Dear Parents and Carers, 

As we continue the season of Lent, we are invited to consider the ways in which we prepare for the greatest time of the Church year - Easter. Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and for doing so with quiet humility. It is a time for us to practice good habits and to become more Christ-like in our interactions with others and with our world. All students at Nazareth are learning about Lent in their Religious Education lessons. I invite you to engage in conversations with your child/ren so that they can share their knowledge with you, and to share time in prayer with your child during Lent, perhaps via attendance at one of the weekend masses.

To date we have received high number of applications for Kindergarten 2026. If you have a younger child who you plan on sending to school next year, please ensure you complete an application form as soon as possible. If you know of a family with a prospective Kindergarten enrolment, please encourage them to enrol now.

The leadership team is currently preparing a Self-Review Report to present to the external School Cyclic Inquiry Panel. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community, we would greatly appreciate your feedback via the 2025 Parent Feedback Survey. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and well-being. The survey should only take a minute to complete. Thank you to the parents who have already completed the survey. 

This Saturday, children from across the parish will complete their first confession with Fr Joe and Fr Hung. Congratulations to all the children and their parents, for their commitment to the Reconciliation workshops. The children are well prepared and understand the importance of acknowledging their sins before seeking forgiveness.

On Friday 25 April, members of the School Spirit Team and I will be attending the Shellharbour City ANZAC Day Commemoration Service. The service will commence at 7:35am at the Shellharbour City Memorial, Harrison Park. Parents / carers and children of Nazareth are most welcome to join us for this significant event.

The official change over to the winter uniform is Monday, 19 May (Week 4 Term 2). However, the winter uniform may be worn from the commencement of Term 2, if the weather necessitates the need to. Term 2 sport uniform days remain the same as Term 1 for all students from Kindergarten to Year 6. Please review the uniform policy for uniform requirements before the commencement of next term. 

As we approach the end of Term 1, I would like to extend my sincere thank you for your continued support throughout what has been a very productive start to 2025. Thank you also to our committed staff, who work tirelessly in catering for the needs of your children. I am often reminded by new families, as I show them around the classrooms and school facilities, of the respectful, inclusive and supportive learning environment that exists for the children at Nazareth. 

• Friday 11 April – Last Day Term 1
• Monday 28 April – Staff Development Day 
• Tuesday 29 April – Term 2 commences 

I hope that the upcoming holiday period provides your family with some time together and a restful break from the routine of school. Have a happy, relaxing and safe holiday break.

Kind regards,

Mr Matt Downes 

(Principal)

Mass with the Bishop

Last Friday Bishop Brian Mascord celebrated mass in the church with our students from years 3-6. We were joined in the church by students from Stella Maris and Corpus Christi. It was a great opportunity to come together in faith. Following mass, representatives from our school spirit team had the opportunity to engage in a Q& A session with the Bishop and share lunch with him. 

Wednesday Faith & Learning 

On Wednesday in Week 11, Kindergarten and Year 5 students will have their Faith and Learning visit at 9am and all parents are invited back to the classroom to have the opportunity to see what their child is learning in their classroom.

The Pilgrims of Hope- Jubilee Year Passport

This afternoon your child (Years 2-6) would have received home with them a booklet “The Pilgrims of Hope - Jubilee Year Passport”. These passports have been specifically designed by our Diocese as a resource for the 2025 Holy Year of the Jubilee.

Held every 25 years, the goal of a Jubilee Year is to inspire and encourage us in embracing the Church's universal call to holiness and to mission, strengthening us in our witness to God’s love and mercy for all people.

Bishop Brian Mascord has encouraged these passports to be distributed amongst our schools, so as to develop a fuller understanding of the purpose of this Jubilee Year, but also, to embrace some simple practices of prayerfulness, pilgrimage and service—helping individuals open themselves more fully to the love and mercy of God in the process.

You will find on the first page of the passport an explanation of how you can participate.

