Dear Parents and Carers, 

Yesterday, Wednesday 5 March, the NSC community marked the beginning of Lent with an Ash Wednesday mass and liturgy. The forty days of Lent, not including Sundays, reflects the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness strengthening his own relationship with his Father. Lent is a time of reflection, prayer, and giving. A time for us to practice good habits and to make ourselves a little bit more in Christ’s image. Lent reminds us that this is the season to turn away from our worldly distractions and journey back to God. In Bishop Brian’s Lenten Pastoral Message - Hope of Lent, we as people of faith are invited to use lent as a time to rediscover God’s love. One question we often ask the children is, “What can you do to be a better person? How can you help someone today?". Lent provides the opportunity for all of us to reflect on our actions and how we can be more like Christ in our daily interactions. 

On Tuesday 4 March, Isla and Finn from our School Spirit Team represented our school at the Diocesan Launch of Caritas Australia Project Compassion. Isla and Finn were joined by student representatives from across the diocese as Bishop Brian celebrated a Liturgy of the Word. The launch of Caritas Australia Project Compassion was an opportunity to reflect on the importance of almsgiving during the time of Lent. Almsgiving is one of the three pillars of Lent, along with prayer and fasting. Thank you for your support of Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) in raising $456.36 for Project Compassion. 

Thank you to everyone who attended the Return to School Sausage Sizzle last Thursday. It was a beautiful afternoon, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and connecting with the Nazareth families. A special thank you must go to the Nazareth staff for organising and running this wonderful, community building event.

At last Friday’s Parents and Friends Association AGM, the following parents were elected to the P & F Executive: 

President - Rebecca Dzirins (Kindergarten)

Vice President - Giustina Lakovski (Year 4 and Year 5)

Treasurer - Bradley Kerr (Kindergarten)

Assistant Treasurer - Kattra O’Brien (Year 1 and Year 3)

Secretary – VACANT

The P & F Secretary position currently remains vacant. If anyone would be interested in taking on this role, please contact me via the front office. I would like to acknowledge the newly elected committee and their dedication to building an inclusive school community for the betterment of all the children. I am truly grateful for their service and look forward to working with them throughout the school year. The next P & F general meeting will be held on Friday 4 April at 8:45am in the school library, please save the date. 

We are currently accepting applications for Kindergarten 2026. If you know of a family with a prospective Kindergarten enrolment, please encourage them to enrol now via the link below. School tours for prospective new families will be held next Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The school tours are targeted towards those interested in enrolling their child in Kindergarten 2026. For more information, please view the flyer attached below.

During Week 10 and 11, Monday 31 March to Friday 11 April, Learning Conversations (previously known as parent teacher interviews) will be held for all students in Years 1 to 6. When teachers and parents work together, students are more likely to succeed and have a positive school experience. Children in Years 3 to 6 are strongly encouraged to attend the Learning Conversation and be active participants in sharing their learning goals and achievements. Bookings for Learning Conversations will be made available to parents at the beginning of Week 8.

Wishing all families a wonderful week ahead, 

Mr Matt Downes 

(Principal)

Reconciliation

For Year 3 parents who have enrolled their child in the program for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, workshops commence on Tuesday at 3pm, 5pm and Wednesday at 3pm.

Please be on time to the workshops. Also ensure your child brings their workbook with them and you have completed ONLY the ‘Home Activity’ before the first workshop.  Please remain at the workshop with your child. It is your time to have a conversation with your child and to share your memories to help them make connections

Workshops will be held in the Year 6 classrooms.

Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)

Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day. On this day Year 6 students flipped pancakes for the entire school in return for a gold coin donation.  All money raised will go to Project Compassion to “Unit Against Poverty this Lent”. At the end of the day there were still a number of pancake shaker mixes leftover so students were given the opportunity to purchase a shaker bottle for a coin donation. In next week’s newsletter we will let you know how much money was raised for Project Compassion.  Thank you to the generous families who gave donations for their child to have pancakes and raise money for this very important charity.

Ash Wednesday

This week the students in Years 3-6 attended Mass at 9am on Wednesday for Ash Wednesday, the holy day of prayer and fasting lasting 40 days that marks the beginning of Lent. Students in Kindergarten to Year 2 attended a liturgy in the hall to receive the Ashes and listen to the Word of God. The ashes are a reminder to us all that we need to repent and turn back to God.

Project Compassion Launch

On Tuesday the Project Compassion launch was held at St Francis of Assisi Warrawong.  School Spirit leaders Isla and Finn accompanied Mr Downes and Mrs Mammone to a liturgy with Bishop Brian. Many families will have received a small Project Compassion box. Any donations you place in these boxes between now and the end of term will go towards bringing clean drinking water and great hygiene to communities around the world. Not all families have received a Project Compassion box and they will be coming in the next couple of days.

