2025 Newsletter Term 3 Week 4

Letter from the Principal - Brad Toole

Welcome to All Hallows 

We would like to welcome two new Kinder friends to All Hallows who have started in the past week. Welcome to Mia and Eladre who started last week. We know that Mrs Menchin and Kinder are excited to have new friends starting.

We would also like to welcome Luke and Mel and Mal and Celest into our school community. 

Book Week - No Parade this Year

Book Week is in Week 5 this year. As we are in the  middle of preparing for our  production we have decided not to add any costume pressure this year to our families. Therefore there will be no book week parade this year. We will have a parade in 2026 again.

2025 National Principal’s Conference

Next week I will be attending the National Catholic Education Principal’s Conference from Tuesday to Friday. Sarah Buckle and Kylie Statham will be in charge at school while I am at the conference. 

R.E. Matters

The theme for 2025 is…

All Hallows - People of Hope  
2025 is a Year of Jubilee!

FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY INTO HEAVEN   - 15^th August

‘Mary has given us motherly warmth, the kind that envelops us in the midst of difficulties; Wherever a mother is, there is tenderness. And Mary shows us with her motherhood that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak, but of the strong; she teaches us that there is no need to mistreat others in order to feel important. And the holy faithful people of God have always recognized and hailed her as the Holy Mother of God…’
Pope Francis

Many Christian churches in Australia mark Assumption Day on  August 15 to celebrate the Christian belief that God assumed the Virgin Mary into heaven.

The Feast of the Assumption of Mary is an annual Christian observance in Australia held on August 15. It is considered a Holy Day of Obligation - a day when Catholics are obliged to attend mass.

This Friday we will gather with the parish community to celebrate mass at 9.15am. We thank Mrs Kelly and Yr 3 for organising this celebration. Please join us.

The Assumption means that Mary was taken up into the glory of heaven, not only with her soul, but also with her body. As we celebrate the feast day of Mary, we can ask our Blessed Mother Mary to guide, protect and care for us.

Mary MacKillop Feast Day Liturgy

Thank you to Yr 4 for their beautiful Mary MacKillop Feast Day Liturgy on Thursday. An important day for our school to gather in celebration of this inspiring Australian saint

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

Yr 3 RETREAT DAY – Thursday-  21st August, 2025.               

This is a Retreat Day for all Yr 3 students. Throughout the day the Yr 3 children will reflect on what they have learnt in the Sacrament of Communion unit and prepare for First Holy Communion on Sunday. The Yr 3 Retreat will be held in the Library and include mass at 12.15pm, which parents are encouraged to attend. The students may wear ‘mufti clothes on this day.

 Please keep these Rosie and Kurt in your prayers and thoughts as they continue their preparation for the Sacrament of First Communion on Sunday the 24^th August, 2025.

SPORT

Soccer Gala Day 

Our students had a great day at the St Laurence’s Soccer Gala Day on Friday, playing soccer with their friends in Dubbo. It was a great day of fun, learning and friendship. ‘Thankyou’ to the families who came to support the teams in Dubbo. ‘Thankyou’ to our teachers for their organisation and for  looking after teams throughout the day and Mr Toole for driving the mini bus.

Special thanks to St Laurence's, Dubbo for hosting a great day. The student’s behaviour and sportsmanship was amazing made even better thanks to our friends from St Michael's, Dunedoo and Sacred Heart, Coolah who joined us.

St Matthews Yr 7 Orientation

Our Year 6 students begin preparing for their high school futures with a visit to their High Schools for next year. This Thursday students going on to St Matthews next year will trial being a high school student for the day. Further orientation sessions for Yr 6 going into Yr 7 at local high schools are also planned.

Production - "The Amazing Race"

In 2025, we are pleased to announce  that  we will be putting on a school production. 

We will be presenting ‘All Hallows - The Amazing Race’. 

