The Feast of the Exaltation of the HOLY CROSS

This week’s Gospel is from John 13-17

“No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.^, And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.^,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (NRSVUE)

 

The Cross stands as the sign that God does not condemn us, but that the Son came to us, and suffered, died and was raised so that we might know the way which leads to love and eternal life. God loves us and calls us to life.

Grandparents/ Family Day

We are looking forward to having lots of visitors for our Grandparents/Family Day next Friday 19^th September. Year 3 will lead us in a liturgy starting at 10:00am.

First Eucharist

Over the next 2 weekends the following children will be receiving their final Sacrament of Initiation, First Eucharist. Please keep them in your prayers.

Anastasia B, Lorenzo B, Alex, Jack C, Beau C, Zoe D, Adalyn D, Callum D, Evelyn H, Max H, Annika H, Kyle H, Rory H, Maggie K, Rose M, Evie M, Eve P, Louis R, Nathaniel S, Roman S, Hannah W, Sophie W, and Evie A.

Term 3 Liturgies and Celebrations:

Week 9:	Friday 19th September 10:00am Grandparents/Family Day / see attached flyer for details. Saturday 20th September 5:00pm First Eucharist Mass
Week 10:	Kindergarten and Year 6 Friday Parish Mass 9:15am

 

The Feast of Catherine McCauley Thursday 24^th September

This year to celebrate the charism of our school we will be visited by Star Productions who will entertain and inform our students with a production called “Catherine McAuley’s Mercy”. This production explores the life of Catherine McAuley and the Mercy values which are derived from her work. These values of Compassion, Justice, Respect, Hospitality, Service and Courage are the core values of St James.

Mrs Patricia Miller
Religious Coordinator 

This year’s theme, “Every Conversation Matters: Shifting Conversation to Action,” calls on all Australians to move beyond words and take meaningful steps to protect children and young people. Coordinated by NAPCAN and supported by the Department of Social Services, the campaign highlights the power of everyday conversations—in families, schools, workplaces, and communities—to spark real change.

National Child Protection Week reminds us that protecting children is everyone’s business. It’s a time to reflect, engage, and act—ensuring that every child in every community has a fair go. Thank you to our Year 6 artists Xan H, Teddy M, Hendrix W and Jaxson M who designed the artwork to recognise the importance of this week. 

Uniform

With the weather becoming warmer students will have the option to wear Summer Uniform until the end of the term. Full Summer Uniform is to be worn from Week 1 Term 4. Included in this Newsletter are the uniform requirements. Please ensure that your child always has the correct uniform each day.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mrs Debra Petersen
Assistant Principal

Netball Gala  

On Monday 1st of September, students from Year 4 and Year 6 attended the Newcastle Netball Gala Day. We were blessed with a sunny day and beautiful weather. Teams played 5 games and showed great sportsmanship, determination and teamwork on the day. 

Thank you to our parent helpers and everyone who supported the children throughout the day. A special shout out to our Year 6 Pink and Year 6 White teams who faced each other in the finals, with the pink team taking the win. The girls headed off to Maitland today to attend the Regional Netball Finals.  

Mrs Tegan Fry & Miss Renee Pettet
Sports Organisers

The focus of our PB4L lessons will be on being respectful, responsible and resilient in all places, at all times. We will continue to use the language of our matrix above, while outlining what this looks like in each area. We would encourage you to also use this language at home.

Reserve Parking

A limited number of carparks will be available for the day in the Parish carpark. If any parents/grandparents have a mobility parking permit and require a car park reserved can you please email the school as soon as possible and we will reserve pending availability.

Signing Out Early

If your child will be signing out of school early with their Grandparent, can you please ensure the school has been notified prior. Either an email/phone call to the office or send a note with your child. Even if there is a possibility this may happen, could you please contact the school.

Due to CSO procedures we are unable to allow students to sign out with anyone other than their parent/carer without a prior notification, even if the Grandparent is an emergency contact for your child.

admin@kotarasouth.catholic.edu.au 

Thank you in advance.

• Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 10 from 15 October 2025.
• Upgrading to Windows 11 helps reduce security risks.
• Student Work Protection: Staying current helps safeguard assignments, projects, and personal data.

• On eligible computers, a setup wizard will appear in Settings > Windows Update.
• There are three ways to enrol:

1. Free – Sync your settings to the cloud using Windows Backup. You must be logged in as administrator and with a Microsoft account.
2. Free – Use 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points.
3. Paid – Buy a one-year license for $30 USD (families cover this cost).

