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Dear Parents and Carers,
As we approach the end of Term 1 and look ahead to the upcoming school holidays, we are reminded of the profound hope, renewal, and love that the Easter season brings. This special time in the Catholic Church's calendar invites us all to reflect on the significance of Jesus Christ's Resurrection and how it calls us to live with deeper faith and compassion.
Easter is a reminder that no challenge is too great and no obstacle is insurmountable. Just as the season of spring brings new life to the world, Easter offers us the opportunity to grow in kindness, generosity, and love. It is a time for us to reflect on the importance of forgiveness, second chances, and the power of compassion.
In the spirit of Easter, we are encouraged to embrace our role as peacemakers, a catchphrase of St. Francis, whether on the playground, in the classroom, or at home. Let us be patient and understanding with one another, remembering that through His Resurrection, Jesus has shown us the way to everlasting love and peace.
Enrolment Information for 2026
We are fast approaching the enrolment period for 2026. This week, our Year 6 students were visited by Mr. Michael Lee from St Mary MacKillop College and Anna Masters from Merici College, who provided valuable information about the upcoming open days. These visits are designed to help our students understand the next steps in their educational journey and ensure they are well-informed about the options available to them.
We have now finalised the dates for our school and Early Learning Centre (ELC) open days for 2026 enrolments. These will be held on Tuesday, 6th May (9:30–10:30 am and 3:30–6:00 pm) and Wednesday, 21st May (9:00–10:00 am and 3:30–6:00 pm). There’s no need to book an appointment – simply drop by during these times for a tour and to collect an information pack. Keep an eye out for road signs in the area advertising these dates!
Our parent body plays a key role in our enrolments through word of mouth, and we greatly appreciate your support. If you are active on social media, we ask that you like and share our posts on Facebook, and encourage any parents who may be interested in enrolling their children to attend one of our open days. If these dates or times don’t suit, we’re happy to accommodate visits at other times with prior notice. Please contact the front office on 6292 4500 to arrange an alternative.
The official Catholic Schools’ enrolment period runs from 5th to 30th May. We’ve already begun receiving enrolment enquiries and applications for Kindergarten 2026 via our website, and we encourage you to submit your application soon if you haven’t already. You can enrol directly through our website for both primary and ELC enrolments.
Enrol Now! @ St Francis of Assisi Primary School – Calwell
Early Learning Centre Enrolment: St Francis of Assisi Primary School ELC – Calwell
Last Day of Term 1
A reminder that the last day for students who attend a Catholic systemic school is Thursday, April 10th. As previously communicated, Friday is a designated Pupil-Free Day. Term 2 will resume for all students on Tuesday, 29th April.
As we break for the Easter holidays at the end of next week, may this time be filled with reflection, rest, and renewal. I wish all our families a blessed Easter and a safe and restful break.
Blessings and best wishes
Sean Rutledge
Principal
Easter Season
During the first week of the holidays, we will enter the solemn and sacred journey of Holy Week. As a Catholic school we are dedicated to the Liturgical life of the Church and to understanding how we live the message of Jesus. This is most important at Easter.
How Do Catholics Celebrate Holy Week?
Four special ceremonies commemorate the events of Christ’s Passion from His entrance into Jerusalem, when palm branches were placed in His path, through His arrest on Holy Thursday and Crucifixion on Good Friday, to Holy Saturday, the day that Christ’s body lay in the tomb.
The summit of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum—from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ’s Paschal Mystery.
The single celebration of the Triduum marks the end of the Lenten season, and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil.
The liturgical services that take place during the Triduum are:
- Mass of the Lord’s Supper
- Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
- Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord
As a school, next week we will mark this important time with liturgies that reflect the significance of Jesus’ final days. Please see the below timetable for which class will be celebrating which part of the story. All families are welcome to attend any or all liturgies across the week.
| PALM SUNDAY | Friday 4th April @ 2pm | Presented by Year 1 |
| HOLY THURSDAY | Monday 7th April @ 9:30am | Presented by Year 5 |
| GOOD FRIDAY | Tuesday 8th April @ 11:30am | Presented by Year 4 |
| EASTER SUNDAY | Thursday 10th April @ 11:30am | Presented by Year 3 |
SACRAMENT REGISTRATION
A reminder that registration for ALL Sacraments closes today. Parents who wish for their child to receive any of the Sacraments (Confirmation in Year 6, Eucharist in Year 5 or Reconciliation in Year 4) need to register on the parish QkR! account.
A BIG thank you to our community for all your help for our Athletics Carnival yesterday. What a terrific day it was!
Well done to our students who behaved and participated in such good spirited fun, to our staff who always bring their energy and expertise and our wonderful parent helpers who without you we couldn't have run such a successful day. Thanks also to the excellent Mackillop students who helped us out in too many ways to mention. A massive shoutout to Mr Stevens and his team of dedicated teachers who organised everything to ensure a smooth carnival.
Our carnival winners were MORRISON! This means that our school will turn RED on Wednesday to celebrate their success. Remember it is as little or as much as your child is comfortable with.
We will also hand out the ribbons to our place getters on Wednesday morning at 9am on the hardtop (weather permitting).
Lunchbox Rally
Many of you may have heard of the Box Rallies before or even taken part. Now, they have a new version designed for kids to join in the fun and fundraising! Our family is very excited to have 2 teams in this years Lunchbox Rally in Sept. with Elliott (year 6) and Lochlan (year 3) joining us on the journey.
Lunchbox Rally is a very unique opportunity for kids to see outback Australia in a car worth <$1500, all in the name of charity! It is not a race, rather a challenge to achieve the unthinkable… We will be driving a loop from Broken Hill out in to SA and back again all in 5 days. Hopefully the cars make the trip!
We are seeking donations through the wegive pages (links provided in Elliott’s poster below), and have some events planned through the year. We are also looking for local business sponsors. Your logo will go on our rally car and on the official rally website! If you are interested please contact me at cecreid13@gmail.com
Cecelia Reid
Please see information about our upcoming Mother's Day Celebration. Please RSVP vis this link: https://forms.office.com/r/4jiAUenipQ
