Term Two Week One – Commencing Monday 20th April 2026

Dear Families, 

On behalf of the staff at St Emilie’s, I would like to warmly welcome you all back to Term Two. 

We look forward to welcoming your children and yourselves back to St Emilie’s on Monday, the 20th of April, after what I hope has been a very relaxing and restful time for you and your family. Didn’t we get some beautiful weather over the two week break! 

I trust that the Easter period has been a happy and Holy one for you and your families and that your children have had a terrific break and are ready to launch into another term of ‘Growing in Grace’ at St Emilie’s. 

As we return to school this term in the month of April, we enter the Nyoongar season of Djeran, which will run until the end of May. The cooler days have been a very welcome relief from the very hot weather, and the cooler nights have certainly made sleeping more comfortable. Given the cooler nights and mornings, it would be wise to ensure that your child has a jacket to begin the term. 

Welcome to our Community
I am delighted to share that across our school, to commence Term Two, we welcome several new children and families who start their journey at St Emilie’s. We welcome the new families that are joining us.  

As shared last term, we also welcome Mr Michael Lowry and Ms Giordana Macri to our staff this term. This term, Mr Lowry will take on the role of the school’s Health and Physical Education Teacher while Mr Davis is on some well deserved Long Service Leave. Ms Macri will join the Year One Blue class on Monday and will join the Year Two Gold class on Thursday as an Education Assistant. 

I ask that when you, as a parent or carer, have the opportunity to introduce yourself to our new families and staff members, you take the opportunity. This is what makes our community a strong one. 

Pilgrimage of the Migrant Jubilee Cross
This year, the Pilgrimage of the Migrant Jubilee Cross makes its way to Western Australia. The Pilgrimage of the Migrant Jubilee Cross is a time for our Church in Western Australia to recognise the contributions of the migrant communities who make up our parishes. 

The Migrant Jubilee Cross is a gift from the migrant communities in Australia to the Church. The cross will be making its way around to many parishes and schools over the course of this term, including St John Bosco College, where four children from Year Six at St Emilie’s will participate in a prayer service to welcome the cross. 

For further information on the Pilgrimage of the Migrant Jubilee Cross, click here.

Harmony Day – Wednesday 22 April
This week, we will celebrate the many cultures that make up our beautiful school. This is one of my favourite days of the year at St Emilie’s, because it reminds me that despite many of us being born overseas, or having family who were born overseas, we all come to St Emilie’s to ‘Grow in Grace’ together. 

On Wednesday, children are invited to come to school in their traditional dress, some free dress that represents their culture, or they can simply just wear orange to represent Harmony Day. On Wednesday, the children will be treated to a Calipo treat on behalf of the School P & F Committee, which they will enjoy in the afternoon. 

The theme for Harmony Week in 2026 is ‘Everyone Belongs’. 

ANZAC Day Prayer Service
This Thursday, children between Year One and Year Six will stop to reflect and give gratitude to the ANZAC’s during our annual ANZAC Day Prayer Service. This Prayer Service is an opportunity for us as a community to pay our respects to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country so that we can enjoy what we have today. 

ANZAC Day takes place on Sunday, the 25th of April this year, with the children having Monday the 27th of April off from school as a Public Holiday. 

Long Weekend – No School on Friday, the 24th of April, or Monday, the 27th of April
A reminder that this coming week, children will be away from school on Friday, the 24th of April, while staff join together for some professional learning. The children will also be away from school on Monday, the 27th of April, for the ANZAC Day Public Holiday, making this weekend a long weekend.

Multilingual Welcome Signs Workshops
Next week, Mrs Tonkin will share an email with the community about finalising our exciting project which will aim to celebrate and acknowledge the cultural and linguistic diversity of our community here at St Emilie’s.

On Friday, May 1st, Mrs Tonkin, Mrs Aroozoo and Ms Carcione, invite families to attend a workshop straight after the Year Two Assembly to create 24 welcome signs in the most prominent language groups here at St Emilie’s. 

The languages that we are looking to have represented at the workshop include:  

We are inviting representatives from these language groups to join us at school, after the Year Two Assembly on Friday 1st of May at approx 9:30am. 

