for your support! We were thrilled to raise an amazing total of $83. Our playground looked especially bright and colourful on Wednesday as students proudly wore their team colours. A special mention goes to Lori, who bravely represented the Maroons — the only student in the school to do so!

Kids wellbeing: understanding and managing emotions, having good relationships, having a sense of accomplishment, using their strengths, taking part in healthy activities, getting lots of sleep and eating well.

My New Gallery

CSYMI Retreat Days - La Salle Academy

YEAR 3 HOLY COMMUNION RETREAT DAY AT LSA!

Year 10 CSYMI (Catholic Schools Youth Ministry International) students, ran a Holy Communion Retreat Day at La Salle Academy. With great enthusiasm and faith, they guided the beautiful Year 3 St Patrick's Primary School, Lithgow and St Joseph's Catholic School Portland NSW students through a series of reflective, creative, and prayerful activities designed to help them prepare for their First Holy Communion.The day was filled with joy, reverence, and meaningful encounters, as our Year 10 students served as role models of faith, sharing their own experiences and fostering a deeper understanding of the Eucharist.

YEAR 6  CONFIRMATION RETREAT DAY AT LSA!

Year 9 CSYMI students also had a fantastic day running the Year 6 Confirmation Retreat with students from St Patrick's Primary School, Lithgow, and St Joseph's Catholic School Portland NSW. They led fun and meaningful sessions about what makes Confirmation such a special sacrament, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, choosing a Saint, and the role of a sponsor. It was great to see younger students asking questions and getting involved in the activities. Everyone enjoyed a sausage sizzle for lunch, followed by some great games and plenty of laughs. It was a wonderful day of faith, friendship, fun and laughter, with lots of connections made along the way.

Book Fair & Book Character Parade

This year’s Book Character theme is: “Book an Adventure”

Book Week will be celebrated on the first week back at school in Term 2.

On Friday 25^th July we will hold our Book Character Parade followed by our Book Fair.

Students are asked to come dressed as a character from a book or they can get creative and link this year’s theme, “Book an Adventure” “to their costume.  Let their imagination run wild.

If possible, children are asked to bring with them the book from which the character they are dressing up as is in.

Further details regarding the day will be sent home closer to the date.

What's Happening in ..... K/1/2

K/1/2 have been learning about the notes that make music. We have been experimenting with the sounds the Boomwhackers make and have learnt to play the songs, ‘Twinkle Little Star’, ‘The Skeleton Dance’ and ‘Africa’. 

These are the children’s thoughts:

Oliver S: We use the Boomwhackers to make different types of music.

Oliver B: It is very fun to use the Boomwhackers.

Ruby: I think it is cool how they make their sound.

Sarah: I like how the Boomwhackers can play lots of different songs.

Lilah: The Boomwhackers make lots of noise.

Oakleigh: I like how we can play along with the music.

Mayah: The boomwhackers are fun to play.

Sailah: I like how the Boomwhackers make lots of music. 

Grace: I like the Boomwhackers because they can make good music.

Harvey: I like how the Boomwhackers make music fun and have different notes to play. 

Jesses: I like the Boomwhackers because we can play them easily.

Ava: I love how we can bang them to make the music.

Emily: I love to bang them on my knee to make music.

Amarah: I like the Boomwhackers because they make sounds like the notes on a piano. 

Kiki: The Boomwhackers all have a very unique sound.

Seb: Each Boomwhacker has a different note to play, I like using the tall red one which is note C

Zandar: The Boomwhackers are very exciting to play with.

Jack: I like the Boomwhackers because we can play lots of different songs with them.

Teddy: I like the Boomwhackers because they are fun to play with.

Avas M: I like that the Boomwhackers have notes on them, each note is a different sound. I like to play the pink one.

Isabella: You can tap them on your foot, your knee, your hand and the floor.

Kiara: I like that the Boomwhackers have letters on them, my favourite is the pink one.

Lilla: I like to play the Boomwhackers because it is a fun activity.

Arlie: I like the Boomwhackers because I can bang them on my hand to make sounds.