Canteen

There has been Food Safety Changes for all school canteens. If you are a volunteer in the school canteen the below online course needs to be completed, you can  follow the below link to ensure compliance of the new NSW Government Food Authority Standard 3.2.2A. Once this has been completed, could you please email your certificate through to admin@kotarasouth.catholic.edu.au 

https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/training/food-handler-basics-training 

Volunteers

Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers, we really appreciate your time. If you would like to volunteer and haven't registered, please click on the link below and submit your forms. Once you have clearance the CSO will contact us to advise you have been cleared to volunteer. 

 https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/people/volunteer/

Playgroup

Entertainment Book

If you would like to order an Entertainment Book valid for 12 months from the date of purchase, please order via the below link:

https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/3458r6

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, each year our school identifies a list of priorities. These priorities are carefully considered to ensure we are using resources wisely to best support student learning, wellbeing and school operations. Identifying these priorities will assist with fundraising initiatives and budgeting forecasts for 2026.

Examples of school expenditure priority areas that have made a significant impact in our school community in recent years include - the installation of ceiling fans in the Hall, the purchase of STEM equipment and devices for learning, installation of basketball hoops and sporting equipment, purchase of classroom furniture and resources to support our school teaching and learning goals.

As valued partners in our school community, I would like to invite you to complete a short survey, which will help us to ascertain our 2026 priorities. The survey will be distributed next week via Compass.

• Parents using the Kiss and Drop Zone are to go to the end of Princeton Ave, turn and come back down to the area. Please do not U-turn on the crest. 
• If crossing Vista Parade, please use the Crossing in front of the Hall. 
• The Kiss and Drop Area has been moved further up Princeton Ave to allow for the necessary clearance for the new Bus stop. Parents are asked to not drop off in the Bus Zone and use the dedicated Kiss and Drop space.
• Parents are asked to not drive into the private road of the units on Vista parade to drop off in the morning. There have been a number of parents dropping off in the Church Carpark and the Private Road at Raspberry Gully. Please do not use these areas to drop children at school for safety reasons.
• Parents dropping off and walking children into school, please park away from intersections, hold your child's hand, check for cars and cross the road in a safe area. This may mean that parents park several blocks away and walk to the entrance. 
• Please abide by the road rules and do not park within 10m of an intersection. Parking too close to the intersection obstructs vision and buses are unable to turn into side streets. 
• Do not park/ or drop off  in No Stopping Zones.  
• If collecting from Parent pick up in the afternoon, please ensure that your child/ren stay with you at all times especially on the curb side of the road. 
• Students walking towards Nesbitt Park have been reminded that they are not to walk along side of the drain. Parents are encouraged to meet children on Vista and walk around to Grayson Ave to Nesbitt Park.

We are all committed to keeping our children safe. Rangers and NSW Police also patrol the area on a frequent basis, so I encourage all families to please take extra care on the roads around the the school. And please do not park across driveways.

Mrs Sonya Boslem 
Principal

A reminder that all children are expected to be in class at 8:50am each day. Children coming to school after this time will be marked as partially absent. Please ensure that your child is at school on time each day.

Thank you to our parents for the support and value that you place on your child being at school each day. Regular school attendance plays a critical role in ensuring that every student has access to the same learning opportunities. When students are not at school, are late to school or leave school early, they are missing out on so much that can impact on their future learning.

The following Attendance Guidelines are based on current legislative requirements, research on attendance and best practice.

✔ Attendance affects a child’s academic achievement and their overall wellbeing.

✔ There is NO safe threshold of absence – everyday counts.

✔ School attendance patterns are established early in a child’s schooling

 ✔ The effects of school absenteeism accumulate over time and affect children’s development now and into the future.

✔ Daily punctuality is important. The early part of each day is critical. Important learning is scheduled during this time when children are rested and receptive. Key concepts are built up in the time.

✔ Sporadic absences can affect academic achievement as much as absences over consecutive days.

✔ We ALL need to work together with our children’s best interest in mind to ensure that students are at school every day that they are well enough to attend.

Compass Unexplained Absences

Unexplained absences are required to be explained on Compass within 7 days of the absence. A weekly email will be sent to parents to alert of any unexplained absences that need to be updated on Compass. Please note that if the absence is longer than 7 days, the absence is then unable to be explained by parents or school.

Please click the below link to view Parents and Carers resources:

https://officeofsafeguarding.org.au/parents-and-carers/#