From the Principal - Mrs Janelle Heffernan
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
Dear Families,
As we near the end of our first term and as this is our last Newsletter for Term One I want to thank all members of our school community for the contribution each of you has made to ensure our school continues to be a place of quality learning in a safe and happy environment. We have had several opportunities for parents and carers to visit our school in both a social and educational context and we look forward to continuing this next term.
We celebrate Holy Week in the middle of the school holidays. This is the most important time in the Church’s calendar. Holy week begins with the celebration of Palm Sunday next Sunday, the beginning of our journey to Easter. Holy Week is most definitely a very sacred time of the year, for it is then that we will commemorate and remember the last week of Jesus' life on this earth. These are the days leading up to the great Easter Feast. The Lenten season of sacrifice and self-denial comes to an end. In Holy Week, the greatest focus is the Passion (suffering) and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the events which lead up to it. Historical documents tell us, that as early as the fourth century, the Church celebrated this "Great Week" with a feeling of profound sanctity.
We celebrate Palm Sunday on the 13th April and this marks Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The palms will be blessed and then borne in procession to the church, where an entry is made with a certain amount of ceremony, after which the Mass is celebrated. The other notable and very ancient feature of the present Palm Sunday service is the reading of the Gospel of the Passion by three readers.
Especially important for Catholics is the Easter Triduum. This is the three days just before Easter Sunday. On Holy Thursday, we re-enact the Lord's Last Supper, which He shared with His apostles on the night He was betrayed and arrested. This is one of the most beautiful liturgies of the entire liturgical year. On Good Friday, the day of the crucifixion and death of our Lord, we have the veneration of the Cross. A service is held at three o'clock in the afternoon (the hour He is believed to have died). There is no consecration of the Eucharist on this day, and the Communion we receive will be from the night before, which has been reserved in the tabernacle. The Holy Saturday Mass begins after sundown as the crowd gathers. In the darkness a new fire is kindled and blessed by the Bishop or priest. This new fire symbolises the light of salvation and hope that God brought into the world through Christ's Resurrection, dispelling the darkness of sin and death. From this fire is lit the Paschal candle, symbolising the Light of Christ. This Paschal candle will be used throughout the season of Easter, remaining in the sanctuary of the Church or near the Lectern, and used throughout the coming year at baptisms and funerals, reminding all that that Christ is "light and life." Those who engage themselves wholeheartedly in living the entire paschal cycle (Lent, Triduum and Easter's Fifty Days) discover that it can change them forever. This is especially so of the Triduum which, standing at the heart of the Easter season, is an intense immersion into the mystery of what it is to be Christian. During these days, we suffer with Christ so that we might rise with Him at His glorious Resurrection.
Anzac Day
Tuesday 25th April is Anzac Day. We invite all students to join us for the Anzac Day March. We value our students making the effort to join us on this day and appreciate the effort from our families in allowing this to occur. Students will be required to assemble at the Clyde Campbell Carpark by 8.45am on Friday 25th April and the march will begin promptly at 9.00am. Students wear their normal school uniform with their school hat. Staff will be at the carpark to meet students as they arrive. Students may stay for the Memorial Service at the Cenotaph in front of the Lismore Baths or may be collected at the end of the march. Students will stay with school staff until they are collected by a parent at the end of the service.
Tell Them From Me - Parent Surveys
Early in Term 2 we will be inviting students, teachers and parents to provide feedback on their experience of our school using an online survey. The surveys are an important part of our whole school evaluation and planning process.
We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community, we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at St Carthage's Primary School.
The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You will be able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL that we will provide when the survey opens.
More information will follow.
Mother's Day Breakfast - Save the Date
We invite our mothers and mother figures to join us for Breakfast on Thursday morning 8th from 7.30 - 8.30am. We will provide muffins or croissants for breakfast.
Mother's Day Stall (advance notice)
We will hold a Mothers’ Day Stall for the children to buy a gift for mum. This will be held on Thursday, 8th May. All gifts will be $5.00 each - please send money in with the children on the day. There will also be a limited number of extra gifts.
St Carthage's Primary School Open Evening
St Carthage's Feast Day
The 15th May, is Feast of St Carthage. St Carthage is the Patron Saint of our parish and our school. Bishop Doyle and the Presentation Sisters who established our school 138 years ago decided that the Cathedral School of our Lismore Diocese should be named St Carthage‘s in honour of a great Saint who was an inspirational leader and a great teacher. St Carthage, whose name is also given as Mochuda, was born of a good family, in what is now County Kerry, Ireland, about the year 555. Mochuda’s father was an important man in the village so he was given everything that he wanted or needed. When he was young, a group of priests were walking through his village singing songs of praise and he was so fascinated that he followed them to the monastery gates. A while later he decided to join this group of priests and was ordained as a priest in 580 when he was thirty years old. Mochuda was very close to his head priest and took his name, Carthage. Later on young Carthage founded a monastery for young priests and he lived there for forty years. Carthage was an inspirational church leader who set up a monastery that attracted 1000 young men to the priesthood. He set up a school that produced many excellent scholars and the school became famous around the country for encouraging a love of learning.
Later in life, Carthage was consecrated Bishop of Lismore, Ireland. He died on May, 14th 637. After his death, the church and school were named St Carthage’s in his honour.
School Attendance
We are seeing a greater number of students arriving late to school or not attending school at all. The Education Act (1990) requires all children of compulsory school age to be enrolled in, and attend school, on a regular basis. Parents/ carers of children of compulsory school age are responsible for ensuring their child attends school every day.
The Catholic School's Office monitors student attendance and are in the process of flagging 'at risk' students. Parents/carers will now receive a letter if a student's attendance falls below 90%. If the attendance does not improve we will follow this up with a letter/phone call to offer support to assist children to come to school each day and on time. If attendance does not improve a formal process, assisted by the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools office will be undertaken.
Online Enrolment
Enrolment Applications are now done online. The online application form can be accessed via our school website. There is a tab on the top right-hand side of the launching page that says ENROL ONLINE. By clicking on this button you can begin the application form. If you require a paper copy, please contact the school office.
Parents of children who are ready to start school in 2026 are asked to fill out the online Enrolment Application. Please pass on this message to family and friends who intend to enroll children in kindergarten next year. Children must turn five by 31st July 2026 to be enrolled in Diocesan schools.
Professional Learning Days
We have 5 Professional Learning days left for 2025;
- Friday 11th April (Term One Week 10)
- Monday 28th April (Term Two Week 1)
- Friday 4th July (Term 2 Week 10)
- Monday 21st July (Term Three Week 1)
- Friday 26th September (Term Three Week 10)
- Monday 13th October (Term Four Week 1)
We thank you in anticipation of your support. Active Kids will be available on these days. Bookings are essential.