Welcome to Week 8.  Last week we held our annual school athletics carnival at McAlister Oval. Well done to all students on their conduct and behaviour. In particular, congratulations to the age champions and those who qualified for the Western Region carnival in Temora on Friday. Well done to Meila and Indi Fair who both broke the 1500m school record. An amazing achievement. A massive thank you must go to Mrs Taylor who organised the carnival and all the teachers that braved the cold and wet conditions to ensure the students enjoyed the day. Those 36 students who have qualified for Temora have been notified of arrangements on compass. Please accept or decline the event as a matter of importance.

At the last community council meeting, the matter of parent/family volunteers was raised. We warmly welcome any parents or grandparents who are willing to help out with anything in the classroom whether it be creative arts, reading or other Key Learning Areas where teachers see a need. If you want to volunteer your time in your child or grandchild’s class, please contact their teacher to make arrangements. This will begin in Term 3. Volunteers will need a current Working with Children Check (WWCC). The process for applying for your WWCC can be found following this website. https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-for-a-working-with-children-check  

The Working with Children Check (WWCC) is a requirement for anyone in paid or volunteer child-related work in NSW.

In last week’s newsletter we published the incorrect date for the fundraising group that will meet and report back to the Community Council Executive. The correct date is Wednesday the 19^th of June at Thom Dick and Harry’s at 2pm.

Last week I travelled to Young to meet with other principals across the western region. Amongst other conversations there was quite a robust discussion about what schools are doing in regards to internet safety at their school. There was discussion about Kirra Prendergast from Safe on Social visiting our region online or face to face. I have witnessed her presentation to both parents and students many years ago when I was in Young. Her presentation is targeted at both parents and children and was informative and engaging while outlining the importance of good online safety practices. I look forward to working with other schools in our region in this space. Until then, the eSafety website https://www.esafety.gov.au/ is full of fantastic resources.

Helen Bramanathan from the Catholic Education Office will visit our school on Tuesday. She will spend time in each class teaching staff and students about Christian Meditation. We look forward to welcoming Helen to our lovely school and embedding this meditative practice in our school.

This week’s newsletter will feature our awesome Year 3 and 4 students!!

Remember my door is always open.

Acting Principal

Damian Collins