I hope all of you enjoyed your extra day off last weekend and that you had a great time with your family or friends, whether it was in beautiful Moruya or somewhere else. 

Stage 3 Camp
This week our Stage 3 students and their teachers packed their bags and headed off to Berry Sport and Recreation Centre. The camp is located in Berry, just over a two-hour bus ride away. The diverse range of facilities and activities offered by the camp provide a jam packed 3 days of exciting adventures! The students have been involved in activities such as bike riding, paddling in canoes and cooking damper over a fire. The photos of the activities posted on our Facebook page certainly show how much fun they have had together. The teacher’s have said that the behaviour of the students while at camp has been outstanding. I’m sure over the weekend their parents will be regaled with many great tales of their experiences and the activities!

I’d like to thank our teachers Mrs Grant, Mrs White, Mrs Afflick, Mrs Kenny, Mr Campbell and Mr Bateman who have given up their own time and rearranged their family commitments for our students to have such a worthwhile experience. Without this extra effort and dedication from the staff, these types of events cannot happen. 

Feast of the Sacred Heart
In the Catholic Church the month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This great feast in the Church is always celebrated on the octave day of Corpus Christi, the feast which celebrates the Body and Blood of Christ. Corpus Christi falls on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday which means the feast of the Sacred Heart falls nineteen days after Pentecost Sunday. 

Devotion to Jesus’ Sacred Heart is perhaps the most popular in the Church today and it had its beginnings in 17th century France. In 1672, Christ appeared to a French Visitation nun, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Over a series of visits, Our Lord revealed to St. Margaret Mary the importance of devotion to His Sacred Heart. He asked that His heart, wounded on the cross and continually wounded by ingratitude of men for his sacrifice for them, be venerated and adored as an embodiment of His Divine mercy and love. Jesus especially asked that all people go to Confession and receive Holy Communion often. He also requested that the Church observe a feast day specifically for the purpose of reparation. In 1856, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart was officially added to the liturgical calendar.

This feast is an opportunity to remember in a special way those who suffer because of lack of food, clothing or shelter. Mrs Afflick has organised ways for our community to bring gifts of food and clothing to be shared among these people. Please see Religious Education News.

Ordination to Priesthood
Deacon Eden Langlands has spent the final year on his journey to priesthood in the St Bernard’s Parish, Batemans Bay. Next Friday on the 24th June, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, Deacon Eden will be ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral in Canberra at 5pm. We congratulate Deacon Eden on this very special occasion and look forward to him celebrating Mass with us here in Moruya in the near future.

We pray for Father Eden, Archbishop Prowse and for all priests, that they are faithful servants in the mission of God; that their hearts and minds are one with Christ and so bring His love to the ends of the earth. 

Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the gift of our priests. 

Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments. 

Help our priests to be strong in their vocation. 

Set their souls on fire with love for your people. 

Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. 

Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom. 

Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel. 

Allow them to experience joy in their ministry. 

Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.

Amen.

Student Reports
At this time of the year, teachers are finalising students' assessments and Semester One reports. I frequently hear them talking and discussing work covered, results gained and effort applied to decide on a final grade. Reporting is not an easy process, and there is much time, thought, and deliberation put into the final result. It becomes an even more difficult task when teachers must teach all day and then work on their reports after school and at weekends.

I thank all staff for their commitment to ensuring that students' reports are a true and accurate reflection of their progress. We congratulate students on their hard work and to all parents on the support of their child, as individuals.

The semester reports provide a grade for learning in each Key Curriculum Area, Engagement with Learning statements, and a General Comment. Please note this is a ‘progress report’ of your child’s learning journey and reflects the effort and commitment they have to their school work. Parents are encouraged to discuss all aspects of the report with their child. It is very important to recognise your child’s success and progress in all areas of development. 

Semester One reports will be available to you through Compass on Friday 24 June. If any parent requires a hard copy of the report, please email the front office.

Parent Teacher Meetings
Parent teacher meetings will be held in Week 10 on Tuesday 28 June and Wednesday 29 June. This is an official meeting time set aside for you to discuss your child’s progress with the class teacher. At this meeting the teacher will also explain your child's half yearly report and how the grades are determined based on work samples and assessments. The meetings will be 10-15 mins in duration. 

Bookings for meeting times can be made through the online Compass portal next week. Information on how to book an appointment on Compass can be found here:

Of course, parents are always welcome to make an appointment at any time throughout the year to meet with the class teacher/s, just as teachers can contact parents to organise meetings. If you are unable to attend a meeting during Week 10 and would like to discuss your child’s progress, please contact your child’s teacher to arrange another suitable time to meet. 

The booking portal on Compass will close on Monday 27 June. 

NCCD Collection of Data Information for Parents
All schools across Australia are required to participate annually in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). 

Today an important document was loaded onto Compass about the process. Please take the time to read the document as it contains important information about data collection.

Below you will also find some infographics about the NCCD.

St Mary’s Athletics Carnival
The St Mary’s Athletics Carnival is scheduled to be held on Tuesday 21 June at Gundary Oval, Moruya. This is dependent on the weather and the grounds being open. Mrs Grant will be sending out more information about the events being held throughout this day. 

Gurubangamba Mentoring Program
Next week our Stage 3 Aboriginal students will attend the second day of the Gurubangamba mentoring program. The theme of the day is ‘resilience’ and their Carroll College mentors have prepared a range of activities with this theme in mind.

Carroll College Variety Night
Next Wednesday evening, 22 June, our school choir led by Mrs Croese will be performing at the Carroll College Variety Night. The Variety Concert will commence at 6.00pm with a light supper available for purchase from 5.15pm. There is no cost for entry. All families are invited to attend and be entertained by the students from our K-12 pathway schools