Dear Families

This past fortnight has a been a collection of celebrations - both nationally and locally.  As a nation we acknowledged National Reconciliation Week and locally we recognised everything special in our schools as we collectively celebrated Catholic Education Week.  During Catholic Education Week at St. Vincent's we also presented Service Awards to Teresa Calafiore and Kathy Monacella, please see the following article about these two special people in our school community.

This week we conducted our Term 2 Parent-Teacher Interviews.  Thank you for the contributions of both staff and parents to these important opportunities.  I hope that increasing the frequency of these meetings helps build stronger connections between classrooms and homes.

Today we had a burst of sunshine which allowed Tyson Webb (Harry's Dad) complete the finishing touches to our GaGa Pit.  This addition to the yard is a great cardio workout for the students as well as a perfect opportunity for them to be challenged to uphold our school wide expectations of Respect-Responsible-Resilience-Safe.  I hope the kids show some generosity to me if I'm ever brave to join in the fun!  Thanks Tyson for volunteering to build this for us ... the workmanship is first class and your generosity of time to do this for our children is very much appreciated.

Across last week I was shocked by the footage of the devastation caused by the flooding in New South Wales.  Watching young families stand helplessly outside homes, and community leaders describing destroyed community infrastructure was heartbreaking.  Without tempting fate, I have added some insights about Emergency Management to this newsletter and how we might be called on to respond to a local disaster.

In closing, we have a few exciting big picture things happening in the background and I would like to utilise the function of a School Advisory Board.  I would love to have a diverse mix of parents involved.  If you are interested in finding out about this role please call by for a chat or complete the attached Expression of Interest.

Yours,

Dave