Term Three Week Eight – Commencing Monday 8th September 2025

Dear Families,    

This edition of the Weekly Reminders is dedicated to all of the fathers and father figures in our community. We wish you all a very happy Father’s Day on Sunday. We also keep all those fathers and father figures who are no longer with us in our prayers as Sunday approaches. The impact of the fathers and father figures in our community, both past and present, is visible for all to see here at St Emilie’s.

At St Emilie’s, our children are supported by some fantastic male role models in the form of Father Jean Noel, Mr Cogger, Mr Dabbs, Mr Davis, Mr Hewitt, Mr Lowry and Mr Munro. These men who work with our children across a variety of roles each day, show up to St Emilie’s and make an impact. Being present, day in and day out, makes a positive difference to our community. To the father figures of St Emilie’s, we wish you a lovely day on Sunday and thank you for your part in shaping the future generations of children from St Emilie’s.

Over the course of the week, when preparing to write the Weekly Reminders, I was reflecting on what makes a father or father figure’s role special and important. The point that stood out to me the most was around positive role modelling. 

For me personally, being a father to my three beautiful children fills me with joy. The thing I like to do the most in this world is spend time with my family, and to be able to watch my own children as they grow and journey through life is something that I never take for granted, and I give thanks for every day.  

Can being a father or father figure have its challenges? Absolutely, however, in times when things feel heavy or difficult, I feel heartened by the fact that there is no guidebook to being a father or father figure. The special and unique thing about being a father is that everyone does it differently and in their own unique way. To the fathers and father figures in our community, I use this opportunity to remind you to be kind to yourselves over this weekend, remembering that you make a difference in the lives of your little people. 

Your role is important in the development of our young people. Be sure to celebrate the good! 

Thank you to the staff who came to school early this morning to celebrate our fathers and father figures at the Father’s Day Breakfast, and to the P & F Committee and volunteers who also assisted in ensuring that the breakfast was a success. This year, we had a massive number of pre-ordered breakfast burgers, with 426 breakfast burgers being ordered by Wednesday afternoon. What an amazing response! 

If you have a child who will be going into Kindy in 2027 (born between 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023), please ensure you submit an Enrolment Form application to the office. An application for enrolment can be collected from Administration or by visiting the School Website.

Hi Ninjas

Can you believe it’s already September? A brand new month means a brand new theme in URSTRONG, and this month’s theme is one that’s close to the heart: FORGIVENESS.

We all know that mistakes happen in friendships – sometimes we say something without thinking, sometimes we let our friends down. That’s why URSTRONG teaches us how to use the Friend-O-Cycle and the Talk-It-Out strategy to sort through those tricky moments. But here’s the real magic: forgiveness. When we forgive, we give our friendships the chance to heal, grow, and become even stronger than before.

Think of forgiveness like dropping a heavy backpack you’ve been carrying around. When you let it go, you feel lighter, freer, and ready to run forward again. It doesn’t mean what happened was okay, but it means we’re ready to move on without letting anger or sadness weigh us down.

But here’s something we sometimes forget: forgiveness isn’t just for others – it’s for ourselves, too. Everyone makes mistakes. We all have moments we wish we could rewind. Part of being a true Ninja is learning to say, “That’s okay, I’ll try again tomorrow,” and being as kind to ourselves as we would be to a friend.

And that’s the big message for this month: you can’t be the best friend to others unless you’re also a good friend to yourself. So Ninjas, remember to treat yourself with the same kindness, patience, and forgiveness you’d give to your BFF.

Forgiveness is a superpower — and every single one of you has it.

When your child/ren are absent from school please either email the teacher firstname.surname@cewa.edu.au and stemiliesadmin@cewa.edu.au
or

Use the Absentee Form on our Website.

It is a legal requirement for parents to contact the School regarding any student absences. Parents should email the teacher and include admin by 9.00am on the day of the absence with the following information:

• Full name of student
• Year group
• Reason for absence and expected length of absence
• Your name and relationship to the student
• Parents are required to inform the school if the absence is expected to be extended.

Absentee Long Term

It is a requirement for parents to complete the Leave of Absence – Notification Form when taking planned extended holidays during the term.

Parents are required to return the below form to Administration prior to the absence.

This week under the Parent Reading heading, we have included an article titled, ‘AI is Designed to Prey on Your Kids for Profit’ by Dr Justin Coulson.