This year’s Book Week, inspired by the national “Book an Adventure!” theme—invited students to embark on imaginative journeys through storytelling, art, and play.  Our school Book Week celebrations began with a holiday challenge for families to capture photos of their children reading in unique, exotic, or unusual locations. These wonderful photos were displayed around the school, and I must admit, I was a little envious of some of the incredible places our students found to enjoy a book!

The week was launched at assembly where each class received the gift of a new book. Students pledged to read regularly, and several teachers shared an extract from their own favourite stories.

Throughout the week students enjoyed a variety of activities, including:

• Treasure Hunt around the school to spot hidden book characters
• Boarding Pass Challenge with tickets hidden in classrooms that led students to winning a book prize
• Kahoots based on books and characters
• Digital Author Talk with Sophie Beer, who spoke about her journey as an author and illustrator, her debut novel Thunderhead, and how life experiences – including her journey with hearing loss – have shaped her storytelling
• Lunchtime Library fun such as bookmark making, colouring, and word finds linked to the Book Week theme
• Book Fair browsing, wish lists, and purchases
• Reading Picnics with students bringing cushions, blankets, and their favourite books to enjoy around the school

The week concluded with our much-loved Book Parade. While the weather prevented a whole-school parade around the field, we adjusted our plans so that all students were still able to showcase their costumes to families and friends. The creativity and colour were outstanding – from classic characters to modern favourites – and it was wonderful to see both students and staff getting involved.

A big thank you to families for helping with costumes and for joining us to celebrate. Book Week 2025 was a fantastic celebration of reading, imagination, and community.

Public Speaking

This week our school has been alive with confident voices, creative thinking and wonderful ideas as students from all grades participated in our annual Public Speaking Competition. Each stage held its own competition, with students impressing us all with their ability to communicate clearly and courageously. Our judges had the very difficult task of selecting the finalists who will represent our school at the Regional Competition next Monday at St James. We congratulate all participants for their effort and enthusiasm, and we commend Heidi (K), Siena (Year 2), Clara (Year 4) & Lula (Year 6). We wish our stage representatives the very best of luck for the next round!

Building Project Update

Our building project is progressing brilliantly! The new stairwell is nearing completion, and its relocation has created more open space for our playground. The stairwell dazzles with its striking glazed blue bricks, adding a vibrant feature to our school. This week also saw the posts for the new shelter go up, along with wiring and insulation works in the Library. It’s wonderful to watch our school evolving right before our eyes!

Staff Formation and Mission Work

On Monday’s pupil-free day, our staff gathered to deepen our understanding of the mission of Catholic schools. We then continued our important work on reviewing and renewing our school Mission Statement.  We had the pleasure of working  with Anne Thurgate from the CSO, and Rosemary Merz, one of our parents, who’s skillset is working with communities on Vision and Mission statements. The involvement and level of engagement from all staff throughout this year, as we have been focusing on what we identified as a priority for the year,  has been incredible. This Vision and Mission work will be finalised over the coming term, and we look forward to sharing the fruits of this process with our community soon.

Possible New School Jacket

In conjunction with our P&F, we have been exploring the idea of adding an optional jacket to our school uniform. This discussion began after some parents requested a warmer, waterproof option during the colder, wetter months last term.

After reviewing a range of styles, we believe the most suitable choice is a fleecy-lined, waterproof jacket featuring the school crest. A sample has been made and is currently on display in the school foyer (near the noticeboard) and outside the office each morning and afternoon. It will also be available to view at next week’s Father’s Day Breakfast.

We welcome your feedback and invite you to share any thoughts with us.

Best wishes to all those students and families who will be celebrating First Communion this weekend.

Karen
Principal