Dear Parents and Carers, 

Term 3 has been buzzing with excitement, learning, and community spirit. From excursions and special visitors to science experiments and creative celebrations, our students have been making the most of every opportunity. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to.

Healthy Harold Visits
Last week we had a visit from Healthy Harold, who helped students explore how to make positive choices for their health and wellbeing. The interactive sessions were fun, engaging, and a great reminder of the importance of looking after our bodies and minds.

K/1 Excursion to Cowra
Kindergarten and Year 1 enjoyed a wonderful day out in Cowra, exploring local landmarks and learning more about our region’s history. The highlight was the presentation of Imagine Live. It was a day filled with discovery, new experiences, and a few tired but happy faces by the end! Thank you to Mrs Caruana for her organisation. 

National Science Week – Decoding the Universe
Science Week was full of curiosity and creativity. Highlights included:

• Robotics with Simon – Coding, problem-solving, and hands-on tech challenges kept students fully engaged. A special thank you to Simon Mahr for sharing his expertise with our students!
  
  
• School Science Fair – Our budding scientists wowed us with their home investigations, experiments, and inventions.
  
  
• Sally Russell Class Workshops – Interactive sessions that had students thinking critically, experimenting, and asking brilliant questions. It was such a pleasure to have Sally in to be a part of Science week fun!
  
  
  
  

Book Week Parade
Our annual Book Week Parade brought a burst of colour and creativity to the school. Students and staff dressed as their favourite literary characters, and the joy of reading was truly on display. Thank you to families for the time and imagination you put into costumes – they were incredible! It was lovely to share the fun with students from the Grenfell Preschool, star room.

Year Two Liturgy

Our Year 2 students led a beautiful class liturgy this week, sharing prayers, readings, and reflections with reverence and confidence. Their thoughtful preparation and heartfelt participation created a special time of prayer for our school community. Thank you to the families who joined us and Mr Martens for guiding the students in this meaningful celebration.

Mini Vinnies Stall
The Mini Vinnies team hosted a fundraising stall to support those in need within our community. Your generosity helped raise important funds and showed the power of kindness in action. Thank you to Mrs Best for organising and everyone who donated delicious baked goods. 

School Attendance

There is nothing more important for the children’s wellbeing and progress at school than regular attendance. We can’t remind parents enough of the importance of punctuality and regular school attendance of every student, every day! There is no safe number of days for missing school. If a student misses as little as four days each term they will have missed over a year of learning, by the end of their schooling.

Schools in the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn work in partnership with parents/carers to encourage and support regular attendance of children and young people at school. Education in NSW and the ACT is compulsory for all children between the ages of six years and below the minimum school leaving age.

Arriving at school and class on time:

• ensures that students do not miss out on important learning activities scheduled early in the day;
• helps students learn the importance of punctuality and routine;
• gives students time to greet their friends before class; and
• reduces classroom disruption.

Lateness is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained by parents/carers. If a child is late for school by just 10 minutes per day, they will miss nearly 6 months of schooling over 13 years. If your child arrives at school after 9am, they must be signed in by a parent or guardian. If your child is experiencing challenges of attending school, we are here to help!

Compass Update

Next week we’ll be trialling some new processes in Compass.

• Positive Affirmations: Teachers will begin using Compass to share positive affirmations with students' families.
  
  
• Rolls & Attendance: Class rolls will be marked and closed by 10:00am each day. If your child is marked as not present after this time, you will automatically receive a notification through Compass.

We appreciate your support as we test and refine these new processes.

Upcoming events:

• Mufti Day 
• Fathers Day Stall
• Grenfell Show 
• Dental Care 
• Prospective Parent Information Evening 
• Recipe book deadline

As we head towards the half way point of term, we are very proud of the way our students have embraced every opportunity to learn, create, and contribute. Thank you to our wonderful staff, parents, and community for your ongoing support.

Warm Regards, 

Danielle McFarlane and Chelsea Harveyson
Co-Acting Principal