Dear Families

I feel an incredible sense of gratitude and

appreciation as I reflect on the year that we have

had together at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary

School. The celebrations and highlights have been

many and varied and I am so glad that I have been

given this opportunity to again lead the school

community. I look forward to seeing community

members at our End of Year mass held Friday 7th

December at 8:30am at Holy Spirit Church. Later

that day will be holding our Family Christmas

Fun evening at Casuarina Pool between 5pm and

7pm. Remember to dress with a touch of

Christmas!

I have been truly grateful for the dedication and

commitment of parents at Holy Spirit this year.

There is no doubt that the families contribute

considerably to the wonderful community

atmosphere and school spirit here. Parents have

worked tirelessly for the whole school community

and their efforts have had a major impact on

student learning – enabling us to provide fantastic

resources for our students.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Fr.

Joseph and our School Board members who are

committed to the pursuit of excellence at Holy

Spirit and to building a strong, faith filled, Catholic

community. The support, advocacy and wisdom of

our Board members has been a real asset to our

school and has made my job as Principal a

pleasure.

I acknowledge and thank the fabulous Holy Spirit

staff who continually strive to provide challenging

and stimulating learning opportunities for our

students in partnership with families. Each staff

member goes above and beyond in so many ways.

I have been truly blessed to work with such

enthusiastic, passionate and professional

colleagues. We farewell the staff, students and

families who are moving on or beginning a new

venture and thank them for being a part of our

community. We hope Holy Spirit always holds a

special place in your heart. We wish Mr. Brett

Wilson and Mrs. Angelina Andreou all the best on

their new teaching adventures next year.

I’m pleased to inform the school community that

Emma McDonald has been appointed as the

Religious Education Co-ordinator for Holy Spirit

next year. I congratulate Emma on this new

appointment, and I look forward to

working alongside her to support our school and

parish.

I take this opportunity to thank our Year six

students for their many contributions to our school

community. I wish them all the best for their move

to Secondary School and hope that their memories

of Holy Spirit School will be fond. The Year 6

Graduation mass and dinner will be held at Holy

Spirit Church starting at 6pm followed by dinner

and awards at school on Wednesday 12th

December. All Holy Spirit community members

are most welcome to come along and farewell our

Year 6 students.

Finally, I would like to say how proud I am of our

students and all that they have achieved this year. It

has been a privilege to be entrusted with their care

and education and to watch each one grow not only

academically but also in faith, love and wisdom.

As this is the final newsletter for 2018, God bless

you all and keep you safe this Christmas season. I

look forward to seeing you all on Thursday 31st

January, which is the first day back for students

next year.

God bless you all and keep you safe,

Mr. Simon Duffy

Principal

Christmas Newsletter | 5 Dec, 2018

Principal’s Reflection For Reflection:

“Away in a manger, no crib for his

bed, the little lord Jesus, laid down

his sweet head”

-Away in a Manger

(Christmas Carol)

Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School

STUDENT OF THE WEEK AWARDS Congratulations to the following students:

T/1, Rm.8 - Ruby Smith & Makenzie Gillon

T/1, Rm. 9 - Tinashe Mudzingwa & Miriam Soares

Year 1/2, Rm.4 - Karys Sheridan & Sienna Ammerlaan

Year 1/2, Rm.6 - Michaelene Ferber-Tomlins

& Willow Johnstone

Year 3/4, Rm.14 - Macey Sheridan & Xavier Ellis

Year 3/4, Rm.15 - Whole Class Award

Year 3/4, Rm.17 - Zaviar Bond & Marc Tedcastle

Year 5/6, Rm.2 - Madison Kosic & Mrs. Wendy

Year 5/6, Rm.12 - Jaia-Maree Reid & Natasha Kirk

Year 5/6, Rm.13- Lasith De Silva & Taylor Kosic

Indonesian Award - David Panatos

STEM Award - Enrico Santos

Sport Award - Brandon Seabrook, Grace Okere, Elijah Ruane-Allport

& Saraya Mitchell

The MJR (Making Jesus Real) Award is presented to a person

who puts enthusiasm, energy and happiness into our school

and is a team player.

