One of the most critical roles for us as parents and educators is to raise responsible, independent children— this can be tough because our natural instinct is to care for and nurture them. However, parents shouldn’t wait until children are ready to leave home before they give them responsibility. Training for independence needs to start from a young age and continue into the teenage years.

A community is defined as a group of people who have something in common. Our school is made up of a number of communities, these include class communities, the parent community and staff community. Together we form the Holy Spirit School community. All of us have a vast range of communities that we are a part of, including our own family communities.

Each year our teachers work with students to set goals for their learning journey. One of the keys to setting goals is that it needs to be achievable. We also know from our own experiences that we won’t always achieve the goals that we set. This is part of learning, reflecting on what and how we do things. How we respond to these circumstances is critical.

I hope you have had a relaxing break and have enjoyed the beginning of the 2019 school year. It was so great to see so many smiling faces enter the school gates this year. It is a privilege to work in this school community, and we look forward to working with you throughout this year. A warm welcome is extended to all and in particular new families to our school.

“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…… Get on your way!” (Dr Seuss) And so we move into the final school day of 2018. I’m sure we all have many memories of our school year. I would like to acknowledge and give thanks to all members of our community for their contributions to our school in 2018.