What's Happening in .....3/4

What a busy and exciting term it has been so far! We've had a whirlwind of events including our Athletics Carnival, the Spelling Bee, and we’re now busily preparing for the upcoming Soccer Gala Day. Alongside all these fantastic experiences, students have been working hard in the classroom and making great progress across all learning areas.

In English, we’ve been diving into some incredibly engaging texts – Deadly Science: The Solar System and Meanwhile Back on Earth. These books have sparked lots of curiosity and discussion as we explore the wonders of space. Through this unit, students have been learning how information texts are structured and discovering some truly amazing facts about our Solar System.

We are now in the writing phase of the unit, where students are creating their very own information reports on a chosen planet. They are experimenting with layouts, subheadings, labelled diagrams, and fact boxes – and we can’t wait to see the final results!

In Mathematics, we have been focusing on building our times tables knowledge. Students are developing strategies to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their recall and are becoming more confident with the language surrounding multiplication. We’ve also been exploring arrays – identifying, creating, and naming different examples. See if your child can spot some arrays at home (think: egg cartons, muffin trays or even windows!).

It’s been a fast-paced and productive term – We look forward to seeing your all at our Parent/Teacher Interviews in Week 10!

What's Happening ..... 5/6

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief – English Unit

The students have thoroughly enjoyed this unit of work, demonstrating consistent engagement and focus throughout each lesson. They have produced a range of high-quality written texts, including journal entries, free verse poetry, and newspaper articles. The novel explored in this unit, with its blend of narrative and historical elements, has proven to be both informative and highly engaging for students.

Christmas Story Art

I am incredibly proud of the high standard of work produced by all students during our directed art lesson, Joseph’s Dream. The students demonstrated excellent listening skills and followed instructions with care and precision, resulting in artworks that they can all be genuinely proud of.

2025 MUSICAL ~ THE BILLABONG PRANK

Students have now been assigned their individual roles, and we are currently rehearsing the script during class time. In addition, the whole school has been coming together for combined singing and dance rehearsals in preparation for the performance. To ensure they are truly prepared, students are also expected to practise their lines regularly at home.

Athletics Carnival Wrap Up

What a fantastic day we had at our Athletics Carnival on Thursday 30th May! The weather was kind, the energy was high, and the students displayed outstanding sportsmanship, determination, and team spirit throughout the day. It was wonderful to see every student giving their best and supporting one another.

A heartfelt thank you to the parents and carers who volunteered their time and cheered from the sidelines. Your support truly makes days like this possible – we are so grateful for your presence and help in making the event a success.

A big congratulations to Lori and the Mackillop house, who took out the House Trophy this year!

We are also proud to announce the 2025 Athletics Carnival Age Champions:

• Junior Girl Champion: Grace Field

• Junior Boy Champion: Noah McGovern

• 11 Years Girl Champion: Amitty Whitelock

• 11 Years Boy Champion: James Howden

• Senior Girl Champion: Lori Lampton

• Senior Boy Champion: Blair Irwin

Well done to all students for a brilliant day of competition. We’re already looking forward to next year’s carnival!

The eastern Region Athletics Carnival will be held in term 3 on August 7th in Bathurst. Further information will be given out at a later date.

Council of Catholic School Parents Webinars

Parents and carers of tweenagers and teenagers, these two webinars are for you! 
PLEASE JOIN CCSP’S FREE WEBINARS IN TERM 2 Register using the link - see you online!

PARENTING TWEENS: WHAT KIDS NEED NOW, BEFORE THE TEEN YEARS
For parents and carers of primary school students 8+
Presented by Michelle Mitchell
Tuesday 24 June
7pm - 8pm

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR PARENTING TWEENS

PARENTING TEENS: STAYING CONNECTED THROUGH THE TEEN YEARS
Parents of high school kids 12+
Presented by Michelle Mitchell
Wednesday 25 June
7pm - 8pm
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR PARENTING TEENS

PRESENTED BY BEYOND: Supporting Your Child Through the HSC
Register using the link - see you online!
HELP YOUR CHILD NAVIGATE THE PRESSURES OF THE HSC
For parents and carers of Years 11–12 students
Wednesday 11 June
7pm – 8pm

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Connect with the Counsellor

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