As we move into the middle of Term 3, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank our school community for the support you have shown me while I was Acting Principal in Mr. David Graham’s absence over the first three weeks of term. Your encouragement, patience, and prayers have been deeply appreciated as we worked together to ensure a smooth and successful start to the term.

It has been wonderful to see our students and staff settle quickly back into learning routines. Classrooms have been alive with energy, hard work, and a genuine commitment to growing in knowledge and faith. I am continually inspired by our teachers’ dedication and by our students’ enthusiasm for learning.

We are looking forward with great excitement to the school dance team’s upcoming trip to Cairns to perform at the Australian Catholic Education Conference. This is a wonderful opportunity to share the talent, culture, and spirit of our school with a wider audience, and we wish our dancers every success.

This term we also celebrate the gifts and achievements of our high potential learners. Next week, several students will participate in the Junior Indigenous Youth Parliament where they will step into the role of young leaders, debating issues that affect their communities and learning how government and decision-making processes work. Later this term, a group of students will represent our school at STEM MAD (Making A Difference) down in Brisbane, a Catholic education initiative where young people design innovative solutions to real-world problems using science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This opportunity has become available to our students through our work with St Finbarr’s Primary School and St Thomas More College with the support of the Yadha Muru Foundation. In addition, a number of students have recently completed the Australian Mathematics Competition, a national event that challenges students to think critically, solve complex problems and apply mathematical reasoning beyond the classroom. I am so proud of all the efforts demonstrated by the students participating in these learning opportunities. Their commitment to their own learning and achievements is to be commended.

As we move through to the second half of the year, we continue to encourage every student to attend school each day and to arrive on time. Every lesson is valuable, and consistent attendance ensures children make the most of the opportunities provided to them academically, socially, and spiritually.

Next week we will gather as a community to celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. As Catholics, we honour Mary, who was assumed body and soul into heaven, as the first disciple and the Mother of the Church. Due to our Athletics Carnival on Friday, our school liturgy will take place on Monday morning, giving us the chance to reflect on Mary’s “yes” to God and how we can live with that same faith and openness.

As we reach the halfway mark of Term 3, let us take a moment to pause and give thanks for the learning already achieved, for the blessings we share as a Catholic community, and for the many opportunities still to come. May we continue to walk together in faith, hope and love, supporting each other in all that we do.

God bless,

Term 3 began with a warm welcome to our two new classmates, William and Adalee. Our Preps have enjoyed showing them our classroom routines and living out The Heart Way.

If you visit our room first thing in the morning, you’ll find 15 focused Prep students busily writing information reports about Australian animals. So far, we’ve explored the koala, emu, kangaroo, and wombat—discovering fascinating facts and learning how to write about them in our own words. Each student is creating a “big book,” and as part of our Book Week celebrations, we’ll be inviting parents and friends into the classroom to share our work.

In Maths, we’ve been investigating data. The children have loved collecting information on a variety of topics, asking questions like “Do you like butterflies?” and “Do you like ice cream?” before tallying and comparing responses to find out which is most popular.

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the term, but our Preps are making the most of every learning opportunity—and having plenty of fun along the way!

Congratulations on reaching this term! It has been go go go all year and the students have really put in the effort when it comes to trying to do their best. We all have our strengths and struggles; however all students are growing and making steady progress.

This term we will visit Star of the Sea on three occasions because of the amazing impact the visits had on the residents last term. Toni from Star of the Sea commented that some of the resident participants in the activities had never participated before and that having the children there was so good.

We have a new member of the class, Makayla, who is  most welcome and settled into her routine. Sadly, we bid Harrison goodbye in week 2 and were very sad to see him leave.

This term we are looking at the OLD TESTAMENT and studying the promises God made to his people by analyzing the stories which mention covenants. It has been interesting  because this unit emphasises the family tree and ancestry of the Bible characters.

We have been concentrating on Maths Mentals each day trying to become more spontaneous with our tables and simple addition and subtraction calculations used to solve addition and subtraction with regrouping.

We continue to introduce mathematical language and vocabulary and practise using this to express our thinking and working.

HASS and WRITING will be assessed together this term with a compare and contrast writing task which will compare Australia with one of it’s neighbouring countries: PNG; Indonesia; New Zealand; Samoa; Timor Leste; The Soloman Islands etc. If you wish to help your child to choose a country to study in detail and take time to find out many interesting facts about that country, they can then use what you discuss in a writing task which compares culture, climate, natural and manmade features, population; religion; interesting facts and how they interact and influence Australia.

AFL with Keiran has been a lot of fun and the extra activity each week in sport has brought many smiles to the students’ faces.

Speaking groups continue this term, with the added task of impromtu speeches, Book Reviews, Poetry reading and Persuading. Thank you all for your support. This has been and continues to be a worthwhile activity. Everyone has their schedule for which activity they are on. Hopefully they have put it on your fridge.

Included in this news is a few of Finlay’s drawings which are very detailed and show great artistic talent. Finlay says he learns from an App called Simply Draw.