We will be hosting performances on:

Thursday 4th September 

11.30am - Matinee 

6.30pm - Performance 

Along with the newsletter today you will receive a sheet to order your tickets. There will be a limited number of tickets (4) for each show for each family. Please note you don’t need tickets for students at school as they will not require one of the seats. 

The Opera House has a capacity of 275 seats and this is to accommodate everyone. You will have up until Friday 29th August  to secure your tickets. If we have remaining tickets we will open them up for people to grab extras on Monday 1st September. 

End of Year Presentation Changes

After careful consideration we have made the decision to hold this year's awards ceremony during the school day instead of during the evening. The reason we have made the decision is we want to give all students the opportunity to be at the awards ceremony. We have noticed a trend over recent years of less students attending the night time presentation evening. We  will evaluate after the Presentation afternoon this year. 

Our Awards Assembly will be held on Thursday 11th December at 1pm at Memorial Hall.

KOALA Club - Kindergarten 2026 Transition and Orientation

We have planned our ‘Koala Club’ transition dates and parent information sessions for people that have students that will be starting in Kinder in 2026. 

Key Dates: 

Term 3: 

• Koala Club 1 - 28th August 9.30am - 12.30pm
• Koala Club 2 - 11th September 9.30am - 12.30pm
• Koala Club 3 - 18th September 9.30am - 12.30pm

Term 4: 

• Koala Club 4 - 16th October 9.30am - 2.30pm
• Koala Club 5 - 30th October 9.30am - 2.30pm
• Koala Club 6 - 13th November 9.30am - 2.30pm
• Koala Club 7 - 27th November 9.30am - 2.30pm
• Kinder Readiness / Information Meeting 27/11/25 2.30pm (School Hall)

Absences

Regular attendance at school for every student is essential if students are to maximise their potential. I cannot stress enough the importance of your child’s attendance at school and prompt notification if your child is absent from school. You can notify the school through compass (preferred option), email,  written note or phone call to the class teachers. It is important to note in the School and Diocesan Attendance Policies that we are to follow the regulations set down by various government authorities. 

School Fees Due

Statements were emailed out to families at the beginning of term.  We note that there is still a large number of fees outstanding.   The third and  final instalment is due this Friday 15th August unless you are on a payment plan and have a direct debit in place.

We would ask that fees be finalised as soon as possible.  Please let us know  if you require more time to pay or if you wish to discuss fee relief options.

P&F Updates

Our P&F held a meeting last week. 

Some key announcements from the meeting: 

• P&F Movie Night Cancelled 
• P&F Night at the RSL Cancelled
• Cancelling these events will allow the P&F to put more attention into the P&F Bazaar that will be held on Friday 31st October next term. 
• P&F will be supporting through provision of funds for a new chook pen and fence, front garden and playground garden, playground line marking and purchasing of new classroom furniture at the end of the year. 

Thanks to the P&F for their continued support and hard work for the students in our school.

Uniform Shop Opening Hours

Our P&F uniform Shop is open on Tuesday mornings 8.30am - 9.15am. Should  you need  items outside this time please message through the P&F Facebook page and someone from the P&F will arrange a collection from the office for uniform items.

Road Safety

We have had some concerns raised about pedestrian traffic in the peak morning and afternoon periods before and after school. Please ensure that children are leaving the car from the footpath side of the vehicle. This will keep them well clear of any vehicles or buses. Please use the crossing to cross the road. It is the safest location to cross the road. 

Student Wellbeing

Merit Awards - Week 3 Term 3

Kinder    Mia, Eladre    

Year 1        Winter, Wyatt  

Year 2        Airlie, Bailey  

Year 3        Roley, Hunter  

Year 4        Audrey, Elise, Georgia  

Year 5         Cambell, Jett

Year 6         Olivia, Braxton, Tia, Lexi

Halos:        Audrey B, Aubrey, Wayne, Alex, Iyla, Charlotte H, Hamish, Alice, Reggie, Albert and Lilly

Notice Board