Welcome back to Term Two! I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday break and that the blessing of Easter was kind to you and your loved ones. It was very sad to hear of the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday. The Pope's commitment to simplicity, outreach to the marginalised and to lead the church in a more contemporary manner made him much loved and dearly missed.

Pope Francis Tribute - Anonymous

It’s almost as if he waited.

Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday. The timing felt too tender to be coincidence—like he held on just long enough to hear the Alleluia one last time. To witness the Church rejoice in the Resurrection before quietly letting go. As if he needed to see the stone rolled away before stepping into the promise he had spent his life proclaiming.

He carried so much. The wounds of a divided Church. The ache of the poor and the forgotten. The weight of hope—for a world more merciful, more human, more like Christ. He walked with a limp, both in body and in spirit, but never without grace. He wasn’t perfect. But he was present. And he kept showing up.

And he was different.

He chose the simple path when grandeur was expected. He rode the bus. Paid his own hotel bill. Lived in a guesthouse instead of the papal palace. His first act as Pope was to bow and ask for our prayers. From the beginning, he showed us that true authority kneels. That greatness can look like humility.

He disrupted systems and comforted outcasts. He spoke boldly on justice, embraced the disabled, welcomed migrants, washed the feet of prisoners. He didn’t just talk about mercy—he embodied it. He made the Church feel like a place where the last could be first, and the forgotten, finally seen.

He taught us that holiness isn’t perfection—it’s presence. That the Gospel is clearest when it sounds like compassion. That faith, at its best, looks like love with skin on.

And now, just after Easter, he’s gone.

But maybe that was his final homily. Not delivered from a pulpit, but through the quiet timing of his death—a soft Amen to a life spent preaching hope.

It brings to mind these words:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7

And he did. He fought—not with anger, but with mercy. He ran—not to be praised, but to make space for others. And he kept the faith—not flawlessly, but fiercely.

So yes, we grieve. But we also remember.

We remember how he made us believe again—in a Church that walks with the wounded, in a Gospel wide enough for the doubting, in a God whose love meets us right where we are.

He reminded me that faith isn’t something we hold onto for ourselves.
It’s something we hand off—with open hands and open hearts.

Pope Francis has finished his race.
And what he leaves behind isn’t just a memory—
It’s the echo of a life poured out.
The kind of life that makes you want to live differentl
More gently
More boldly
More like him.
More like Christ.

He waited for Easter—because he believed in the promise.
And now, that promise is his.
Light has found him.
And Love has brought him home.

Resurrection
We celebrate the greatest day in history, when Jesus rose from death, defeated darkness and bathed the world in stunning resurrection light. We welcome you to celebrate this significant event, which will be led by our Year 3 and 4 students, this Friday 2 May at the Church at 2pm.

ANZAC Day
This week, we will commemorate ANZAC Day, thank you to Miss Jackson and our Year 6 students who will lead us all in reflection and prayer. Sincere thanks is also extended to Elle Stuart, one of our Year 6 School Captains, and her family for laying a wreath on our behalf at the Dawn Service at Old Parade Ground, Georges Height Oval. We also acknowledge and thank Jamie Malcolm (Flynn and Roy’s Dad) who led the community in the Ode of Remembrance at the service. As we pause to remember the fallen, we are also able to reflect upon why Anzac Day is so important to our nation. We not only remember Gallipoli, but in person and in spirit, we commemorate the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our nation in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

Intervention Structure in 2026
In 2026, all Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) will transition from our current Reading Recovery model to a Foundational Phonics Program (FPP) which is firmly aligned with the principles of effective literacy intervention. It is designed to meet the diverse needs of students requiring additional support in early reading.

Principles of Foundational Phonics Program (FPP)

• SCS advocates supporting students who fall behind through early and ongoing Tier 2 phonics intervention, starting in Term 2 of Kindergarten, where necessary. The program is primarily targeted at students in Kindergarten and Year 1, although students in other years who lack phonic knowledge and phonological awareness to decode and encode will also benefit.
• The program is delivered daily in small groups based on need.
• The program is structured with a clear phonics scope and sequence and is fully equipped with all the essential resources needed for reading intervention teachers to implement it effectively.
• Ongoing support should be provided to all students, ensuring they receive the necessary assistance to meet key literacy milestones.

Further information will be shared as the progresses.

MOTHER’S DAY CELEBRATIONS- Friday 9 May

• Breakfast (8am) *order via Qkr
• Open Classrooms (8:40am)
• Mass (9:15am)