Principal News

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

As we enter the mid-way point of Term 3, I wish to commend staff and students on their continued enthusiasm and effort noted in their approach to learning and social interactions.  The continued vibe of happiness is testament to the strong school culture that exists here at St Saviour’s Primary School. Each time I am on duty around our school, it is wonderful to see the joy on the faces of our students in their play and interactions with their peers.  Parents, we don’t do this alone and know that your support, understanding and acknowledgment of our school approach to student and staff well-being is appreciated. Let’s keep this going for the remainder of the term everyone!

Thank you to members of our school community for your participation in Mrs Judy Smith’s summative performance review recently.  Judy as you know, has been our APRE for the past 10 years and before this time also held Acting APRE and Assistant Principal Administration duties for the previous 10 years. Judy’s contribution to the St Saviour’s Primary School has been well acknowledged in this process and we are thankful for her dedication to the religious life of the school.  The panel have met with Judy and there was certainly much to celebrate on her ten years and more as APRE here at St Saviour’s. Judy’s strength in Religious Leadership was well noted as she fosters the Catholic ethos and identity of the school and leads by example through living a Christian life.  Judy has been instrumental in building connections between the school and parish with a concerted accent on social justice and outreach. 

Judy is to be congratulated on the many commendations that have been highlighted in this review process.  Judy is encouraged to pursue goal setting and professional learning conversations upon reflection of the recommendations.  Congratulations Judy on a successful review.

This week, I have been in Cunnamulla with my fellow principals across the Diocese at the Term 3 Leadership Forum. The matterof the recent release of the ABS 2021 Census data around the increase in the numbers of people identifying as having ‘no religion’ was a topic of discussion amongst us as Catholic Principals.  This trend was paralleled by the decrease in the numbers identifying as Christian. Both have been growing trends over many years and they were highlighted by a change in the Census question structures.

While there is no doubting the figures, nor the fact that these trends require deep reflection and analysis by those of us who hold a religious belief there is a counterpoint to them. This is another emerging trend across Australia over many years that the ABS Census does not identify.

This trend is reflected in the growing numbers of students attending faith-based schools and the growing numbers of such schools. This is certainly true for Catholic schools. I can only speak from my knowledge of Catholic schools that it is also a reality that a significant number of the students and families are non-Catholic and some would identify as ‘no religion’.

Similarly, there is continuing growth in faith-based hospitals and health care services. This is replicated in the increasing provision and uptake of Catholic aged care as well as Catholic family and social services delivery. Anyone and everyone can access these services and people of faith and no faith at all are doing so.

The majority of these faith-based schools, hospitals and health care services are founded in the mission, values and beliefs of Christianity. People may not be filling the Church pews anymore but they are filling the classrooms, the waiting rooms and wards of many faith-based institutions. This is cause for hope. It is also a reason to reflect on why.

I can only reflect on why families choose to send their children to Catholic schools because that is my area of expertise. I believe they do so because of the high quality of education and care that Catholic schools almost universally provide. Further to this, Catholic schools are considered places that expect high standards of behaviour based on explicit values.

The best of these schools are also considered to be welcoming communities. They are communities that engender a sense of belonging, connection and attachment. This can be true for students, staff and parents alike.

For those of us who are fortunate to be a part of the St Saviour’s Primary School community these feelings of connection and belonging are deeply felt. We experience them in all sorts of ways, be they at intimate moments for small numbers of people or large gatherings with big numbers. To highlight just a few from recent days and in upcoming weeks at the school I mention the following:

• Celebrating together at Assembly – St Mary Mackillop’s Feast Day
• Staff organisation and student athletes representing our school at the recent Central Zone Athletics
• School Choir’s commitment each Wednesday morning in participation of celebrating all the father figures in our children’s lives at the upcoming ‘Dad’s BBQ and putt putt” evening on 31st August.
• The extraordinary success of so many of our students at the Eisteddfod taking out first, second, and highly commended across the year levels. Congratulations students and Mrs McVeigh.

I expect that you could add to this list with your own experiences of where you find or have found this sense of community connection and belonging at St Saviour’s Primary School. There may be ‘no religion’ in such moments but there is God. Joan Chittister captures this profoundly:

“It is in community that we come to see God in the other. It is in community that we see our own emptiness filled up. It is community that calls me beyond the pinched horizons of my own life, my own country, my own race, and gives me the gifts I do not have within me.

Every blessing to you all and thanks for reading.

Madonna Sleba