Dear Families,

Thank you to all the families who were able to come and share in our Mother’s Day breakfast and prayer assembly last Friday. I hope all families had a wonderful day together last Sunday recognising and celebrating the gift of our mothers. This weekend we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, marking the end of the Easter season and recognising the strength of the Holy Spirit.  Let us pray for our Year 6 students and their families in our Parish as they begin Confirmation preparation, recognising the great gifts of the Holy spirit and their significance. 

It has been wonderful not only showing prospective families around our beautiful school and ELC over the last two weeks, but also listening to our Year 6 leaders and tour guides sharing their experiences of Holy Trinity.  The Year 6's spoke with great pride and knowledge about our school, sharing all the enriching opportunities that have been presented to them over the last seven or eight years. I thank our Year 6 leaders for the commitment they showed, and also to some of our Board and P and F members-  Louise Willis, Natalie Roche, Scott Pearsall, Jan Ridd and Carmel Brennan- who gave of their time to talk to parents, particularity about the PYP framework and our welcoming, supportive community. 

On Monday afternoon out staff were given the opportunity to meet with other teachers in the same year groups or specialisation from differing PYP schools around Canberra.  As the only Catholic PYP School in our diocese,  this is a great opportunity for us to be able to network and learn together from IB teachers in our local community.  This week has also seen our first experience with NAPLAN online.  I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all our Year 3 and 5 children using this new platform, and particularity thank the teachers, especially Katie Smith, for all preparation around NAPLAN online. There is currently much debate in the media and educational word about the validity of NAPLAN testing and whether this may even be the last year we use this testing nationally - let's wait and see...

Some food for thought as we finish Week 3:

“Reading changes your life.  Reading unlocks worlds unknown or forgotten, taking travellers around the world and through time.  Reading helps you escape the confines of school and pursue your own education.  Through characters- the saints and the sinners, real or imagined- reading shows you how to be a better human being.” (Donalyn Miller)

I hope through our inquiry approach to learning across all curriculum areas that we, as a committed teaching staff, are unlocking worlds unknown or forgotten to each and every one of our students.

With every best wish for a holy and peace-filled week ahead with your beautiful families,

Philippa