Dear Parents,

I saw many students, parents, teachers and grandparents at the show last Saturday. It certainly was a good turn out and a great day for the Batlow community. Congratulations to our students and teachers on our school display. It was super colourful and demonstrated our students' artistic strengths. Many of our students also entered other categories and I enjoyed seeing them on display. Community spirit was something to be proud of on Saturday.

Cross Country

Cross Country will be run this Friday at 11.45. Many students are performing well in practice sessions and I know that some are training before and after school. I look forward to seeing their results. Parents wishing to join us on Friday are welcome. We will be running the course after the men finish playing golf this Friday. Weather conditions should be perfect. Students will need drink bottles and hats.

Parents needed

Any parents available to help with our Breakfast Top Up programme are asked to get in contact with me. We have been running this programme for nearly 2 years now and see it as a valuable programme that supports a positive start to many students morning. So we would like to expand it to every morning from Term 2 if we have parent volunteers on 3 mornings a week - Mon, Wed and Friday. Parents will need a Working With Children's Check (volunteer) to be on the roster as per guidelines. Please let me know if this is something you may be able to do from 8.30 to 8.50am.

Working Bee and Parent BBQ

We need a working bee to tackle a few major jobs around the school now that restrictions are lifted. Community Council have flagged 14/15 May as a clear weekend from major events. Some jobs are big and may need several hands to get them done. 

Jobs are:

1. Bringing out the old furniture currently stored under the school for free disposable to anyone who wants it.
2. Moving a large clump of agapanthus to a new garden bed.
3. Erecting a new garden shed.
4. Shovelling soil into three new raised garden beds.

If you could let us know which day suits you best via the post that will go out in Compass, so we can continue advertising and get a BBQ organised for helpers and friends to enjoy while working.

Have a lovely week everyone.

Jannine

Next week our Year 6 leaders are hosting a fundraiser for Project Compassion.

Each year, Project Compassion runs during the six weeks of the Church season of Lent. They ask you to join them in building a more just and fairer world: a world in balance, at peace and free of poverty.

We begin our annual Lenten Project Compassion journey by hearing stories of resilient and inspiring individuals whose lives and futures have been impacted by the ongoing support of our partners and by your generosity.

During Whole School Prayer last week, students learnt about Anatercia, a 12-year-old girl living in a small village in southern Mozambique.

Anatercia began to take on more and more adult responsibilities as her mother has chronic health issues. She did most of the household chores and had to travel up to five hours every day to collect clean water. Water scarcity also meant that harvests were poor and there was never enough to eat.

With your support, Caritas Australia’s local partner, Caritas Regional Chokwe, was able to help Anatercia’s family to irrigate their farm to improve their food security. They also improved water access for households in the village, delivered sustainable farming training, and provided Anatercia with essential school supplies.

Her health, education and quality of life have improved, along with the outlook of her whole community for all future generations. Anatercia now has enough food to eat and clean water to drink. She is now able to focus on school and her dreams of becoming a nurse, just like some of our own students do also.

Anatercia’s story touched the hearts of students and they were filled with joy to see what their donations can/have contributed to in previous years.

The theme of this year’s Project Compassion is ‘For All Future Generations’, a reminder that the good that we do today extends far beyond the present, and impacts the lives of vulnerable communities for generations to come.

On the last day of term, Year 6 invites all students to come dressed up as their future selves, bringing along a donation. Your generous support can help to change the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

Thank you in advance for helping to make a difference now, and ‘For all Future Generations’.

Amy Buckmaster - Religious Education Coordinator