Ash Wednesday
Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. You might remember Lent as being a time of giving up things. Instead of giving up – why not take up? Take up spending time in prayer each day, going to Mass, saying only kind things, being more patient, tolerant, considerate…. Pope Francis offers the following thoughts about fasting during Lent;

• Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
• Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
• Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
• Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
• Fast from worries and have trust in God.
• Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
• Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
• Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy.
• Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
• Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
• Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.

Parents & Friends Committee
Last Tuesday the Parents & Friends Committee held their Annual General Meeting and first P&F meeting for the year. On behalf of the wider school community I would like to take this opportunity to thank those parents who were part of the 2019 Parents and Friends Committee. We are grateful for the time and dedication you gave to your roles and in turn the school. I would particularly like to mention Lorne Thurgar who has been the P&F President since 2017 and Monica Morabito who has been the P&F Treasurer for the last three years and a long standing member of the P&F Committee. Thank you Lorne and Monica for your time, support and commitment to the P&F and the school. At the Parents and Friends Committee AGM the following positions were vacated and filled:

President                                                        Belinda Daunt

Vice President                                                Lorne Thurgar

Secretary                                                       Sonia Domitrak

Treasurer                                                       TBA

Parent Rep Coordinator                                 Hannah Norgrove

Communication Coordinator                         Sonia Domitrak

Clothing Pool Coordinator                             Barbra Cox

School Board Representative                        Edwina Betts

Tuckshop Coordinator                                    Sofie Cremer

Grounds Maintenance Coordinators             Sally Veikkanen, Edwina Betts

Fundraising and Social Coordinators           Sally Jensen, Heather Wrathall

Thank you to all of these people who have volunteered their time and energy to be an integral member of this year’s Parents and Friends Committee. We are still looking to fill the position of Treasurer on the P&F and would love someone to volunteer for that position for the 2020 school year. Every Parents and Friends Committee meeting is open to all parents to attend. They are held on the Tuesday of Weeks 3 and 7 each term. Reminders will be through the Newsletter, Schoolzine app and on the School Calendar on the website. Children are most welcome to attend if childcare is a problem.

Interim Reports and Three Way Conferences
Students will bring home their interim reports on Friday, 28^th February, with Three Way Conferences taking place on Monday 2^nd March and Tuesday 3^rd March. Optional Parent/Teacher Interviews will be offered at the end of each term, in addition to the semester reports being sent home at the end of Term 2 and Term 4. A note regarding booking a time for Three Way Conferences was sent home yesterday.

Parent Partnership Forms
Accompanying the interim reports on Friday will be a survey for parents to complete on their child’s strengths, interests and areas for development. We ask that parents complete the parent survey and bring it with them to their child’s Three Way Conference. We believe the parent and school partnership is vital to student success and we hope that through the form we will gain a deeper insight into your child and their needs.

Swimming Carnival
Just a reminder that our school swimming carnival is on tomorrow Thursday 27^th February at Queanbeyan Pool. Please ensure that your child comes to school wearing their (labeled) sports uniform with their swimmers underneath. They will also need a towel, a plastic bag for wet items, school hat and sunscreen. Students will also need to bring their own lunch (if they have not purchased a special swimming lunch) and recess, etc. in their school bag. Please ensure the children have plenty to eat and drink. There will be no access to the pool kiosk. The students will be transported to the pool at 9.30am with the older students and 200 metre swimmers on the first bus. The swimming events will begin with 200 metre races, followed by the 50 metre races and finishing with 100 metre races. The across the pool races will run after 11am and the novelty events will run throughout the day.

Toys at School
A reminder that students are not to bring toys from home to play with at school. Toys that are bought to school for ‘show and tell’ are to remain in the classroom and not to be taken onto the playground. Likewise if your child needs the security of a particular toy or needs a fiddle toy please ensure you have discussed this with the classroom teacher prior to sending it to school with them. Thank you for your support with this.

Directors’ Day/Catholic Leader’s Retreat
Next Wednesday to Friday I will be away. On Wednesday it is the Directors’ Day where Key Staff from Catholic Education conduct workshops for the Principals. Thursday and Friday is the retreat component.