"I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." (John 6: 51). 

Dear friends,

This weekend's Gospel (partly quoted above), is very pertinent to our community as we begin our Parish Sacramental preparation for First Eucharist.  Thank you to all parents and staff who were able to attend the First Eucharist Information night at the Parish centre last evening. Let us pray for our First Eucharist candidates and their families as they begin this special sacramental journey together with our community.

Thank you also to members of our P and F, particularly Rob Shiner, who organised a fundraiser for our school on Sunday at Bunnings Gungahlin.  Thank you also to families who came out there to help support this. I am continually reminded of how blessed I am to be a part of such a giving and committed community at Holy Trinity.

This week it was with great pleasure that we had a visit from a Registration panel comprising of representatives from both  Catholic Education  and the Education Directorate. The panel is currently finalising our report, which I will share the major components of  with you once we receive this.  The panel however did express how much they enjoyed and learnt from visiting our school. Major affirmations included the following:

• The Catholic identity and culture is extremely evident at Holy Trinity School- it is seen, acted upon and lived
• There is a positive, inclusive culture amongst all the community, with a staff that has a high morale and a commitment to their vocation
• As a learning community that has committed to the IB PYP Program, we are risk takers, innovators and educators striving for academic excellence whilst thoroughly preparing our students with skills for a future yet unknown.

Although at Holy Trinity we do not have a dedicated bus route for our children, I know many of you have older children at other schools where they may travel to and from school.  You may have seen the proposed changes to the Canberra bus system for 2019, especially with a reduction of dedicated school buses. If this does affect your family, I encourage you to have a look at the Canberra Bus website and the proposed changes- https://canberrabuses.com.au/wp-content/uploads then please, either complete the survey https://www.yoursay.act.gov.au/rapid-bus-network or, email Transport Canberra TCCS.MyRapidNetwork@act.gov.au or, the Minister for Transport and City Services, Meegan Fitzharris MLA, fitzharris@act.gov.au.

It is with great pleasure that we welcome this week the Campbell family, Heidi joining our Year 1 Green class.

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

Philippa