Such tragic news has been unfolding in our small and tight knit community over the past 24 hours. Students arrived at school today with many stories of the tragedy in Mayday Rd. As a staff we listen and listen…and then move gently through the day. We send our thoughts and prayers to all family and friends of Aisha and Lailani. Mary, our Mother look after us.

Please know that our Catholic Care Counsellor, Melissa Bailey, will be in attendance this Thursday and well as Ms Deb Wild, our School Welfare Officer. If you would like to access either of these services personally or for your child, please let us know.

Next week is National Reconciliation Week and the theme for 2020 is In This Together. A wonderful theme on so many levels for us in Batlow right now. Sorry Day is Tuesday 26 May. On this day we acknowledge and recognise the injustice of the stolen generations. The day marks the anniversary of the national apology to the families by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008. We invite all parents to participate with us by tracing around your hands on the card provided in the package going out to all families today. The hands will be used in an art scape on our playground next Tuesday. If ‘hands’ could be returned to us by this Friday we would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance for being part of this initiative and thanks to Ms Kelly Brown, our Classroom Assistant, who supports Aboriginal education at our school and who has helped me to coordinate several activities for Reconciliation Week 2020.

 Blessings to everyone and continue to go gently.

 Jannine