Dear Parents and Carers, 

Welcome to Term 2!

I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable holiday break. It was a delight to visit each class last week and hear so many joyful stories about the holidays. It’s clear that many wonderful memories were made.

Over the break, we received the sad news of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. As the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, he was a global advocate for peace, compassion, and inclusivity, touching the lives of millions around the world. We hold the College of Cardinals in our prayers as they gather to discern and elect his successor. This is a deeply significant and historic time in the life of the Church, and we await the outcome of the Papal Conclave with prayerful anticipation.

Thank you to Monica Martinez Plazas for recently accepting the nomination of Parents and Friends Association Secretary. All P & F executive positions have been filled for 2025.

President - Rebecca Dzirins (Kindergarten)

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

Secretary – Monica Martinez Plazas (Kindergarten)

Treasurer - Bradley Kerr (Kindergarten)

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

I would like to acknowledge the 2025 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 the new initiatives they plan to introduce throughout the school year. The first initiative is the introduction of the School Family Community Business Handbook! For further details on how to register your business please view the P & F section below. 

This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day, a special time of recognition and celebration for the gift of our mothers. Last Friday, it was wonderful to see so many mothers join the Nazareth community for a special breakfast and liturgy. I wish all mothers and grandmothers a happy Mother’s Day for this Sunday. Thank you to the Parents and Friends Association for organising and running last week’s Mother's Day Stall. It was hugely successful, and the children loved the opportunity to choose and purchase a gift. 

This Sunday at 9:00am, we will celebrate a special Mother’s Day mass with the parish, everyone is warmly invited to attend. Our Kindergarten students will be performing a special reflective song during the mass. 

Enrolment interviews for kindergarten 2026 commenced this week. If you haven’t applied for kindergarten 2026 and you plan to, please do so as a matter of urgency. We have limited places available and demand for placement is high. Offers will be made at the conclusion of Term 2.

During the month of May, we will be collecting valuable data on a range of aspects of school life, practice and procedures from the perspectives of students, parents and teachers via the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) survey platform. This data will provide valuable insights that will be used to inform school planning and decision making. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community, we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide is anonymous and will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at Nazareth. Please click here to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey -
http://tellthemfromme.com/nazareth 

Today and tomorrow, I am in Canberra with the Year 6 students for their overnight excursion. In my absence Mr Andrew Edwards is acting principal. 

Wishing you a wonderful week.

Kind regards, 

Mr Matt Downes

(Principal)

Nazareth Parents and Friends Association Update

Term 2 is here already!! The P&F has once again organised a great Mother’s Day stall for the children at Nazareth to come and purchase a little gift for that special person. We made $1500 from the stall that will go towards resources for the school. 

We hope that everyone enjoyed the Mother’s Day breakfast and a yummy treat! A big thank you to Emma from Bayside Pantry for the great coffee. We also hope that everyone had the opportunity to snap a quick picture using the photo wall provided, a big thank you to Rebecca for your creativity and the staff for organising and serving the food. 

The P&F is happy to announce that we recently purchased some new soccer goals for the children. We hope that they enjoy kicking goals and having fun! The goals were $700.

This term the P&F will be hosting an infants and a primary disco on Thursday 19 June. Entry will be $5 per child and they will receive a lolly bag and popper on arrival. There will also be glow sticks and accessories to purchase. Cash is preferred but card purchases will also be available on the night. More details will follow so keep an eye out!

NEW P & F INITIATIVE - Support Local – Grow Our School Community! 

Introducing the School Family Community Business Handbook!
A one-stop guide to connect and support businesses within our school community.

Advertise your business for just $20!

• Promote your business to fellow school families – we also welcome submissions from companies you work for, or businesses run by your family and friends
• Encourage the community to shop local
• All funds raised go directly to the P&F to support school initiatives

What you get:
✅ Your business name, contact details, short description
✅ Your logo included
✅ Featured in both printed and digital copies

How to get involved:

1. Complete the submission form: https://forms.gle/baGnAQxZHkwHG8JM9
2. Make a $20 payment to: 
   BSB   066711
   ACC   004388
   NAME Nazareth PS P&F 
   REF: Handbook: Your Business Name

? Deadline for submissions: COB Friday 30 May

Any questions? Please email the P&F at nscpandf@dow.catholic.edu.au

? Let’s strengthen our community by supporting one another!