Should you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the school or the parish.

This term, 2L has been learning about the Annunciation, where Mary said "Yes" to God's plan, and how this moment is connected to the events of Holy Week. We have explored the significance of Mary's faith and how her response teaches us about trust and obedience to God. We have also discussed the different images of God that we see in Holy Week, from the joyful arrival of Jesus to His sacrifice. It's been a wonderful journey of faith and learning for Year 2L!

We have had such an incredible start to Kindergarten in KS! Starting big school has been such a wonderful achievement for us all, and we have developed such a love for learning already. We have done so many exciting things like met our Year 5 buddies, celebrated our Feast Day, ran in the Cross Country, got to eat yummy pancakes for Shrove Tuesday, and we even got to bring in our teddies for filling up our Star Jar for the first time!

In English, we have been having so much fun in our finger gym groups where we are building and strengthening our fine motor skills. We have also been learning how to say and blend sounds so that we can read and write words. We have been learning about character through reading and responding to narratives, like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. We used this text to make our own map to go on a Mr Downes hunt! 

In Religion, we have been reading stories about Jesus and how he is like the Good Shepherd. We paint pictures to respond to and reflect on the stories we hear from the Bible. 

We can’t wait to come back next term to continue growing our minds and having fun at school with our new friends! 

Congratulations:

Congratulations to the following students for their representative sporting selections.

Boys & Girls Football: Congratulations Aubrey P & Thomas L for being selected to attend the combined South & West Football trials. We look forward to hearing how the combined trials go on Monday, good luck!

11s Rugby League: Congratulations to Jedd K & Ziggy E who have been selected in the Diocese of Wollongong 11 Years Rugby League Team. Good luck at the NSW MacKillop Rugby League Trials in Canberra in May. 

MacKillop Hockey: Congratulations to Eli B who has been selected in the NSW MacKillop Hockey team. We look forward to hearing how the MacKillop team goes at the NSWPSSA Hockey event. 

Sydney Swans: Congratulations to Scarlett B who has been selected in the Sydney Swans Academy Team. Scarlett was pinpointed and selected out of a large number of children her age. This squad provides players of many ages a mix of skill development, fitness training and high-level competition to help develop their football acumen.

Weekly Training:

The Nazareth Rugby Union team will be training each Wednesday morning from 7.45am. The hall/car park gate will be open for children to access the oval. Children will need to wear clothing appropriate for training including football boots and a mouth guard. Children will change into their school uniform at the end of the training session before going to class. 

Upcoming Events:

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. This event has been published on Compass. Please ensure your child has consent by the due date if they wish to attend. 

Cross Country Championships- May 6 (Term 2). This event is for the Nazareth Cross Country team. These students will attend the Willandra cross country course in Nowra. Please check Compass after the Nazareth Cross Country Carnival for details and if your child is part of the Nazareth team. 

Rugby 7s Gala Day- May 7 (Term 2). This event is for the Nazareth Rugby Union Team (11 and 12 Years). We will take expressions of interest next week (week 9) for this team who will also take part in the Rugby Knockout in late June. 

PRINCIPAL AWARDS

Zara C

Rafael N

Arthur K

MERIT AWARDS

Mason M, Christelle D C, Liza K, Archie V, Lola V, Amalia R, Patrick H, Harvey M, Taj S, Lukas S, Hugh C, Parker L, Evie E, Aubrey P

During Week 10 our focus is on two aspects of PB4L which are very important at Nazareth: our Correction Sequence and no hat no play rule in the playground.

During class teachers will explicitly teach the posters for First Reminder, Second Reminder and Consequence. Teachers will discuss with their class what is expected following a reminder and what consequences will result from behaviour choices. This will lead children to understand and use reminders as an opportunity to consider what behaviours they need to change in order to be successful.

Teachers will also remind the students to continually wear their hat whilst playing.  On the occasions they forget a hat, they will remain in the shade during play time.

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/