Dear Parents/Carers,

As we approach the end of another very busy and successful Term, I would sincerely like to thank you for your support and encouragement. Term 2 has been very busy with assessment and on Monday this week, digital reports were released for all students in Years 1-9.

Kindergarten parents had an opportunity to meet with teachers in interviews last week and students who are performing exceptionally well across Years 1-9 were acknowledged at our awards assemblies on Tuesday.

My sincere congratulations to all the students who received awards at the assemblies. There is no substitute for hard work and you should be proud of your efforts.

Last Tuesday, Mrs Vella, Miss Christensen and I travelled to the Cube auditorium at the Campbelltown Catholic Club to watch our dance team perform on stage at the MISA Dance festival. It was a wonderful event that saw students from many schools encouraging each other to perform. Well done to Mrs Kells who lead the hard working team of dancers.

Last Thursday, I also had the pleasure of experiencing the ‘LIVE spiritual formation event for Years 7-9 and this was well attended by students and well supported by staff. Students enjoyed live music, food and were challenged by the guest presenter and the Catholic Youth Mission team from Wollongong. I thank Miss Flegg for her organisation of this significant event.

Term 2 has also been busy as it sees the start of planning for 2020. Enrolments for next year are now complete and we are likely to increase our student population from 670 to 860 for 2020. We now look to recruit additional staff to meet the demand.

There has been significant talk this week amongst parents about the safe use of the car park. Each afternoon the school invests in a considerable number of staff being rostered on duty to support the safe and timely exit of students and parents from the College. Afternoons are a priority as approximately 600 students leave the school in the space of 20 minutes.

I believe this is something we do very well, given that most arrive and leave through the one entrance/exit point. In the mornings, families arrive in a more sporadic fashion over a period between 8:00am - 8:30am. At this time there is less congestion and therefore fewer staff providing supervision.

Each staff member has a limit on the number of duties they can do and we prioritise playground breaks. Examples of driving irresponsibly, speeding and ignoring one way signals have been witnessed and I appeal to everyone to please exercise caution and patience when in the College car park. If you witness any bad behaviour please ensure that you report it to a member of the College Leadership Team, as we have the authority to ban people who are acting dangerously from our College car park.

The placement of pedestrian crossings and their signage has also been a topic of discussion. Please note that this is totally out of the College's control. Planning for pedestrian crossings and how they are marked are at the discretion of the RMS and local council.

I am concerned about the number of parents who choose to cross Jardine Drive near our gates which was deemed an unsuitable place for a pedestrian crossing due to the fact it is on the crest of a hill and in one of the highest traffic areas.

Some parents escort their children across the road by simply sticking their hand out and walking in front of incoming traffic. This is a very dangerous practice and I urge any parents who think this is safe, to stop and walk the few extra metres to use the crossing.

Our civil contractors are making great progress on the road construction around the College. Hopefully the current roadworks will greatly improve traffic flow and congestion. The construction of Poziers Road, Byzantine Road and the widening of Vinny Road around the College will create significantly more on-street parking, a second exit point for vehicles and some additional pedestrian access points.

Like everything however, we rely on the use of common sense and the cooperation of our parent community. Thank you to the vast majority of parents who always do the right thing.

I hope you and your children enjoy the student vacation period and that you are able to spend significant time with your family. I look forward to seeing you all when we return on Monday 22^nd July, the start of a very significant term which should see us move into our new Technology, Art & Science Centre. This building will provide an additional 18 fantastic specialist classrooms.

May God continue to bless you.

Mr Simon Abernethy
College Principal