This week’s MJR Award goes to :

Francesca Hilario

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday to the

following Students who

celebrate their birthday in

week 8 and 9:

Ruby Smith

Grace Okere

Agna Rubin

Michael Kariotis

Chelsea Biddlecombe

Ursula Hall

Matilda Tranter

Jayda Romano

Raquel Caldwell

Kai Johnson

Brandon Seabrook

Zoe Ilocto

Lucas Jaravata

Zaviar Bond

Renae Miller

CANTEEN NEWS... The canteen is open Thursday and Fridays only in 2019.

Please note that Canteen opens week 2 of Term 1.

LIBRARY BOOKS Please check for any library books that might be ‘hiding’ at

home or in bags and return to them to Mrs. Crimmings in the

Library or to the front office before the end of the school year.

OSHC 2019 All children must be enrolled at Out of School Hours Care

even if your family do not intend to regularly use the service.

The 2019, OSHC registration form in now available from the

front office and the school website. Please return your form to

the front office.

Cancellations or bookings must be made in writing at least 24

hours in advance for a normal rate of $25 to apply and for

cancellations not to be charged (Before 2:30pm for ASC and

before 7am for BSC the day prior of

booking or required booking).

Bookings made less than 24 hours in

advance will be charged $35 per child.

Vacation Care requires 2 days prior notice for cancellations

The Change of Bookings Form can be obtained from the front

office, OSHC building and the school website. All bookings

and cancellations must be in writing and made through the

front office. Email accepted, please email to:

admin.holyspirit@nt.catholic.edu.au

A $50 late fee (plus $1 per minute) per child will apply if your

child is collected after 5:30pm.

Students who have not been collected by 2:45pm will be sent

to After School Care to ensure supervision. Once a child is

signed in to After School Care the casual rate will be charged.

FRONT OFFICE HOLIDAY HOURS The front office will be closed from the

14th of December - 15th of January Inclusive.

The office will open again on the 16th of January.

Uniforms will be available for purchase as of

the 22nd of January.

Office hours will be 8:30am - 3:30pm.

As there will be only be a small number of staff at the school

during the six week break we ask that you please call the

office before coming in to ensure that the front office is open

for your visit.

ACCOUNT PAYMENT-HOLIDAY PERIOD Authorised payments from credit cards will not be processed

during the two week school closure (24 Dec - 6 Jan).

Please contact Lee or Tammy at the front office on 8927 3411

or email finance.holyspirit@nt.catholic.edu.au , by December

13th for more information or to make alternative

arrangements.

OUTSTANDING SCHOOL FEES Thank you to the many families who have already finalised

their school accounts for 2018. To those families who still

have fees outstanding please be aware that payment is now

overdue and fees need to be paid as soon as possible.

If you believe that that you will not be able to pay your school

fees account by the end of the school year (13th Dec, 2018) or

are having difficulties making payments, please contact the

office and make an appointment to arrange a payment plan.

Payments can be made at the School office between 7:30am

and 3:30pm Monday to Friday, by cash, cheque or EFT.

Credit Card payments can be made over the phone or

electronic payments can be made directly to the school.

Our account details are as follows:

Account Name: Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School

Branch Number: 08 5933

Account Number: 39 895 1673

Reference: (Child’s initial). (Child’s Surname) FEES

SCHOOL FEES - 2019 Families are advised the following school fees for 2019 apply.

These fees have been recommended by the CEC

Finance, Facilities & Resources Committee and endorsed by

the Bishop. If the level of increase creates any hardship for

you please make an appointment with the Principal to discuss

the circumstances.

1st Child $310.00 + levies = $478.00 per term $310.00+ $80 + $57 + $31 = $478.00 2nd Child $279.00+ levies = $447.00 per term

$447.00 + $478.00 = $925.00 per term – total of 2 3rd Child $248.00 + levies = $416.00 per term $416.00 + $925.00 = $1341 per term – total of 3 4th Child levies only = $168.00 term $168.00 + $1341.00 = $1509.00 per term – total of 4 Levies

$80.00 Books & Services (per child/per term)

$31.00 Excursion (per child/per term)

$57.00 Operational (per child/per term)

$26.00 B&S extra for Years 3 & 4 (per child/per year)

$62.00 B&S extra for Years 5 & 6 (per child/per year)

Community of Learners (fees subject to change)

One Child $395 per week $95 per day

Effective January 2019

After School Care (fees subject to change)

One Child $125 per week $25 per day

Before School Care (fees subject to change)

Vacation Care (fees subject to change)

One Child $290 per week $75 per day

Effective April 2019

Child Care Benefits (CCB) apply

One Child $10 per morning (includes breakfast)

The school is changing our administration and finance systems

early next year and as a result the 2019 School Fees invoices

will not be sent out to families till April/May. Families can

still enquire as to how much school fees will be to start their

payment plans.