We farewelled Miss Chris as our Library Teacher and STEAM teacher and welcome Ms Kelly Dare. Thank you Ms Chris for everything especially with your help in preparing for NAPLAN this year. We will miss you. Thank you parents for your continued support and communication. Here is hoping our T3 is very successful.

We’re already halfway through Term 3, and what a vibrant and productive start it’s been for our Year 5 class! The students have been showing fantastic engagement across all learning areas, and we’re proud of the enthusiasm and teamwork they continue to bring into the classroom.

This term, we've continued our partnership with AFL Cape York, where students have been building on their skills in teamwork, fitness, and game strategy. The sessions have been active and enjoyable for everyone involved.

In Literacy, we’ve begun reading Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda. The students are deeply engaged with the text, making predictions, exploring character development, and analysing key themes. Alongside this, we’ve also started writing our own classroom recipes, linking literacy with real-life purpose and creativity.

Mathematics has taken us on a global journey! Students have been working on budget planning, creating travel itineraries to send Mr Jake anywhere in the world. So far, some exciting trips have been planned to Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. The students have done a wonderful job calculating costs and justifying their budget choices.

A big congratulations to Oliver, Walter, Taye, and Lakeisha, who recently participated in the Australian Mathematics Competition. We are incredibly proud of their effort and dedication in representing our school in this national event.

Our class has also taken part in cyber safety sessions with Inform and Empower, where students learned about healthy digital habits, the importance of being an upstander, and ways to navigate online environments safely and responsibly.

In Religious Education, we’ve been learning about St Mary MacKillop. The students created beautiful and informative posters with their buddies to honour her legacy and contributions to the community and education.

A huge congratulations to all of Year 5 for an amazing term so far! Your hard work, curiosity, and kindness continue to shine.

As the countdown begins for the much-anticipated Year 6 camp from September 8th to 12th, excitement is bubbling across the classroom! Students are eagerly looking forward to their visit to Camp Mungalli, the Wake Park, and Saint Augustine's College, where they’ll get a firsthand experience of boarding life. The camp promises adventure, learning, and unforgettable memories.

Our school island dance team are preparing for their visit to Cairns on Tuesday  19^th August, have an awesome trip students!  Congratulations to Esta-Ann  for her recent  amazing effort in her running event. Our senior school shirts look great !! Well done students. Students experienced a visit from Tagai , Mrs Taylah Savins-Harrison  who helps with transitioning to high school  by answering questions about stepping into high school for 2026 .

Back at school, our Year 6 students have been nurturing a thriving garden. The spinach and tomato plants in our raised beds are flourishing, thanks to the cheerful marigolds planted by our Prep students. This collaboration across year levels is a beautiful example of teamwork and care for our environment.

Another heartwarming initiative has been our regular visits to the Star of the Sea Aged Care Home. Year 6 students have been engaging with our elders through games, puzzles, colouring, and craft activities. These visits bring joy to both students and residents, with many students forming special bonds—some even reconnecting with relatives. The smiles on our elders’ faces say it all. These interactions are helping our students develop empathy, social skills, and a deeper appreciation for our elderly community, while also strengthening intergenerational connections.

In the digital realm, Year 6 has teamed up with Year 5 to participate in the Inform and Empower Cyber Safety Program. This initiative equips students with essential skills to navigate the online world safely and responsibly. From protecting personal information to recognizing cyberbullying and inappropriate content, students are learning through real-life scenarios they can relate to themselves. The program emphasizes the importance of open communication, encouraging students to speak to their parents first if anything concerning happens online.

Looking ahead, Year 6 will be hosting a School Disco on August 22nd from 5:30–9:00 PM, featuring our wonderful DJ Mr Pedro! Tickets will be available at the door, with snow cones, popcorn, drinks, glow sticks, and delicious kai kai for sale—either to enjoy on-site or take away. A huge thank you to our Year 6 parents for volunteering and cooking up a storm to support this fundraising event.

And don’t forget—Year 6 will also be running the Father’s Day Stall in Week 8, offering a range of fantastic gifts for Dad. So start saving coins and get ready to spoil the special men in your life! Year 6 is truly shining this term—through learning, leadership, and love for our community.                           

Year 3’s Cracking Coconut Adventure! 

On Wednesday, our curious Year 3 students swapped their classroom for the coconut-filled paradise of Hammond Island—and what a tropical treat it was! As part of their science unit on the life cycle and uses of the coconut tree, the students embarked on an exciting excursion to explore the island’s natural wonders firsthand.

They touched real coconuts at different stages and discovered how island communities use every part of the tree—from the husk to the leaves.

There were laughs, learning, and a whole lot of coconut-inspired curiosity. Who knew a humble coconut could be turned into so many things?

By the end of the day, our budding botanists were buzzing with facts! A huge thank you to Ms Leah, Ms Michelle and everyone on Hammond Island for making this unforgettable learning journey possible.