27th February - Swimming Carnival Trials

4th March - Shrove Tuesday

5th March -Ash Wednesday Mass, 11.45am (Yrs 2-6) and Ash Wednesday Liturgy, 9.15am (Receptions and Year 1)

12th March - Parents & Friend Meeting 7pm

17th March - Year 6 Camp Departure

18th March - School Tour 9.30am - 10.30am

19th March - Year 6 Camp Return

28th March - Year 5 Surf Education 

31st March - Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival

3rd April - School Tour 9.30am - 10.30am

11th April - End of Term 12:30 finish

Dear Parents and Community Members,

What a great joy it was last week re-connecting with students and families after 2 terms away. It was delightful to see the children so happy to be back at school excited to commence their school year. The children have settled to school well and we look forward to another year of growth.

It was great to see many parents taking the time to meet their child’s teacher last Monday or Tuesday evening and foster a strong connection between school and home which will best support your child’s development.

Frank’s Leave

My leave in the second half of last year was filled with mixed emotions. I had the difficult task of moving my mum, who is suffering with dementia, into a nursing home and helping her to settle to a new reality of life. Many of you have been on that journey and would resonate the emotional demand of this process and sorting out the financial matters required.  Following this difficult stage, I then had the joy of travelling to Greece to celebrate my niece’s wedding in Chania on the island of Crete. My niece Jasmine and her husband Stefan married on an olive grove surrounded by beautiful hills. With the 32 guests who made their way from South Australia, with the tasty Greek food arriving and the beautiful Greek music playing in the background, I truly felt I was in a movie. Following a few weeks in Greece, I travelled with my family to Spain and Portugal.

Upon my return in Term 4, I took the opportunity to be part of a pilgrimage called ‘In the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop’. I had the privilege to deepen my knowledge of this extraordinary woman and followed her life chronologically starting in Melbourne, Penola, Adelaide and finished in Sydney. I have been learning about Mary MacKillop for over 30 years now, yet I am still learning so much about this remarkable woman who was given such a tough time yet throughout her life she had an unshakeable faith and belief in the God, a strong sense of hope and refused to speak badly about others, even when they unfairly treated her.

I would like to thank Ms Catia Frasca, our Acting Principal, who in many ways I see as a modern-day Mary MacKillop. With the support of staff and community leaders, Ms Frasca has continued progressing the school forward in so many different areas.

Stage 2 Masterplan

One of the areas of progress was the proposed design for Stage 2 of the masterplan for the School. Ms Frasca was instrumental in consulting and finalising the 6 different components of Stage 2 of the Masterplan which is all about extending and improving our outdoor play areas for all our children. Consequently, we are in a position to demolish 30, 30a and 32 Ranelagh St starting next week on Monday the 10th of February, and this should take around 3 weeks.

This first component of Stage 2 will give us an opportunity to create outdoor learning and recreational spaces for our students, converting the area into a vibrant space with natural grass and nature play equipment for our Reception, year 1 and Year 2 and simultaneously creating more space for our children to play.

I thank you in advance for your patience over the next 3 weeks as there will be more trucks than usual on Ranelagh Street which may affect traffic and parking on that side of the school.

Kind Regards

Frank Congedi 

Welcome Back!

I too find myself back with your wonderful, welcoming community for another term.  Josh Page (The Substantive APRIM) has been appointed to the role of Acting Deputy Head of Campus at St Patrick’s Special School, Dulwich for Term 1.  We wish him well in his new community. 

About forty days ago we celebrated the joyful feast of the birth of Jesus. Last Monday, at Community Prayer, we gathered to remember the day when Jesus was brought to the temple.  This is called the feast of the Presentation of the Lord when Mary, Jesus’ mother, followed Jewish custom and went to the Temple in Jerusalem to present her Son to God. This day is also known as, ‘Candlemas’.  It is a special day with candles when we remember Jesus as the ‘Light of the World’. This centuries-old tradition became known as ‘Candlemas as it marks the official end of the Christmas season.  Led by the spirit, two people in Jesus’ time called Simeon and Anna went to the temple and recognised Jesus as their Lord, and proclaimed him with JOY. 

As we welcome the beginning of our school year may we stay close to Jesus, who is the light of the world, and pray that we too remain joyful and filled with gratitude for the gift of Jesus, His teachings, His mercy and love.

At the end of community prayer each class received a new class candle to use each day symbolising Jesus and as a reminder that He is the true source of light and strength in our lives. 

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Mary MacKillop Virtues

As a Josephite School we uphold Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop’s gifts of character by focusing on eight of her virtues and specifically two each term.

You may have noticed them displayed on the sides of the office bench as you walk into the office.