Wednesday Faith & Learning 

There was no Faith and Learning visit this week as all children either went to mass for or participated in a liturgy in the hall for Ash Wednesday. Next week Year 6 students will attend mass on Wednesday morning and parents are invited back to the classroom to have the opportunity to see what their child is learning in their classroom. 

We look forward to seeing families join us for mass and classroom visits afterward.

In year 3 we are learning about Creation. We listened to the story of Creation. On the first day he made light and dark. Then he made the sky and the waters. Then God made land and plants. After that he made the stars and the sun. He then made ocean animals and birds. On the sixth day God made humans and then on the seventh day he rested. (Felix)

3H wrote journal entries to thanks God for Creation, here are some of the things we wrote:

• I see God in creation at the beach because I feel calm when I'm at the beach (Ariella)
• I feel God is with me at school because I go to a Catholic school (Ethan)
• My favourite place is the beach because I get to swim under the waves with my family and it makes me happy (Jude)
• Down the coast is the most beautiful place on the Earth I have ever seen so that's why I love Creation (Kendrix)
• I can feel God when I am in Byron Bay because when I go there I am happy (Evie)

Year 6 has had an exciting and productive start to the year! The students have been hard at work across all key learning areas, diving deep into new topics and hands-on investigations.

In History, we have been exploring the structure of the Australian government and how it operates. As part of this unit, the students completed a research task focusing on the Governor-General and uncovering key information about their role and responsibilities. Their findings have provided great insight into this important position in our country’s leadership.

In Science, we have been investigating how living things grow, survive, and respond to physical conditions in their environment. To bring this learning to life, the students have been conducting an exciting experiment—growing mould on bread! This hands-on inquiry is helping us understand the effects of different environmental factors on microorganisms. We can't wait to see the results unfold!

Be sure to check out some of our research projects and scientific findings. Mrs. Carlon and Mrs. Mammone are so proud of the effort and enthusiasm Year 6 has shown in their learning so far this term!

Mark Taylor Shield

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected in the Nazareth Cricket team to compete in the Mark Taylor Shield match against St John’s on March 20

-Jedd K

-Brody J

-Harrison T

-Carter O

-Oliver C

-Eli B

-James W

-Matilda M

-Mason M

-Saxon R

-Zach M

-Cohen H

-Archie S

-Aubrey P

Nazareth Swimming Successes:

Congratulations to the following students who have qualified for the Wollongong Swimming Selection Trials this Friday:

-Eli B

-Kaley G

-Iyla H

-Lennox W

-James W

-Brody J

-Hayden R

-Matilda M

-Aubrey P

-Abigail S

Upcoming Events:

Swimming South Coast (select students)- Tuesday 4 March. This event is for the children who are selected in the Nazareth Swimming Team after the Nazareth Primary Swimming Carnival.

Nazareth Cross Country Carnival- Friday 21 March. This event will be held at school. More information to come via Compass in the coming weeks. 

Catholic Wollongong Legends Gala Day- Thursday 10 April. This event is for boys Years 3-6 and girls in Years 5 & 6. Boys in Years 3-6 will play tackle Rugby League with girls in Year 5 & 6 playing League Tag. The students are currently able to sign up and express their interest. 

2025 Representative Trial Nominations

We are still waiting for final confirmation for the lists of children who have been invited to trial for Rugby Union. Please continue to check Compass for when this information is released. 

During Week 6 our PB4L focus will be structured around rules and play in the lunchtime calm room. Each class will revise the various aspects of the room and understand that this room is for students who have approval by their classroom teacher only. There are only 15 students who can access this room at a time. Alternate options are chess club which runs Monday-Thursday in the library. Students will acknowledge that this is a quiet space for students who really need it. All students will have access to the playground, however if they do not have a hat on they must sit in the shade.

IGNATION MEDAL

Azariah I

PRINCIPAL AWARDS

Michael M

Ariella E

Lucas B

Bethany F

Aveena A

Kaley A

NAZARETH AWARDS

Azariah I

MERIT AWARDS

Hannah C, Elijah C-R, Olivia D, Nixon J, Austin C, Ojuan V, Aaliyah S, Airley-Jean H, Christian I, Azariah I, Zoe J, Ashton H.

NAZARETH PROMOTIONAL FILM

The film captures a day in the life of a Nazareth student.
Click https://youtu.be/olug9FWvZQI to view the film

FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM PAGE FOR NAZARETH

If you haven't already please follow our school pages to keep up to date with events at school and for photos and updates from across the school. 

Please click on the direct links to follow our pages:

www.facebook.com/nazareth.shellhabour

www.instagram.com/nazareth.shellharbour

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY 

Please click on the below link for a direct link to the social media policy.

https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/about-us/policies/social-media-policy/