As the term draws to an end we see the last of our Grade Prayer Celebrations this Wednesday. It has been lovely to welcome parents back into school to join with their children for these wonderful times of prayer. If you were not able to attend, please know that our intention is to make them a regular term event for each grade so keep an eye out for the term overview which will come out early next term to add to your calendar. It is so lovely having parents and family members join the students and I thank everyone who has been able to attend.

I would like to warmly welcome our new school counsellors, Courtenay Gaze and Kim Ovari. Courtenay will be working every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and Kim will work on Wednesdays for the remainder of the 2025 school year. Courtenay and Kim have been working through all the referrals and will also be running some group sessions for the students commencing next term. If you would like your child to see the school counsellor at any time there is a link to complete a referral form on the Parents page of the school website.

These last two weeks has seen students participating in many different sporting opportunities. We held our school Cross Country Carnival which turned out to be a wonderful day with such great participation by all students, amazing parent support and fabulous weather. There have also been various gala days, trials and Mackillop sporting events. I would like to congratulate all students for the efforts and participation in these different sporting opportunities. We have two students, Douglas Dixon and Bentley Williams, who have made it through to state level for swimming which is an outstanding achievement. Congratulations boys and I wish you every success in your next competition later this week. I sincerely thank all parents who were able to support the children and volunteer for these sporting events, without which the students would miss out on such opportunities. A huge thanks is also offered to the teachers who generously put in extra to manage these events and sporting enrolment processes to ensure our students can access such wonderful opportunities.

On the last Friday of the school holidays, 25^th April, the nation celebrates ANZAC Day. As in past years, students from St Gregory’s Primary School are invited to march as a school in the Queanbeyan-Palerang Council, RSL and Legacy March. The children wear their full winter school uniform and gather out front of the RSL on the morning at 9:30am. We ask parents to remain in the area to collect the students in Lowe Street at the conclusion of the March which will be approximately 11:00am. We will also hold our own school ANZAC Day prayer celebration on Wednesday Week 1 at 10:30am in the Macquoid Street school hall. All parents are warmly welcomed to join us for this short celebration.

This term finishes for students on Thursday 10^th April and TeamKids is running their holiday program from Friday April 11^th until Monday April 28^th if you would like to access this service. All our staff will be participating in professional learning this Friday morning so our office will be closed until approximately 11:45am. Students return to school after the school holidays on Tuesday April 29^th wearing their winter uniform. The uniform policy is always available on the school website if you ever need a refresher of the school uniform.

This fortnight we recall and ponder the third reflection on what it means to ‘journey together in hope’ of his holiness Pope Francis from his 2025 Lent message.

‘Third, let us journey together in hope, for we have been given a promise. May the hope that does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5), the central message of the Jubilee, [5] be the focus of our Lenten journey towards the victory of Easter. As Pope Benedict XVI taught us in the Encyclical Spe Salvi, “the human being needs unconditional love. He needs the certainty which makes him say: ‘neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ ( Rom 8:38-39)”. [6] Christ, my hope, has risen! [7] He lives and reigns in glory. Death has been transformed into triumph, and the faith and great hope of Christians rests in this: the resurrection of Christ! This, then, is the third call to conversion: a call to hope, to trust in God and his great promise of eternal life. Let us ask ourselves: Am I convinced that the Lord forgives my sins? Or do I act as if I can save myself? Do I long for salvation and call upon God’s help to attain it? Do I concretely experience the hope that enables me to interpret the events of history and inspires in me a commitment to justice and fraternity, to care for our common home and in such a way that no one feels excluded?’

(07/03/2025, 13:25 Lent 2025: Let us journey together in hope | Francis https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/documents/20250206-messaggio-quaresima2025.html 1/4 travellers)

Next week sees us heading into the Holy season of Easter. This coming Sunday we celebrate Palm Sunday followed by Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday next week. The children will be participating in celebrations of the lead up to Easter this week and we will celebrate the resurrection upon our return to school. The parish Easter Triduum times for this year are included should your family wish to join the parish community for any of these celebrations.

Have a blessed Easter and safe school holidays.

Tiffany Reedy