ACADEMIC REPORTS Academic Reports will be distributed this afternoon. Please be

sure to check your child’s school bag.

UNIFORM During the Christmas break families will be buying new

shoes and other clothing items. Please note the correct

uniform requirements.

Students are expected to wear full school uniform each

day. A signed note from parents must be sent to school if a

student is out of uniform. Students out of uniform will be

issued with a note to parents advising breach of uniform -

the note is requested to be returned signed

School

Purple polo shirt -$35

Black Shorts /Skorts - plain black, NO logos, stripes - $30

School dress with purple tie -$45

Black school hat with logo -$15

Black shoes or sandshoes - must be plain black with black

laces

Socks - white or black

Sandals - black or brown

Jewellery

A wrist watch may be worn and a thin gold or silver chain

with a cross but no other form of jewellery is acceptable.

Students who have pierced ears may wear one pair of

‘sleepers’ or ‘studs’ only. No anklets or wristbands are

allowed (Exception made for school -based program

wristbands)

Hair

Needs to be neat and tidy at all times. Hair is not to be

hanging in the face of students, if longer than students

shoulders needs to be tied back. Purple or black ribbons

are acceptable.

Nail polish is not permitted

PIANO LESSON NEWS

2019 Piano Enrolment Forms are now available from the

School Office.

The last piano lessons for the year will be in week 8 on

Wednesday 5/12/18 and will resume in Term 1, Week 2,

Wednesday 6/2/19.

-Carolyn Gray (piano teacher)

DARWIN REGION SCHOOL SPORT GALA DAYS – YEARS 4-6

Congratulations and thanks to our students and families for

your support and participation in school sport this year.

Darwin Region School Sport each year provides

opportunities for our students from Years 4 to 6 to participate

in sports that are of interest to them. With the support of our

families, classroom teachers and support staff we have again

been able to provide these opportunities to our students.

To acknowledge and celebrate our success, Holy Spirit

Catholic Primary school finished first overall as the Primary

Handicap Interschool Sport Winner with a total of 6342

points (we were the highest placed Catholic Primary School in

our region). We appreciate the support of our families to

ensure these opportunities are made possible for our children.

We look forward to 2019 and the continued support of you

all.

In closing, wishing you all a safe and Holy Christmas.

Kind Regards,

Mrs Paula Sellars

PE Coordinator

HALFWAY THROUGH ADVENT— HAVE I MISSED IT?

It’s halfway through advent and I'm not sure what

happened. I really wanted to this to be a

reflective and calm season, preparing for your

birth and pondering how you came into this

world in such a stunningly humble way. But

it’s so busy and I’m distracted and sometimes

even short tempered with those that I love the

most. Where are you in THAT?

I am discouraged and wish I could start over.

But as I sit here in the rare moment of silence, I

contemplate your birth. In the a bed of straw, with the

smell of manure everywhere. It’s a mess in that

stable...and come to think of it, my life is a little messy,

too. I suddenly see that it is not just the mess of the stable

but into my mess that you enter the world. You came into

a humble place and that humility is often where I live my

life- feeling guilty or distracted and wishing I were a better

person. But if I stop thinking of myself and focus on you,

I realise that there you are, waiting to love me, even

though I have so many unfulfilled good intentions about

prayer, so many desires of how to change this fleeting

Advent season.

I can begin advent today and make this season deeper by

making room in my heart for you. I can take just a moment

before I get out of bed in the morning and feel the empty

in my life I so often fill in with my busy-ness. It is there I

need you most. Come, Lord Jesus. Come into that dark

and lonely spot in my heart. You know what my needs are

more then I do. Let me feel your love. If I only carry that

thought with me each day, it will prepare me for

Christmas.

