Dear Parents and Carers,

On Sunday we officially welcomed the winter season! The weather continues to remain much warmer than normal as we wait in anticipation of much needed rain. In saying this, the mornings have been quite cold, so it is important that students remember to bring a jumper/jacket to school. The weather can change unexpectedly at anytime!

ILLNESS: As always with the winter season, there are a number of coughs, colds and flu like symptoms presenting at school, among students and staff. Please keep unwell children at home and only send them back to school when symptoms have been reduced and the child is well enough to participate in school activities. We appreciate everyone’s support in regard to helping contain the spread of any viruses or illnesses.

PASSING OF MR ANTHONY JAKSIC: It is with much sadness that I inform our school community of the sudden and unexpected passing of Mr Anthony Jaksic. Anthony was our CECG Planning and Facilities Officer, with whom we have worked closely, over the past 6 years with regard to maintenance and improvement projects for St Patrick’s School.

Some of these projects have included the construction of our new front administration area, improved safety lighting around the school, new roofing over our old administration block, structural safety and other maintenance issues as well as more recently our new Student Amenities Build and Outdoor Covered Area projects. Mr Graham Beaver, CECG Planning and Facilities Manager, will take over our building upgrades in the interim and work with Mattoni on the day-to-day management and administration of the Student Amenities project. At this stage, the Student Amenities building will continue to proceed. Anthony was working across projects on a large number of our Catholic Schools and therefore projects will need to be reprioritised as CECG work towards ensuring as many projects continue as possible.

Please keep Anthony and his family in your prayers. We will miss Anthony’s visits to St Patrick’s and his ‘larger-than-life’ personality. He was a great advocate for continued improvements to St Patrick’s, and we are grateful to him for all he achieved in the six years we have worked together. We pray that Anthony’s family are comforted by the knowledge of the wonderful work and improvements to building facilities, he has made achieved across a large number of Canberra-Goulburn Catholic Schools. We pray that Anthony rests in eternal peace.

Christine Baron

Principal

St Patrick, Pray for us