Dear Parents and Carers,

Over the weekend, we celebrated Father’s Day—or as we proudly call it, DUGS Day, honouring Dads, Uncles, Grandfathers, and other Significant Males. On Friday morning, we welcomed our DUGS into school with a bacon and egg breakfast, a few lively games of handball, and plenty of time to connect and catch up. Thank you to the teachers who helped cook and serve a great feast for our DUGS and students I would also like to thank Mrs Lapi-an for coordinating our Father’s Day stall and to our parents who helped with sales, while our students chose a special gift for their special DUGS.

In the Catholic tradition, St Joseph stands as a key father figure. As Jesus’ foster father, he stepped into a vital role—guiding, protecting, and shaping Jesus with quiet strength. A humble carpenter, Joseph embodied hard work, reliability, and deep faith, becoming a pillar for both Mary and Jesus. Reflecting on my own father, I feel incredibly blessed to have learned the values of loyalty, compassion, integrity, and justice.

I hope your Father’s Day was filled with love and gratitude, and that you had the chance to celebrate someone special in your life.

Father's Day Raffle Winners:

1st Prize - Max Robinson

2nd Prize - Gene Green

3rd Prize - Christian Borserio

National Child Protection Week

It is National Child Protection Week, the theme this year is “Every conversation matters, shifting conversation to action.” This focus reminds us that when we listen to others there are actions that we can take to help keep our children safe.

Natasha has worked over the past few weeks with our students in Art Club to create our submission for the Decorate your Space competition, which is a competition run in the Diocese for Child Protection Week.

Our artwork beautifully captures the message that every conversation matters when we seek to make a difference and shift conversation to action.

At the top, the white circle with dots represents our spirit and connection to God, grounding the piece in cultural and spiritual meaning. The central circle symbolises a meeting place—a space where people come together to share, listen, and grow through conversation. The bottom circle honours our elders—women, men, and children—reminding us that wisdom and support can come from many voices.

Surrounding the artwork, our students have added speech bubbles that reflect the diverse and meaningful conversations we can have with others. These bubbles show how talking with someone—whether to seek help or offer it—can uplift, heal, and strengthen our community.

Through this artwork, we celebrate the power of connection, the importance of listening, and the role of conversation in creating positive change.

Environmentors

Last week we had an Environmentors incursion. This incursion taught us all about how we can continue to be stewards of creation and care for our environment through litter management.

Our students learnt about common types of litter, the mentality of littering behaviour, the impact of litter on people, wildlife, and the environment and solutions to this issue.

Cooking with Mrs Hunt

Congratulations to Kaii, Ben, Emmett, and Matilda who chose cooking with Mrs Hunt for their PB4L reward. They enjoyed making honey joys and chocolate crackles to share with her class.

School Public Speaking Finals

Congratulations to all our students who competed in the School Public Speaking Finals! Two students from each stage proudly represented their peers, aiming for a place in the upcoming Regional Finals. The standard of speeches was exceptional, and the confidence shown by students from Kindergarten to Year 6 was truly inspiring. Public speaking is a lifelong skill, and it was wonderful to see our students embrace the challenge with such enthusiasm and poise. These experiences help build resilience, self-expression, and the ability to communicate effectively—skills they will carry with them into many areas of life. Best of luck to our school team Sienna Lapi-an, Ben Raison, Elke Axisa and Eliza Gaudron who will represent our school in the Regional Finals this week.

Upcoming information sessions and webinars for parents and carers

Parents and carers are the most important educators in their child’s life. To assist you in this important role, a list of upcoming webinars provided by reputable providers, free of charge, has been compiled and is available on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage.

A snapshot of Term 3 webinars is included below. More information about these webinars, including links to register, can be found on the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools webpage www.mn.catholic.edu.au/our-community/supporting-parents-and-carers/upcoming-parent-and-carer-information-sessions/

Recent studies have shown that children benefit greatly from having fathers who are present and interacting in everyday activities. This has transformed the understanding of how fathers shape children’s lives from the start, challenging conventional ideas of parenthood and gender.

Research also suggests that fathers influence their sons and daughters in different ways, which is especially true during their transition to adolescence. Engaging in regular physical activities can play a key role in influencing children to learn self-control, face challenges, regulate emotions and take manageable risks.

In this Special Report, fathers will learn about the positive impact they can have on their child’s mental health and wellbeing, whilst also ensuring they indulge in a little self-care.
Here is the link to your Special Report
Celebrating Father's day

Please join me in a prayer for our fathers.

Lord,

Bless all the dads and those who take the place of dads with Your wisdom, patience, and love. Guide them to be a source of strength and support for their families as they lean on You.

Amen.

God Bless.