Confirmation

If your child is in Year 6 or older and you are planning to bring them forward to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation, you should have already enrolled your child. This weekend at all masses enrolment forms, along with $25, will be collected. You will be advised of Confirmation workshop times and given the opportunity to indicate your time preferences. nYou will be advised the following weekend of your workshop allocation. 

If you are absent from mass this weekend, you will only be able to make preferences according to the vacancies. Workshops will commence Tuesday, 27 May

Mother’s Day

This Sunday morning at 9am Kindergarten will be attending mass in honour of Mother’s Day and will be singing during reflection time after the Eucharist. Join us at mass and delight in the joy of our Kindergarten students.

Wednesday Faith & Learning 

This week students from Year 5 celebrated their Faith and Learning visits. Thank you to all of the parents and families who attend mass and then follow the students to the classroom. Your support is invaluable.

On Wednesday in Week 3 (next week), Year 2 students will have their Faith and Learning visit with mass being at 9am and all parents are invited back to the classroom to see what their child is learning in their classroom.

Save the Date

On Friday, 23 May we will be celebrating the feast of Mary, Help of Christians. All families are warmly invited to attend mass with their children.

We celebrated Easter over the holidays, and have enjoyed learning about the Easter season. We were surprised to find out that Easter lasts for fifty days! Here are some of things we have enjoyed learning about:

In our recent English unit, 2E students delved into the rich traditions of Chinese New Year by exploring the legend of Nian, the mythical dragon that once frightened villagers. According to the legend, Nian would emerge from the sea each year in Spring to terrorise the village. To protect themselves, Mai, a young girl, discovered that the colour red, bright lights, and loud noises could scare Nian away. This led to the customs we associate with Chinese New Year today, including red decorations, fireworks, and lion dances. Inspired by this story, students created their own dragon artworks. They incorporated elements from the legend bringing their interpretations of Nian to life!

Luka D, Mila O, Benicio G, Kobe Z, April C, Andre G, Jaxon T, Jayla Z, Emilia D, Alaska S, Mason S, Chloe C, Harper Mc, Evie M, Veronica O, Donovan M, Emilia G, Sophia K, Evie A, Saxon H, Callan G, Dalel H, Eli B, Frederick F, Spencer T, Brax S, Alexis H.

Congratulations:

Congratulations to James W & Jedd K who were selected in the Diocese of Wollongong Rugby Union team. They will head to Forbes with the Wollongong team on June 29 & 30 to trial for the MacKillop Rugby Union Team. Goodluck boys!

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:

Cross Country Championships- New Date- Tuesday May 27. 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. 

Sam Bremner Girls Rugby League Tackle Gala Day- Tuesday June 17. We are currently taking expressions of interest for this tackle gala day. This event is for girls turning 11 and 12 in 2025. Keep an eye on Compass for further details. 

Nazareth Athletics Carnival- Wednesday June 18. This event is compulsory for all students K-6 to attend. Children 8 years and up will be able to enter competitive track and field events. A Compass event will be released in the coming weeks for consent and nominations. 

Netball Gala Day- Tuesday June 24. Expressions of interest have closed for this gala day. Boys and girls from Year 3-6 have been invited to attend. Please see Compass in the coming weeks for further details. 

PRINCIPAL AWARDS

Lily R

Emmanuel W

Aria G

Kobe Z

Liza K

Bowdi B

Adelise M

Brody J

Flynn S

Veronica O

MERIT AWARDS

During Week 2 our focus for PB4L throughout the school is playground games. In class, teachers will ensure students know the games they can play in their area/s during recess and lunch and that they are required to play them in a safe and friendly way. Children will be encouraged to follow the rules and use any equipment for games appropriately and pack it away when they have finished.

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/