Dear Parents, Friends, Staff and Students

The Season of Lent

Lent begins with a great sense of now. Lent calls us to respond to God and to others right now – in the present moment. During Lent, Project Compassion will present us with inspiring stories from Caritas Australia about real people entering into partnership with us in real ways. The theme for Project Compassion this year is “For All Future Generations.” It is a theme of hope for all of creation and for the future generations. An expression of hope is something we can all relate to after the unsettling experiences of the last two years. For some people, this will be the first Easter we can come together since 2019. The ashes we wear on Ash Wednesday are an invitation to rebuild from wherever we happen to be on life’s journey. The students participated beautifully in their class Ash Wednesday Liturgies, under the direction of their teachers.  The students have begun talking about the sacrifices they will make during Lent, either by giving something up or taking something on.  We pray that Lent will be a time of prayer, reflection and renewal. (Caritas, Project Compassion 2022)

We pray for all who know what it is to live in the ashes:

the poor, the marginalised, the outcast, the lonely, the sick.

 May the ashes we wear in humility be for us all a sign of our hope in the rising of the Lord of all life.

 Amen.

Road Safety

Parents are reminded about a few road safety procedures in order to ensure the safety of all our students:

• Children and adults must use the crosswalk when entering and leaving the school at any time during the day.
• Please use the footpaths in the car park when walking to and from your parked vehicles.
• Parents are requested to reverse park, where possible, in the car park.
• Please always leave a one car park space either side of the crosswalk – especially during the busy pick up period.
• Please do not overtake vehicles in the line up at the end of the day. This can be dangerous. 

There are more vehicles using the drive through in the afternoons than normal.  This is due to the regulations about parents on the school site.  Please be patient.  We do all we can to keep things moving as smoothly as possible. The safety of our children is more important than anything.

COVID updates

Please continue to keep your children at home if they are unwell.  At school we make sure all students are washing and sanitising their hands often throughout the day.  We are cleaning play equipment, door handles and classroom surfaces regularly.  Parents can best assist our efforts in ensuring the safety of our students by keeping them home if they are unwell.

Please continue to keep us informed if your children have a PCR test.  It is important the school knows who is receiving tests so we can be prepared, in a timely manner, to communicate instructions regarding possible isolation with parents.

P&F and School Advisory Council Meetings

Please note that there has been a change of date for the next P&F and Catholic School Advisory Council Meetings. The meetings will be held on Wednesday 30th March at the usual times.

Date Changes 2022 – Easter Play

The COVID-19 situation has meant we have to reluctantly postpone some events.  Please note that the Easter Play, scheduled for April 7th will need to be postponed until Term Two.  The students have begun preparations for the play, but as classes cannot mix, the final preparations to put the play together cannot go ahead, at this stage.  We will keep parents informed about the new date early in Term Two.

Labour Day Public Holiday

This has been an unexpectedly busy week at Matthew Gibney Catholic Primary School.  The public holiday has come just in the nick of time!  Please enjoy the long weekend as an opportunity to recharge before we commence the second half of Term One.

We send our best wishes and prayers to those families who are having to isolate for the next few days.  We look forward to welcoming you back to school next week.

Warmest regards

Therese Hussey
Principal