Dear Parents and Caregivers 

Catholic Identity 

Easter Season

I trust you had a blessed Easter triduum; the period of time that traces the final days of the life of Jesus Christ – His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, when the Lamb of God laid down His life in atonement for our sins. ‘Triduum’ is taken from the Latin root that means “three days”. The Church celebrates the Easter season for 50 days, culminating with the feast of Pentecost, where Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.

“Today, as pilgrims in search of hope, we cling to you, Risen Jesus. We turn our backs on death and open our hearts to you, for you are Life itself.” Pope Francis, 2020

Opening Term Mass

Last week, we gathered at the parish to celebrate our Opening Term Mass. Thank-you to Miss Leddin and Miss Neri for preparing and leading the Mass, the readers, the choir and Miss Mandry for their contributions to the Mass.

Family Mass

We invite you to join us at the Family Mass this Sunday, 3^rd May at 9.30am at the parish.

Education Pillar 

Year 6 Camp

Our Year 6 students had a wonderful camp experience in the last week of Term 1. They are to be congratulated on the way they conducted themselves. I witnessed students supporting each other to try challenging activities in a terrific display of team spirit. I would like to acknowledge the staff (Mrs McCabe, Mr Vine, Mr Sanders, Mrs Chivell, Miss Carter and Miss McCabe) who left the comfort of their homes to attend camp; without their generosity, these memorable student events could not happen.

Interschool Swimming Carnival

 Last week, our interschool swimming team represented Liwara proudly. The team finished in third place after a final challenge after leading for most of the day. Congratulations to our interschool team for their impeccable behaviour and fairness of spirit demonstrated during the event. Well done to Mr Sanders for capably coordinating the event for the region and thank-you to the staff and parents who supported our team.

Dance Lessons

Our dance program has commenced. The students are actively engaged in the lessons. I visited a class and was so impressed by the amount of ‘moves’ the students had learnt in two short lessons. I look forward to the finale.

Community Pillar 

Mothers’ Day Events

The P and F have had a fabulous response to the Mothers’ Day event this weekend. I hope all the mums have a fabulous time.

We look forward to hosting our Muffins with Mums next Thursday morning. We hope you can make it. Please refer to the invitation on Seesaw for details and the RSVP link for catering purposes.

Stewardship Pillar 

Staffing News

This term, we welcomed Mrs Jo-anne Dieb, our new Pre-primary Green Education Assistant, to our staff team. We hope she feels welcome by the Liwara sense of community. We are currently in the process of appointing a social worker to replace Jane Evans whilst she is on leave.

Carpark Procedures

The leadership team has recently reviewed our carpark procedures. For the safety of all students, please ensure you follow the guidelines for the pick-up and drop-off lanes.

• Parking is strictly prohibited in drive-through zones to keep traffic flowing safely and efficiently.
• If you need to leave your vehicle for any reason, please park in a marked bay and escort your child directly to the nearest footpath.
• Please ensure children exit on the passenger/kerb side to avoid doors opening into traffic.
• Students should not access the car boot for school bags, as this creates hazards when cars behind pull out of the drive-through lane.
• Please drive at walking pace in the carparks for child safety.
• Accessible Car Park Bays are marked and should only be used by those with an ACROD permit.

Winter Uniform

Students are now wearing full winter uniform. High standards of uniform presentation reflect the pride we take in our school and the image we uphold. Clear guidelines for uniform and grooming are available on our school website. These expectations are not optional; they are an important part of our school ethos. Staff will be following up on uniform expectations to ensure Liwara students are united in wearing their uniforms with pride.

Please take particular note of the following uniform guidelines:

• If hair is longer than the bottom of the collar, it must be completely tied back with an elastic band, in school colours.
• Children’s haircuts need to be conservative and appropriate to uniform expectations. (i.e. – no extreme hairstyles and no hair colour)
• The only jewellery permitted is a watch, one pair of plain studs or small sleepers (one in each ear) and one fine neck chain (a Christian symbol may be added to the chain – optional). No bracelets or hair ties around wrists.
• Black formal school shoes must be worn with the formal winter uniform (not black running shoes)

We appreciate your support in upholding the standards outlined on our website - Click here for link to website

Before School Supervision

School officially begins at 8.40am; we are required to provide duty of care 15 minutes beforehand. To support families, we provide earlier duty of care with a staff member rostered in the undercover area from 8.15am. Recently, some students have been arriving earlier than 8.15am, when no supervision is available unless students are booked into Out of School Hours Care (OSHC).

During Term 2, staff will send students arriving before 8.15am to the office and parents will be contacted.