Principal News
Dear Parents, Staff and Students,
Catholic Education Week has been celebrated in Catholic schools in Queensland this week from 24 – 30 July 2022.
This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day. We gathered together on Monday afternoon to mark this occasion as a school and on Tuesday some of our Year 6 Leaders attended the Catholic Education Week State Launch.
The theme for this year’s celebrations is: Communities of Faith, Hope and Love.
St Saviour’s Primary School community and parish is testament to being a place of faith, hope and love.
Faith: At St Saviour’s we pride ourselves on living and sharing Jesus’ story of showing ‘love’ to all each day.
Hope: Our hope at St Saviour’s is for everyone to ‘strive for goodness’ in all that we do.
Love: For all members of our community to know Jesus and flourish in his love for all.
Congratulations to all our Year 5 and Year 6 students who played in the spirit of Catholic Education at the Netball and Touch Carnivals today. Thanks also to the staff who commit each day to sharing their love of teaching and learning and walking beside each of our learners as role models of faith, hope and love.
Reminder that tomorrow
(Friday 29th July)
is a student free day.
School Culture
Culture is a word we often hear used to describe people's ideas, customs, and social behaviour in our community. It is the feeling you get when you enter our grounds and refers to the capacity of the school. It also includes all those within it to build robust and resilient learning relationships within supportive environments that inspire our learners to grow in knowledge, skills and character. It ensures our learners are equipped, empowered and enabled to assume responsibility for positively contributing to the world during their time here and long after leaving.
The culture of our school is made up of the character each of us brings to the school each day. Character is defined by what you do when nobody's watching. This is not only a true testament of an individual’s character, but an accurate indication of what culture, or as we frequently hear at SSPS, our learner qualities really are.
From the time the children arrive at the school, we tell them, “Kind actions, kind words”. This is the rule that really counts. It sets the foundation for our culture and learner qualities, which means to be kind to yourself and all others: to be kind to your body, mind and spirit. We teach the children that if you are always kind, you must be kind under all circumstances. You must be compassionate, loving and thoughtful. It doesn't matter who the people are; we must embrace them just the way they are. We must also offer forgiveness. Even when people make mistakes, we must recognise that everyone is doing the best they can now. When they grow and know more, they will do better.
A positive culture, made up by the character of each person at SSPS, needs to be evident at this time of the year. Without it, you cannot achieve the things you want. As we start a new semester, we all need to reset and focus on the new term. It is now, more than ever, that each of us needs to support the other and remain positive.
A former principal I worked with always said at this time of the year, “make no one sad.” These are wise words for us all to live by and words I would encourage all our staff, learners and parents to heed as we enter the new term and the pressure of a busy calendar places pressure on each of them.
I encourage all of us to enjoy the semester ahead and all it brings into our learning and lives.
Plenary Council
Many of you will have watched with great interest the second and final assembly of the Catholic Church’s Fifth Plenary Council of Australia earlier this month, ending a four-year process. The last Plenary Council meeting occurred more than 80 years ago, so there was much to be discussed to achieve the shared goal of renewing the life and mission of the Church in Australia. Pleasingly, it was eventually agreed that the role of women in the church should be promoted, however this did not happen easily. A defining moment played out as dozens of Plenary Council members walked to the edge of the assembly floor in silent protest after two motions related to the role of women in the Church failed to gain the required majority in the vote of the Bishops. The plenary agenda was halted, emergency meetings convened, and motions redrafted, which were eventually passed decisively. The changes commit to women being appropriately represented in Church decision-making structures as well as being admitted as Church deacons, provided the Pope agrees when the decrees are sent to the Holy See. So many friends and colleagues I have spoken with expressed how affirming this outcome is as a result of the work of the Plenary Council and we look forward to following how these decisions will be enacted in new ways for women to lead within the Catholic Church.
School Photo Day
Monday 1st August is our annual school photo day which will take place in the Mercy Centre from 7:30a.m. to approximately 2p.m. Photo orders have now closed. Sibling photos will take place from 7.30am in the Mercy Centre.
All students Year 1 to 6 are to wear their formal uniform with navy blue socks/navy stockings for their photos. Prep students to wear their normal uniform. Please ensure your child/children's uniform and hair is in accordance with our school expectations on this day. SSP043_Uniform_Requirements_flyer_JUN2021_screen.pdf
Staff Updates
Mrs Rachel Harlen will be taking personal leave beginning Wednesday 3rd August till the 19th August. Mrs Janelle Wann who is familiar with the school processes and students of 5H will be the class teacher during this time. We wish Rachel all the best.
Many blessings for the week ahead.
Madonna Sleba