Dear St John the Apostle community,

From Wednesday to Friday this week I have had the privilege of attending the annual Principal's Retreat. This year we have reflected on our rich, deep Catholic tradition and wisdom about who we are as human beings and based on words from one of the creation stories found in the bible:

'The God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness..."' (Genesis 1:26)

As Principal, working with so many young children, I am continuously reminded of how amazing creation and human beings are. While our young children are in the earliest of days, we are all on life's journey, learning to understand ourselves, our people and our world. For Catholics we do this within our growing understanding of God and who we are in God. The longer I am on this journey the more I realise how much I don't know and I'm increasinlgy happy to learn. There is joy in this journey.

Financial Support for Schooling

With the recent announcement of another increase in interest rates I understand that families may be concerend about financial pressures. We are here to support you in ensuring an excellent education remains affordable. In all Catholic schools we share the understanding that no student will be refused enrolment or be disadvantaged because of an inability on the part of parents/guardians to meet financial requirements (from our Enrolment Policy).

Fee remissions are offered in cases of financial hardship. Each year we have a number of families who apply for a 12 month fee reduction. Each application is considered individually and with the strictest confidence. Every family's circumstances can be quite different and we happily sit down with families who would like to discuss their concerns.

Our Uniform Shop do an outstading job at keeping our school uniform affordable and accessible and there are growing numbers of pre-loved versions of our new uniform items.

The ACT Government's Future of Education Equity Fund provides yearly one-off payments to Canberra Families experiencing financial challenges with students from preschool to year 12 and independent students. The Equity Fund helps cover costs associated with schooling.

The following payments are available to those who meet the eligibility criteria:

• $400 for preschool students
• $500 for primary school students
• $750 for high-school and college students

Parents can apply for these payments at the following link:

If you are experiencing financial challenges and would like to discuss how we can support you in relation to your child's schooling, please contact our Finance Officer, Ms Debbie Milne (Finance.sjaps@cg.catholic.edu.au).

Playground Update

There's been some great progress on our playground landscaping this week. When we recently experienced heavy rain we saw where the recently dug dry creek bed will help water flow to our plants and trees and create a beautiful ecosytem for our children to play in. The new playground equipment in both the junior and senior areas is still getting quite a workout with many, many happy children exploring different pieces of the equipment every day. It's a pleasure to see the many joyful faces each day.

I hope all families enjoy some time together over the coming long weekend.

Matthew Garton

Principal