In 2026, these signs, which will be unique to the cultural groups, will be displayed here at the school to honour our diverse community. 

Please spread the word to those you feel would like to attend!

Uniform Reminder – Haircuts, Black Shoes & Perm-A-Pleat School Wear
A reminder to please ensure that your child has the correct uniform to commence Term Two. It is important that our children are encouraged to wear their uniform with pride to ensure we continue to instil a sense of pride for the place where our children come to learn. 

I would like to remind parents about ensuring that your child’s haircut is appropriate to start school, including hair that does not have extremes in length or lines and designs shaved into the hair. 

Children must also only wear all black sport shoes to school. No other colours are permitted on the shoes. 

During the holiday, families would have recieved an email from myself advising of the reduction of prices for school uniforms from Perm-A-Pleat Forrestdale. For further information on the school uniform, please click here. 

Mother’s Day @ St Emilie’s in 2026
Mother’s Day at St Emilie’s in 2026 will follow a format as it did last year, where mothers and mother figures are given the ‘gift of time’ with their children. The school will once again run an activity for mothers and their children, with a morning tea to enjoy for the mothers in our community.  

In 2026, as was the case in 2025, we aim to achieve the following: 

• Provide mothers and mother figures with an opportunity to spend some quality time with their child for Mother’s Day.
• To provide an opportunity for the fathers and father figures at the school to organise this event so that the mothers and mother figures can have a well deserved break on Mother’s Day. 

Further information about Mother’s Day will be shared next week, however, we ask you to make note of Friday, the 8th of May, as a date for our celebration. Fathers and father figures, we are once again looking to have you join us to assist, so if you are free on that day, please reach out. 

Parent Information
Please note that updated information from your child’s class teacher and specialist teachers will be sent home on Tuesday of Week Two. Please read this information to ensure that you have all the required information to ensure that this term is a smooth one. 

School Advice on Illness – Please do not send your child to school if they are unwell
As we enter the colder months, we once again enter the season where children (and adults) become unwell more frequently due to bugs and germs. 

Given that this term is a longer term with 11 weeks instead of 10, we endeavour to do our very best to ensure that children do not miss a large amount of time away from school due to illness. To do this, though, the cooperation of all families in the school is required. If your child is unwell, please do not send them to school. If they are become unwell at school and are unable to participate fully in the school day, you will be contacted to come and collect them. 

At times, parents and carers will often ask our Administration Team if we are able to administer Panadol or Nurofen so that their child can continue at school for the day. The answer here is ‘no’. We are unable to do this, as this is not in the best interest of the child. If your child is unwell and requires Panadol or Nurofen to get through the day, the best place for your child is at home resting, not pushing through the school day.

In full transparency and openness, decisions made by the school about children when they are unwell are based on the ‘Control of Communicable Diseases Manual’, which is published by the Department of Health for schools. If you are advised that your child needs to be collected early, or they are required to stay away from school for a period of time based on the advice that we are given from this manual, we ask that parents follow what has been requested, as it is coming from the government. 

While I understand that the working week is busy and parents need to go to work, it is important that we do all we can as a school to aim to keep St Emilie’s as healthy during the winter months as possible. We appreciate your support. 

Kindy Enrolment 2027
It is that time of year when we are starting to call for Kindy enrolments for 2027. If you have a child who is due to attend Kindy next year, or you know someone who has a child that age, please encourage them to submit an application as soon as possible. Our Kindy program has proved to be extremely popular over the last few years, and it is advised that parents and carers submit an application sooner rather than later. 

Three Year Old Kindy 2027
I am pleased to share that once again in 2027, our school will be offering a Three Year Old Kindy Program for children who turn three in 2027. Further information will be shared with school families about how you can enrol your child in this program. 

School Calendar
To ensure that you stay on top of all things St Emilie’s this term, please visit the School Calendar, which can be found here.

P & F Footy Tipping Update
The P & F Footy Tipping Competition is off to a very fast start with the competition already ramping up as we enter Round Six of the AFL season. 

Our top three leaders in the P & F Footy Tipping Competition thus far are: 

1. Adam Bell – 34 
2. Lynda 12 – 34 
3. The Cunninghams – 33 

Great tipping, everyone! For those who are not in the top three, there is still a long way to go this season.