Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Term 3.

I hope that the holiday period provided a pleasing break from the Monday to Friday routine of school. It is always pleasing to hear stories of great holiday experiences and quality time spent with families. The children have quickly settled back into school life and the term ahead promises to be an exciting time for our school community.

Last week, Individual Student NAPLAN Reports were sent home to all families in Year 3 and Year 5. These reports provide valuable insights into your child’s academic progress and highlights their strengths and areas for potential growth. Please remember that NAPLAN is just one snapshot of your child’s academic progress and should be viewed as part of a broader assessment of their capabilities. All children need to be congratulated on their effort and achievements, there is much to celebrate with Nazareth achieving above the national average in all areas. Should you wish to have a more in-depth discussion about your child's results, please contact their classroom teacher via the front office.

On Sunday 28 July, we celebrated the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. This date is chosen to coincide with the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne (grandparents of Jesus), which was celebrated on 26 July. The Nazareth community will be celebrating Grandparents Day on Wednesday 7 August. This is a special day where we honour and appreciate the important role that grandparents play in our lives. All parents, carers and grandparents are warmly invited to join us in celebrating and giving thanks for the beautiful gift of grandparents. The morning will commence with mass (9:00am) and will be followed by morning (10:15am) tea and open classrooms (10:45am). Please save the date and share it with the grandparents within your families.      

Commencing this week, parents will now be notified on Wednesday afternoon via Compass if their child is to receive a merit award at the Friday afternoon assembly. Hopefully this will provide working families with an opportunity to make arrangements so they can attend the presentation of merit awards if they choose to do so. 

The theme for the 2024 Children's Book Week is "Reading is Magic”. This year we will be celebrating Book Week on Friday 16 August will our annual Book Week Parade. On this day students are invited to come to school dressed as their favourite book character. The parade will commence at 8:45am. Parents, carers, and grandparents are warmly invited to join us for the celebration!

The Parents and Friends termly general meeting will be held tonight, Thursday 1 August. All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend via the following Zoom link: https://dowcatholic.zoom.us/j/63661444170 The meeting will commence at 7:00pm, I look forward to seeing you there.

On Thursday 8 August and Friday 9 August I will be attending the Year 6 overnight excursion in Canberra. In my absence Mr Andrew Edwards will be acting principal. 

Wishing you a wonderful week.

Kind regards, 

Mr Matt Downes 

(Acting Principal)