Thank you Lord. It’s not too late. You are waiting to enter

my life today, wherever I let you in. Help me to open my

heart in these remaining days.

Thank you Lord. It’s not too late. You are waiting to enter

my life today, wherever I let you in. Help me to open my

heart in these remaining days.

TERM DATES 2018 & 2019 TERM DATES

Semester Two, 2018

Term 4 Mon. 15 Oct - Thurs. 13 Dec

Semester One, 2019

Term 1 Thurs. 31 Jan - Fri. 12 April

Term break Mon. 15 April - Fri. 19 April

Term 2 Tues. 23 April - Fri. 28 June

Semester break Mon. 1 July - Fri. 19 July

Semester Two, 2019

Term 3 Tues. 23 July - Fri. 27 Sep

Term break Mon. 30 Sep - Fri. 11 Oct

Term 4 Mon. 14 Oct - Thurs. 12 Dec

REMINDER: AWARDS ASSEMBLY This week the Awards Assembly will be held on Thursday

morning due the whole school end of year mass on Friday

morning.

ABSENCES AND LATE STUDENTS Holiday?

If your child/ren are going to be away during the school term

please notify the front office by e-mail, phone, the school app,

or come in and pick up a ‘Notification of Absence’ form.

Leaving?

If your child is leaving the school, please notify the office by

completing a ‘Termination of Enrolment’ form which can be

found at the front office.

Late?

If your child arrives to school after the first bell (8:10am),

please send them to the front office to be signed in. If they are

not signed in they will be recorded as an unexplained absence.

Sick?

If your child is sick please notify the front office by e-mail,

phone or the school app. Your child’s absence will only be

recorded as a notified absence if you advise the school on the

day of absence or provide a medical certificate.

Term 4 Calendar, 2018 Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Assembly

Week 8 December 1st Sunday Advent

3 Advent – 3rd week

4

5

Academic Reports go home

6

Awards Assembly

7 Whole School Mass

Student Awards

Family Night @ Casuarina Pool

Year 6 Leadership (2018)

Week 9 December 2nd Sunday Advent

10

Advent 4th week

11 Everyone Can Read

Graduation

Christmas Raffle

12 Graduation Mass,

awards and shared meal from 6:00pm

13 Water Activities T-5

Giggling Geckos & Casuarina Pool

Students finish

14

NO SCHOOL Mr. Duffy & Mrs. Sellars

Term 1 Calendar, 2019 Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Assembly

Week 1 Jan/Feb 3rd Sunday Ordinary Time

28

Australia Day Holiday

29

Vacation Care

30

Vacation Care

31 Students Resume school

1 No Assembly

TBA

Week 2 February 4th Sunday Ordinary Time

4 Everyone Can Read Programme begins

House speech and

5

6

7

Awards Assembly

8 Opening & Commissioning

Mass @ 8:30am Parent Information & Family

gathering from 4:30pm

TBA

Week 3 February 5th Sunday Ordinary Time

11 HWC begins

Parent/Teacher Goal

Setting 3-6pm

12

Parent/Teacher Goal Setting 3-6pm

13

14

15 Awards Assembly

Defence Gathering @

1:30pm

TBA

Week 4 February 6th Sunday Ordinary Time

18

19

20

21

BOARD MEETING

22

Awards Assembly

TBA

Week 5 February/March 7th Sunday Ordinary Time

25

Life Education Van

26

27

28

1 Awards Assembly

REWARD AFTERNOON

TBA

Week 6 March 8th Sunday Ordinary Time

4

5

Shrove Tuesday

6

Ash Wednesday

7

8

Awards Assembly

TBA

Week 7 March 1st Sunday Lent

11

12

13

14

BOARD MEETING

15

Awards Assembly

TBA

Week 8 March 2nd Sunday Lent

18

Dancify (T-6)

19

20

21

22 Awards Assembly

Harmony Day Dinner @

5:30pm (courtyard)

TBA

Week 9 March 3rd Sunday Lent

25 26 27 28

29

Awards Assembly TBA

Week 10 March 4th Sunday Lent

1

2

3

4

5

Awards Assembly TBA

Community Notices

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