RACQ Streets Ahead worked with our P-2 students last week as part of a valuable and engaging program that visits our school annually. The specially designed road mat allows Prep to Year 2 students to learn correct road safety behaviours and practice crossing the road safely. This program reinforces our safety messages as students arrive and leave school daily.  Your little person may have shared some of their knowledge with you!

Your child may bring home messages about important safety practices, such as entering the car from the footpath side rather than the roadside. They will have learned to use designated crossings instead of crossing in between parked or even moving cars in the Kiss and Go areas. 

Please engage in conversations with your child about road safety from an early age, even at our supervised crossings. Simple actions, like putting our phones in our pockets and holding the hands of young children, can model safe behaviours.

Thank you to all our families for your patience during the busy mornings and afternoons. School Zones can be very congested during these times. Safety of our students is everyone’s business.

Best Wishes

Nicole Lennox

We all have to make choices in our daily lives. Our students make choices each day about behaviour, their learning, their friendships, the list is endless. In Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 13:24- 29, 32), Jesus tells us He will return at the end of time, so we must always keep ourselves ready, by trying to live each day in the way Jesus showed us, with goodness and love towards our neighbour. For our students, these are the people around us. 

To think before we act or speak, ensures we make good choices most of the time. We encourage our students to make choices to be organised and ready to be the best they can so they can make optimal use of their learning time. 

This week at Holy Spirit we value justice. Justice, for many people, refers to fairness. We should always be looking to discover ways in which we are called to be people for others. We are called to: show dignity to others; help those in need with the essentials required for a decent life (food, clothing and shelter); pay special attention to the needs of those who are poor; care for one another; care for all that God has made. This week, we pray that our students and families recognise the needs of others, especially those who need our help.

Next week, classes will receive information about their collection for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper. Each year, we donate Christmas goodies to St Vincent De Paul to distribute to those in need in our community. We ask that all students begin collecting suitable items for the Christmas Hampers. If we all generously put in a little something, we end up with quite a large donation to help those less fortunate than ourselves. What better way to open our hearts to those in need this Christmas? These will be presented at our Christmas Liturgy in the last week of school. Students will be provided with items to be included in our Christmas Hampers this year. As I was once reminded at a Christmas Appeal Launch, “Let’s make the festive season a brighter one for those less fortunate.” 

Lord Jesus, teach me by your example…
Make me, through all of my efforts, be a shining light to all

people and all things around me.
I want to always do things that make you happy.
Look over me and please give me the strength and the
wisdom to continue to do your work on earth.

Amen.

(based upon words from St Vincent)

God bless.
Caroline Fuller

Grandparents Day

It's a special occasion that celebrates grandparents, Elders, relatives, and those who generally assume the role of grandparent or Elder within their family or community. It was wonderful to have so many grandparents join our school assembly and visit our classrooms. 

Semester 2 Reports

Semester Two Reports will be published via Compass on Wednesday, December 4th, at 3:30 p.m. To access them, you will need your Compass username and password. Please see the office staff for this information if you still need to get it. 

If your child is in Year 6 or if you are leaving our school, please download your child's report from Compass before 30 December. Access via Compass will not be available after 30 December.

Kristy Bates

Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning  (APPL)

2025 School Fees

SCHOOL FEES and STATEMENTS

School Fees are processed in week three or four of each of the four school terms and are due for payment the last Wednesday of the school term. A statement of your fee account will be emailed to you monthly for your records. Click HERE to view 2025 School Fees. 

We encourage payment by regular instalments that fit comfortably within your family budget.  Your individual Bpay details are on your statement for reference.

Please contact accounts@hsstsv.catholic.edu.au should you require any assistance in arranging a payment plan.

If you are not on a payment plan, the following due dates apply:

SCHOOL FEE DUE DATES

Term 1: Wednesday 2  April

Term 2: Wednesday 25 June

Term 3: Wednesday 17 September

Term 4: Wednesday 3 December

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS RELATING TO SCHOOL FEES:

2025 MSD FORMS 

If you have students attending any other primary, secondary or P - 12 School in our diocese (excluding St Patrick's College or Ignatius Park College) you may be eligible for a Multi School Discount.  Please complete the MSD form and return it to:

accounts@hsstsv.catholic.edu.au 

HEALTH CARE CARD CONCESSIONS

If you hold a Health Care Card, Pension Card or GOLD Veteran Card, you may be eligible for a concession on your school fees.  Please refer to the Guidelines to Discount for Concession.  If you are the holder of one of these cards, in the parent of guardian name, with the student's name listed underneath, please take a pic or screen shot of your card and forward it to:

The School Savvy Program was created to assist families experiencing financial hardship with the opportunity to buy low cost new and second-hand uniforms and school supplies.

Centacare NQ facilitate the School Savvy “pop-up” shop for 1 week in January to meet the needs of families experiencing financial pressure with back-to-school costs.

A donation bin will be in our front office for any pre loved uniforms you would like to donate.

Thank you to everyone that purchased a poppy for Remembrance Day, we
raised $458.00 that will go directly to the RSL and Veteran’s projects.
A very worthy organisation. 

All of our defence students are looking forward to starting some Christmas
projects as we start winding up the school year.

Coffee Connections – BH Café – Thursday 21 November

Let coffee and conversation flow at this month’s Coffee Connections.

We’ll be meeting at BH Café – formerly known as Bakehouse on Eyre - so come along and enjoy a coffee and chat before the silly season really kicks in.

Best of all, each adult’s first cuppa is on us!

When: Thursday 21 November 2024

Time: 9.30am-11.30am

Where: BH Cafe

Tickets: DMFS Townsville’s Coffee Connections – BH Café - Eventbrite

Gecko’s Christmas Party – Saturday 23 November

Join the crew at Geckos for their fun filled Christmas Party!

Bring your sun-smart gear and enjoy water slides, face painting, petting zoo and more!

Save the date and grab your tickets from the TryBooking link below.

When: Saturday 23 November 2024

Time: 4.00pm-7.00pm

Where: Geckos Family Centre, Lavarack Barracks

Tickets: TryBooking.com – Geckos’ 2024 Christmas Party

*Photographs may be taken at DMFS events. Please let our staff know if you do not
want your family to be photographed. Photos may be used on our social media
channels or in DMFS publications.

Online safety

for parents and carers

We are open Tuesday and Thursday 8am-8.25am in the hall.

Your support with donations of spreads (not nut based) and bread are needed and appreciated, particularly honey and golden syrup, due to the increase in children accessing the program.

Donations can be dropped off at Tuckshop.

Just a reminder: The toasters will be turned off at 8.15am, so bread with spreads will be the choice once the toast runs out.  This allows both students and staff enough time to be ready for the start of the school day. 

If your child is going to be absent, please enter the details through Compass, as this is the most efficient way to inform the school.