Term One Week Six – Commencing Monday 10th March 2025

Dear Families,    

‘Repent and believe in the Gospel’ 

We are now in the liturgical season of Lent.  

Our community marked the commencement of Lent on Ash Wednesday by joining with the parish to celebrate Mass. This Mass was led by children from the school and our children were so beautifully supported by school staff and community members. To those in our parish, your role in guiding our young people in the faith is vital to ensure that our parish remains full of life and energy. While we realise the church is busy in the mornings when the children from school join you, we see that bringing our children to the centre of our community for Mass is essential in their formation. Thank you for your patience, understanding and guidance.

As a sign which indicates the health and vibrancy of our parish, it was standing room only at the church on Wednesday morning. During Mass, all in attendance were presented with a sign of the cross on each person’s forehead formed by ashes. The words ‘repent and believe in the Gospel’ were shared with each person as a reminder to follow Christ in all we do. 

If you are visiting the school in the next few weeks during Lent, please keep a look out for a wooden cross with a violet ribbon tied around it. This cross which will be placed in different positions throughout Lent serves as a reminder to us that we journey with Jesus during this time in his most difficult time. 

As Father Jean-Noel Marie so beautifully explained to us during mass on Wednesday, Ash Wednesday is not a sad day, nor is Lent a sad time. Lent is a time where as a Catholic community, we live in hope for the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. A day that brings life and renewal to the world. 

A massive thank you to the parents and carers who gave of their own time to come to school and cook pancakes on Tuesday morning. On Shrove Tuesday morning, all of the children across the school were treated to a delicious pancake to mark the end of Ordinary Time in the Church calendar and bring additional awareness to the beginning of Lent. 

Happy International Women’s Day
A very happy International Women’s Day to all of the women in our community. The celebration which takes place on Saturday 8th of March is a great opportunity for us all to give thanks to the amazing women in our lives and acknowledge all of the amazing ways that the women in our community make St Emilie’s a better place. To all of the women in our community, thank you for all you do, especially the amazing staff here at our school who make our place the special place it is. 

Yay Week
This coming week is also Yay Week! Yay Week at St Emilie’s marks the halfway point of the term and is a celebration of all of the wonderful growth that has taken place so far this year. It is also a good chance for parents and carers to open up a conversation with their children about how they have grown and how they wish to continue to grow in their learning here at school. 

Year Six Assembly & Awards
The Year Six Assembly this morning was a fantastic way to start the assemblies for the year. Our Year Six cohort has started the year so strongly with their leadership of the student body and has taken on their roles and responsibilities with great pride. Well done to all of the children, Miss Clune and Miss Dreyer on the successful start to the year and for a very engaging assembly. 

It was also a great morning this morning as we celebrated the presentation of Merit Awards for the first time this year and also the Fruits of the Holy Spirit Award too. Congratulations to all of those children who were presented with an award today. 

Kindy Enrolments 2026
We are now calling for Kindy enrolments for our 2026 Kindy cohort. If you know of anyone with a child due to commence Kindy in 2026 who would like to join our vibrant and diverse community, please encourage them to submit an enrolment application or contact the school for further details.

Playground Out of Bounds Before and After School
A reminder to parents and carers that children are not permitted on the playground before or after school even if under the supervision of an adult. We ask that all children between Year One to Year Six sit with their school bags in the undercover area while they wait for the 8:30am bell to move the class. While this will ensure the safety of the children at all times, this time is also necessary to ensure that the children start to ready themselves for learning by calming their bodies and minds and remaining in an orderly environment. This has been explained to the children at assembly and they are all aware of how the morning routine should look. We thank you for your assistance in this regard.

Front Gate
Those parents and carers who park and walk their children into school or who park and collect their children, would have seen that a new gate has been installed at the school between the Administration and the Kindy/Pre-Primary area. Like all gates at the school, this gate will be locked at 8:45am. 

The gate has been installed to ensure that access to the school between the hours of 8:45am and 2:45pm is through the Administration Office only. Any visitor to the school is required to sign in at the office and then they will be permitted to enter the school if required. 

This also means that we have an extra barrier to ensure that none of the children make their way past the Administration Office and into the busy car park. 

Parent Handbook
The 2025 Parent Handbook is now available on the school website. The Parent Handbook can be found https://stemiliescps.wa.edu.au/parents/parent-handbook/

Clean Up Australia Day @ St Em’s
This afternoon our children participated in Clean Up Australia Day, St Emilie’s style! Thank you to Mrs Soulsby for organising the packs to be sent to the school so our children could go out and ensure that our school environment is pristine. 

CEWA Easter Colouring In Competition
This Easter, CEWA is once again encouraging children from Catholic schools across the state to submit an entry for the CEWA Easter Colouring In Competition. This is a great way to provide a creative opportunity for those children who are interested. 

Please find the link below for further details:
https://www.facebook.com/CatholicEducationWA/videos/548957884863273/?rdid=XBBjweLNxlI78GbD# 

P & F Committee
As was shared last week in the Weekly Reminders, we will be calling for nominations for the P & F Committee once again. Please stay tuned next week for an email sharing the nomination form. 

P & F Footy Tipping
This is your very last chance to join the St Emilie’s Footy Tipping Competition seeing as the first game of the AFL Season is this evening. 

Please follow the link below to join.
https://www.trybooking.com/CZEJG 

Parent Circle – Wednesday 12th of March
For the first time, the school will be trialling Parent Circle on alternate days during Term One. This coming session of The Parent Circle will be held on Wednesday 12th of March in the Small Hall. All in our community are welcome to join. 

School Advisory Council Spotlight
Over the next few weeks in the Weekly Reminders, we will be sharing with you a profile from the members of our School Advisory Council. The School Advisory Council is formed by very dedicated volunteers who bring their own God given gifts to the role. These parents and carers sit on the council and act as an advisory body for school staff concerning the direction and governance of the school.  

This week, we will share the profile of Mrs Stefanie Malelo with you. Stefanie is the secretary for the School Advisory Council and ensures that we are all organised. Thank you, Stefanie, for your contribution to our school.