The SPP Chronicle Edition 4.6 Week 9 Term 3 2025

Fathering Project TOMORROW!

No Hat, No Play

Teachers are now enforcing the "No Hat, No Play" rule during our first and second break. If your child does not have a hat on when outside they will need to sit in the shade or undercover until they bring a school hat to wear. All hat sizes are available from the Uniform Shop on Qkr, with both new and pre-loved options available.

2025 Yearbook Pre-order OPEN NOW!

Dates for Your Diary

Term 3

Sunday 21 September

Confirmation Service, SPP Cathedral

Term 4

From the Principal

STAFFING CHANGES – TERM 4

I would like to inform parents of staffing changes affecting our Year 6 classes in Term 4.

These changes are necessary as Mr Gerrard will be taking carer’s leave every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday during Term 4, and I will be on long service leave until the beginning of Term 1 next year. To ensure consistency for students and avoid multiple teacher changes in Year 6, the following arrangements have been made:

• Mrs Cassie Harris will be off class full-time as Acting Assistant Principal and REC.
• Mrs Emelie Wade will be taking Mrs Harris’s class full-time (five days per week).
• Mrs Jasmin McKenna will teach Mr Gerrard’s class on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
• Miss Sophie Brown will continue with Year 6 on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• Mr Gerrard will be performing other duties when he is at school on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• Mrs Sarah Brown will take Art and Music on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• Mr Angus will increase his role in Learning Support during Term 4.

This is the last newsletter for Term 3—and also my final one for the year—as I will be on long service leave throughout Term 4. As you can appreciate, I truly enjoy my role, but after more than 27 years of leading schools, I am looking forward to an extended break from what can at times be a demanding role. I am hoping to take some time to relax, recharge, catch up with friends, and, most importantly, play plenty of golf! I leave the school in the capable hands of Mr Brad Brown as Acting Principal and Mrs Cassie Harris as Acting Assistant Principal.

I wish everyone a wonderful final term of 2025 and thank you all sincerely for your ongoing support of our school. To those families leaving at the end of the year, I extend my very best wishes for the future.

I look forward to returning in 2026, feeling refreshed and ready to continue leading our wonderful school as it grows and thrives.

Child Safety and Safeguarding Resources

In the last newsletter, there was a link to a video about starting a conversation with your family regarding how to safe online. This week, you may like to take a look at the other videos below that address Safer Online Gaming and How to Get Help When Your Child is Being Bullied Online.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources/online-safety-for-every-family

RE News from Mrs Harris

CONFIRMATION

This weekend, we keep in our prayers all our Confirmation candidates as they take this important step in their faith journey. We are so proud of the commitment and preparation they have shown and we ask God’s blessing on them as they are strengthened by the Holy Spirit. Families and parishioners are warmly reminded that the Confirmation Masses will be held at the Cathedral on Saturday at 6:00pm and Sunday at 10:00am. We look forward to joining together in prayer and celebration with our young people as they receive this beautiful sacrament.

A Prayer for Our Candidates
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
Strengthen our Confirmation candidates with your gifts of wisdom, understanding, courage, and love.
Guide them always to walk in faith and share your light with the world.
Amen.

YEAR 2 FAITH RETREAT

This Friday, our Year 2 students will be taking part in a special Faith Formation Retreat led by our Youth Ministry Team alongside Mrs Harris. The retreat will give students the chance to reflect on the importance of their choices, their relationships with others and their relationship with God.

Throughout the day, students will explore:

• God’s nature as revealed in the Bible

• The sacredness of God and all creation, including human life

• Ways believers nurture their relationship with God, others, and creation

• How reconciliation helps heal relationships

• Choices that can harm relationships with God and others

• Prayer experiences, including prayers for forgiveness

Parents are warmly invited to join us for a short liturgy at 11am in the Hall as part of the retreat. We look forward to a meaningful day of faith and reflection with our Year 2 students.

Uniform Shop Information

Girls Summer Uniform - Second Option

We are happy to advise that we will be offering a second summer uniform option for girls. This uniform does not replace our current summer dress but is an alternative for those girls who would prefer to wear shorts and a shirt. It is a combination of a short sleeve blue blouse with a peter pan collar and maroon pleated culotte-style shorts. Girls will still wear the fawn socks and black school shoes. The shirt may be worn either out or tucked in. Please feel free to contact the office if you have any questions.

