Dear Parents and Carers, 

I am honoured and thrilled to write to you as the newly appointed principal of Nazareth Catholic Primary School. It is with great excitement and a deep sense of responsibility that I embark on this journey with you. As I officially step into this role, I want to share my enthusiasm for the future and my commitment to fostering an environment where every student, staff member, and parent feels valued and inspired. A school that is focused on continuous improvement, where faith, learning and wellbeing converge together to develop students who are great at life and leave school each day feeling successful. Thank you for entrusting me with the privilege of leading this beautiful school. I am confident that with your support, we will achieve great things and continue to build on the strong foundation that has been laid.

Next week we celebrate National Child Protection Week. A key message is that ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’. This message is complemented with the theme ‘Every conversation matters’. Conversations can help us understand issues, craft solutions, value community knowledge, and build the brains and social connections of children and young people. Over the next few weeks, as part of Child Protection Week, CatholicCare are hosting parent information sessions throughout the Diocese of Wollongong. On Tuesday 10 September, all parents and carers are warmly invited to join our CatholicCare Counsellor - Melina Altman, for a parent information session on 'Managing Big Emotions for your child/teen’ in our school library. The presentation will focus on: 

• Exploring how emotions impact our daily lives and why they are important 
• Learning strategies for regulating and managing intense emotions
• Discussing coping skills and techniques to handle emotional experiences 
• Highlighting the importance of self-care for both you and your child. 

To register please click on the link in the flyer attached to this newsletter 

One of our school priorities this year is to review and realign our vision, mission and core values. The purpose of this review is to ensure that everyone associated with the school are clear about our purpose and direction, so that we are providing the best possible Catholic education for your child. Mr Gary Quinn, CEDoW Leader for Staff Spiritual Formation and foundation Assistant Principal of Nazareth, has been engaged to work with our school community to comprehensively review the school’s mission, vision and core values. To assist in this process, we encourage all families to complete the Vision and Mission Parent Feedback Survey. It will only take a minute or two to complete and all feedback is greatly appreciated.  

I would like to express my appreciation to all the families, especially the fathers, father-figures and grandfathers who joined us today for the Father’s Day breakfast and liturgy. Thank you to the P & F executive for coordinating the breakfast and organising the Father’s Day stall. On Sunday, all families are warmly invited to attend the All Saints Father’s Day mass at 9:00am. Our Kindergarten children have been busy practising a reflective song for the mass. 

Due to warmer than expected temperatures, children may choose to wear their summer uniform from next week. The last four weeks of this term will be considered a transition phase to summer uniform. The official change over to summer uniform will be the beginning of Term 4.

I wish all our fathers a happy Father’s Day for Sunday, 

Mr Matt Downes 

(Principal)