This term students will be focusing on ‘Kindness’. When we think of Mary MacKillop walking in the footsteps of Jesus she stood out as someone who showed love in abundance to those in need and was a peacemaker in all things.  She gave caring attention to others that would’ve brought them happiness. How can we be like her and outwardly live this virtue in our interactions with others?

If staff notice students being consistently kind and have an extraordinary way of showing kindness in the ordinary of every day they may be nominated to receive a Mary MacKillop Award and presented with a certificate at Community Prayer in week 5. These virtues are not merely aspirational and only shown by a select few – they are the essence of who we all are as a community.

Sacramental Program

Our 2025 Sacramental Program has begun.  So far we have 15 children registered from Year 3 to Year 6.  Last Wednesday night the candidates and parents gathered in the Mary MacKillop Centre for a Reconciliation meeting. Each student received a booklet to work through at home with their families before the celebrations in March.  Please find a complete timeline of meetings and celebrations throughout the year.

If you missed the registration process and still want your child to join, you have until March 19th to join.  Please see the front office staff for a registration form or email the Sacramental Coordinator, Kirtsy sacramental.coordinator@croydonparkparish.com.au

We are excited to continue  ‘Parent Corner’  in our fortnightly newsletters.  Parent Corner provides valuable information and parenting advice. We understand the challenges and joys that come with raising children, and we want to support you in your journey.

Our school is subscribed to Happy Families,  owned and run by Dr Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s leading parenting experts, the membership offers a wealth of parenting education in the form of articles called ‘Insights’. Insights articles are written by Dr Justin and other leading experts and provide parenting advice and support for a wide variety of traditional and contemporary parenting challenges.

In Parent Corner, you can expect to find tips and insights on various parenting topics, including child development, health and wellness, education, and more. We believe that sharing knowledge and experiences can help us all become better parents and create a nurturing environment for our children to thrive.

This week’s Insight’s article, ‘the hidden benefits of your child's back-to-school butteries  ’, focuses on how the start of a school year brings a unique mixture of emotions for both parents and children. Whether your little one is taking their first steps into kindergarten, starting a whole new school (or high school), or just moving up to a new year level with friends, that utter of anxiety in their stomach (and yours) is completely normal. These transitions are crucial moments for emotional growth.

Please click on the attachment below to read the article. 

For more parenting information, visit the Happy Families website: https://happyfamilies.com.au./

Thank you for being a part of our community. We look forward to sharing this new resource with you and supporting each other in our parenting endeavours.

Grace Loizos

Wellbeing Leader

gloizos@whitefriars.catholic.edu.au

• Week 3 - TERM 1
• Monday - 10th February - Help needed
• Tuesday - 11th February - Help needed
• Wednesday - 12th February - No Help needed
• Thursday - 13th February - Tina Bodjo/Helen Burns-Clarke
• Friday - 14th February - Help Needed

• Week 4 - TERM 1
• Monday - 17th February -Help needed
• Tuesday - 18th February - Help needed
• Wednesday - 19th February - No help needed
• Thursday - 20th February - Tina Bodjo/Helen Burns-Clarke
• Friday - 21 February - Help needed

We have over 280 registered volunteers who help our school in so many different ways, contributing to our school and supporting children and staff.  Registered volunteers contribute to the school community in just some of the following ways:

• School Board 
• Parents & Friends events
• After School Sports (Coaches and Team Managers)
• Canteen
• Learning Assistance Program (LAP)
• Reading with children
• Assisting at excursions

All volunteers are required to obtain appropriate clearances, including a Department of Human Services (DHS) Clearance and Catholic Clearance.

Once submitted, clearances may take up to 6 weeks to process.

When you receive your clearance or card please bring this into the office for us to update to the Volunteer Register.

If you would like to volunteer, please see staff in the front office for a Volunteer Information Pack and support in registering as a volunteer.

Please see below for current volunteers wanted in our school.

Dear Families,

We are currently conducting Term 3, 2026 student enrolment interviews.

Term 1, 2027 interviews will be scheduled in Term 1, 2025.

All interviews are usually scheduled 2 years before commencement date.

PLEASE ENSURE ALL SIBLINGS ARE ENROLLED FOR ALL FUTURE YEARS.

Thank you 

If you child/children will not be attending school for an extended time (more than 5 days) please complete the below form and email back to us at info@whitefriars.catholic.edu.au in advance.

This form is now also available to be completed in the Audiri app - via the Forms tab and select the Extended Leave Form and submit.

Please note a form must be completed for each child.

Thank you 

We acknowledge and pay our respect to the Kaurna people as the traditional owners of the land of Mikawomma on which Whitefriars Catholic School is located.  We come with open hearts and minds to listen and learn from Elders - past, present and emerging.