The uniform shop is run by parent volunteers and is open on a Wednesday morning 9-9.30am for fittings and sales. The best way to organise your child's uniform requirements is to order via Qkr. Orders need to be placed by 8.30am each Wednesday so that they are able to be sent home that day; orders placed after 8.30am will not be filled until the following week.

PRELOVED CLOTHING POOL

If you have uniforms at home that your child no longer wears, please consider donating them to our Preloved Clothing Pool. There are many good quality items available at bargain prices and many families who greatly appreciate these discounted clothes. Donations can simply be dropped into the front office any time. Thank you for supporting our school community.

Sport News from Mrs McCarthy

INDIVIDUAL SPORT TRIALS

Individual sports trials are open through the CECG sports website. These trials are intended for Year 5 & 6 student's ONLY. Keep up to date with trial information for next year.

Registration for ALL Canberra Goulburn, MacKillop and NSWCCC is through the new CSNSW website.

There are closing dates so if you are planning to trial please complete the registration process ASAP! Additional detailed information can be read below or from the Registrations page. For more information on Primary Sports visit the Canberra Goulburn Sport Facebook Page. If you have any queries please email Sherree Bush at sherree.bush@cg.catholic.edu.au

Week 8 Assembly

Class Spotlight

2025 - Year 3 Wombeyan Caves Excursion

2025 - 2 Red Making arcade games as part of investigating forces for Science

Birthdays

Canteen Announcements

Our school canteen operates Monday to Friday. Students requiring lunch from the canteen need to submit a lunch order by 9am the day the order is to be received via the QKR app (remember you can order up to two weeks in advance), or you can also send an envelope with correct change in with your child. The canteen will also be open during first break for over the counter snacks, ice creams and drinks.

PROCEDURE FOR FORGOTTEN LUNCHES IN 2025

Forgotten lunches place a huge amount of pressure and extra work on both the canteen and front office. With the increase in student numbers in 2025, we have adjusted our procedure for forgotten lunches.

In 2025 if your child forgets their lunch:

• staff will check with the student regarding what food they do have
• if they do not have any food in their bag, the child will be provided with a cheese or vegemite sandwich
• children will no longer be sent to the canteen for an IOU
• we will no longer make a phone call to parents regarding forgotten lunches and lunch orders

We will not let a student go without food if they come to us without lunch, however we need to implement some new measures to ease the strain on canteen and office staff. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Baby News!

School Counsellor

Please follow this link to complete the online referral >>

https://mccg.my.site.com/housing/s/school-referral-form

Getting to and from School

DROP OFF/PICK UP INFORMATION

If you remember the following details school drop off and pick up should run smoothly. Please view the map below for parking restriction details:

• Supervision at school starts at 8.30am. Students arriving earlier than this WILL NOT be under active adult supervision so please avoid dropping your children off before this time. Between 8.30am and 8.55am students are to take their bag to their classroom and then make their way to either the hall or basketball court where they are to wait in year groups until the morning play bell rings.
• Knox Street/Princes Avenue parking (front school entrance) - ideally families with students in Kindergarten only should be parking in this area. Please be aware of the bus zone, parking restrictions and keeping our neighbour's driveways clear. We ask that you consider our staff when parking here in the morning as there are limited all day parking zones where they are able to park; car line provides a safer alternative for families.
• Hall gate (Knox Street) - Bus students are dropped off and picked up from here. At the end of the day a teacher is rostered on duty at this gate each afternoon and stays to supervise students until the last bus comes.
• Princes Avenue/Adam Street (back school entrance) - Parents are able to park on either side of Princes Avenue (outside car line) or in Adam Street if you need to walk your children into school (please note that this part of Princes Avenue is a one-way road). Be aware of parking restrictions and keeping our neighbour's driveways clear.
• Car Line (off Princes Avenue) -  Car line is a 'kiss & go' system where parents drop their children off without getting out of the car; please do not park and exit your car in car line as this creates major traffic issues. Car line is our preferred method of parent drop off as it ensures student safety. In the afternoons car line can be very congested. If the waiting line is outside of our driveway the advice from NSW police is that you should continue around the block via Adam Street until the line moves forward. Please consider arriving at 3.30pm or after to ease this congestion; your child will be safe and supervised until you arrive. Two teachers are rostered on and supervision at car line is until 3.45pm. After this time your child will be taken to the office and a call will be made to parents to arrange pick up ASAP.

Community Activities and Events