We are already well into Week 4 and we could not have possibly put anything more into our busy first weeks. Today our school hosted the Western Region Swimming Carnival and it was a fabulous day, very well organised and very well supported by the regional schools and local families. Thank you to Ms Wendy Van Kerk Oerle for all her organisation as the convenor of the carnival. Thank you to our wonderful Year 9 and 10 PASS students who assisted in the running of the day and to our dedicated P & F for manning the BBQ. We are blessed with many generous and enthusiastic parents who help out in any way they can. A special thank you to Mrs Kim Sannazzaro for coordinating the BBQ. Congratulations to all our swimmers for their fabulous efforts and school spirit.

The Beach Volleyball was an enormous success. I truly hope you got a chance to pop down and see over 800 students having a wonderful time in the sand. It was a fantastic day and an excellent showcase of what country communities can do to rival the experiences of bigger centres. We are grateful to the local Beach Volleyball committee for allowing us to be part of the extravaganza and to Simon Sutherland for his knowledge, expertise and support of our school community. Thank you to our staff, students and families for a great day. We hope that the All Schools Beach Carnival in 2025 will be bigger again. Stay tuned for a photo collage when we get a chance to compile the best of the day.

It was also remiss of me not to mention in last week’s newsletter that we have been blessed to have Ms Donna Wade as part of our staff. Ms Wade comes to us from Trinity School in Murrumburrah, and she has taken on a role in Secondary Religious Education and Primary Creative Arts.

We welcomed the Hennessy Catholic College Young Staff on Tuesday 20 February when they hosted the BBQ for the Year 10 Information Evening. Ms Buchanan presented important information about the ROSA credential for our Year 10 students and mapped out the expectations for our students for the academic year ahead. Ms Withers and Mr Mahon also presented the important dates for the Work Experience program including when paperwork is due to school and Catholic Education insurers. This is a fabulous program for our students that will culminate in Weeks 7 & 8 of Term 4 with two weeks of work experience in the business world.

Next Wednesday 28 February will be our first Uniform Free and Community Breakfast. We raising funds for the important charity  - Ronald McDonald House. We will be wearing a splash of red and yellow to recognise the exceptional services provided by Ronald McDonald House for families of sick children. We ask all families to provide a gold coin donation (feel free to donate more if you would like) and we will purchase much needed resources for the service.

Remember we are striving to earn respect by the way we interact with others and by treating everyone with kindness. If you have to choose between being extraordinary and kind – be extraordinarily kind.

Blessings

Ms Nicky Trinder

Principal