Winter is not done with us yet despite the fact that Spring arrives on Monday. The final cold snap will hit this weekend and then hopefully we will be past the shivering days and freezing mornings. The rain has been lovely and already we can see that the trees are starting to blossom. We have a considerable number of jumpers and jackets in lost property as students shed the top layers during the warmer days. Please send your children to inspect the lost property if you are missing clothing items. A reminder to label all uniform items so that they can be returned when they are found in the playground.

Next Saturday 6^th September O’Shaughnessy House will lead the Parish Vigil Mass at 5pm. We invite all O’Shaughnessy House students and their families, and indeed any one else who would like come, to attend the Vigil Mass. It is important that the connection between Parish and School remains strong and viable. We would love to see as many families in the church on Saturday to share the Mass with the Parish members. As our dedicated parish members dwindle in numbers, it is important as a community that we understand the importance of maintaining and sustaining the parish, the people and the buildings that make up our local Church. Recent meetings of the Parish Pastoral Council and the Parish Finance Committee have passed resolutions to ask the Trustees of the Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn to approve the closure and sale of the Parish properties – St Joseph’s Church and land at Stockinbingal and the Saint Columba’s Church and land at Wallendbeen. This has been a part of lengthy discussions with the parishioners and the Archdiocesan property manager over a period of time, and it is recognised that the Parish needs to generate capital for the ongoing and escalating cost of maintaining all the buildings in the Parish. The present and ongoing financial viability of the Parish is a great concern and the Archbishop has urged the Parish to seek ways of generating income to supplement the day-to-day cost  of running the Parish. Through the generosity of the Estate of Graeme Fuller the Parish plans to build on the block of land at 51 Parker St to create a regular source of income by renting the two proposed townhouses.

Please note that next Wednesday 3 September the funeral of Geoff Hagan will be held in the Sacred Heart Church at 2pm. Please avoid parking in Morris St as it is expected that there will be a large congregation in attendance. The prayer service will possible finish around the final bell for the day and we urge families to organise pick up at a different spot for the Wednesday afternoon.

Don’t forget to mark on your calendar our new learning journey showcase on 19^th September. This is a novel way to show the learning, development and products of the students learning in K-6. The classrooms will be open from 1pm until 3pm with different presentations and performances on throughout the afternoon. Please keep this date free so that you can support the learning journey of your children and admire the way our staff and students have been making progress all year. The program will be released closer to the date.

This weekend our 2025 Tournament of the Minds team will compete in  the regional competition in Wagga on 31 August. Under the expert guidance of Mr Bell our enthusiastic team are rehearsing their presentation and skills for the competition. We wish them every success and know they will do us proud. We wish James Gay, Lexi Day, Ben Wincohen, Daniel Wincohen, Abby Welch, Theo Hinds and Lance Oquiana every success and a positive experience for all their hard work.

This week our Senior Boys Basketball team conducted themselves with maturity and distinction at the CGCE Basketball Gala Day. Thank you to Ms Withers for her organisation and the parents who transported and supported the boys. They played with heart!

We had lots of visitors to the school this week who shared their passions and talents. Our Primary students got to learn about golf and baseball. Our Kinder students walked to the library for an author visit and our Year 9 students were taught the finer details of creative writing with a visiting author. We thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to have talented people share their love of their discipline and skill so that our students learn from the best. Thank you to the teachers for their organisation and enthusiasm for a range of learning opportunities.

Next week we will have the White Card course for our senior students, First Nations weaving lessons for our LOTE students and many more learning experiences.

Have a fabulous weekend. Stay warm  and as William Wordsworth said “The best portion of a good person's life is their little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

God Bless.

Ms Nicky Trinder

Principal