Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,

Welcome back to the start of Term 2. I hope that you all had a great Easter holiday break and were able to spend some quality time together as a family.
As most of you are probably aware, Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, following a stroke and heart failure after battling double pneumonia. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he was the first Latin American and Jesuit pope, elected in 2013. His papacy emphasized humility, inclusivity, and care for the marginalized, notably through his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si' on environmental stewardship. Francis championed synodality, giving greater voice to laypeople and women in Church deliberations. His final public appearance was on Easter Sunday, where he called for global peace. He was laid to rest in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

New Building Works
The new building works were initially scheduled to start over the Easter holiday period. Unfortunately, we are already behind schedule and works have not yet commenced as we are still awaiting council approval. Following council approval, the building project will go to tender, where a suitable contracted will be found. Whilst it is disappointing that the project hasn’t commenced, we did have some small progress. The new portable building was delivered over the holidays. The new portable will become 5/6C’s temporary classroom, when their current class and multi-purpose room is demolished to prepare for the new build. I will keep you all updated with the progress as things change.

Shakespeare Festival Faire Day
This Sunday is the Shakespeare Festival Faire Day. The weather forecast is perfect, and this should be a fantastic day. Thank you all very much for your kind donations to the Lucky Jars Stall. There are so many fabulous, fun filled jars that I know will sell well.
Please get along to the Faire Day on Sunday and support our school and the wider Stratford community.

Mother’s Day Afternoon
Next Friday 9 th May, we will be holding a Mother’s Day afternoon. All mums are invited to come in and spend the afternoon in their child’s classroom. If you have more than one child, you are invited to rotate around each of your children’s classrooms. During this time, you will get to do a fun activity with your child/ren. The afternoon will commence at 2:30pm and go to approximately 3:15pm, which will allow classes to pack up before the end of the school day. All mums are encouraged to arrive at 2:15pm and enter through the Dixon St double gates. We hope to see lots of you attend!

Kind regards,
Joel