Dear Parents, Friends, Staff, and Students

May 21st Feast of the Ascension of the Lord

The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven is on Sunday 21st May.  The Feast celebrates the end of Jesus’ work on earth and his return to God his Father.  The Ascension of Jesus is followed, a week later with the sending of the Holy Spirit and the Feast of Pentecost. The disciples of Jesus were frightened when Jesus left them, for the final time.  They felt alone and in despair.  Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to give them the courage and strength they needed to continue the mission of Jesus on earth, teaching others about God and the way to a life in Christ.  The Feast of the Ascension reminds us that we should continue Jesus’ work by being and seeking God, within us and in others.  We Make Jesus Real as we seek to see God in others.

Lord Jesus, you became man and came to live among us.

For love of us, you suffered and died for us.

Today you return to your Father and our Father,
But you promised to remain with us till the end of time,
And to send us the Holy Spirit.

We rejoice and thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen.

School Registration Compliance Audit

Every school is independently audited every five years to ensure full compliance of policies and procedures with the Australian Education Act.  The audit examines school policies and procedures, covering everything from child safety, teaching and learning programs, emergency procedures, crisis management, risk management and traffic control – to name a few. The requirements for re-registration as a school, in Western Australia, also include checks that government funding is being spent to meet the general recurrent costs of providing education programs for the students at the school.  Our audit was conducted this week.  An auditor examined all school documents, prior to meeting with groups of staff during the audit day.  Sincerest thanks to Neil Pescud, Catholic School Advisory Council Chair, for making the time to be involved in an audit interview. Personal thanks from me to Karen Keddie and Christina Zurzolo, for the hours of work they have put into ensuring we were ready for our compliance audit.  Thanks to the staff for assisting with preparing the documentation required and for meeting with the auditor for conversations about policies, procedures and programs that exist at the school.  it has been a busy few months in the lead-up to the compliance audit and we look forward to receiving a full report about our areas of strength, and areas for improvement, later in the term.

Matthew Gibney Pantry Sustainability Initiative – Starting on Monday 22nd May

Next week we will begin a great community sustainability initiative, the MG Pantry! Each Monday morning, we will receive a delivery of loaves of bread and bread products such as crumpets, pikelets, rolls, wraps etc from Aldi and the Feed it Forward campaign. Our fabulous community representative Natalie is delivering weekly to us. A tub will be outside the office for anyone to have a look at and take anything they would like for free and can use for their family or even the pets like chickens. These products are just on or slightly before the “Best before” dates.  Each week it will be different. Please don’t be shy, we want no waste! If it is supported well, we can expand to fruits and vegetables and maybe even dairy products, which would be fantastic. Best to visit on a Monday afternoon pickup.

If you would like some products regularly put aside, just let us know and we are happy to oblige! Hope to see you at the MG Pantry.

Jessamy Bettridge

Kiss and Drive

Parents are reminded that the Kiss and Drive pickup and drop-off area is not used as a parking space, either before or after school.  It is a drop-off or pick-up space and parents should not be having to exit their vehicles.  If parents are required to park, for a period of time, please use the car parking spaces available.

Inter School Cross Country Carnival

Good luck to the Inter School Cross Country team who are competing against other schools today at Good Shepherd School in Kelmscott.  Thank you to Mrs Hewitt for preparing and training the team.  Results will be published in next week’s newsletter.

First Eucharist Preparation

The Year 4 students have commenced preparations to receive the Sacrament of First Eucharist on Sunday 11th June.  These weeks of preparation are a joyous time for the students and their families.  Please keep them in your prayers during this time.  The preparations begin on Wednesday 24th May with the Parent/Child Workshops.  All students receiving the Sacrament are expected to attend one of the workshops with at least one parent.  Workshop times are 4.00 pm and 5.30 pm.

Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Day – Wear Something Red to School Friday 26th May

Students are invited to wear something red to school, with their sports uniform, on Friday 26th May, as we raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis.  Students are encouraged to bring a gold coin donation to help Cystic Fibrosis WA to continue to provide vital services to people living with Cystic Fibrosis and fund critical research.

Term Two Parent Workshops

Please set aside time for the following workshops that will be offered for parents during the term:

• K-Year 2 Reading at Home Workshop: Thursday 8th June 2.30 pm.
• Understanding Your Child’s Semester Report PP-Year 6: Friday 16th June 2.30 pm
• UR Strong Friendship Program Workshop (K-6): Thursday 22nd June 9.00 am

Thank you for participating in Walk Safe to School Day this morning.  It was a lot of fun.  I hope you managed to get a peek at our visiting owl this week.  He was the source of much excitement for our students.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Warm regards

Therese