Dear Families,
One of my favourite parts of working in a school environment is when we gather as a school community. It is a joy to see the whole community come together for events like the Mother’s Day Breakfast, the Easter Picnic etc. These are memories I treasure.
We have two such events next week. On Tuesday at 6.00pm, we have our annual Christmas carols celebration. Over the last few weeks, I watched the children in each Learning Community preparing for this and practising their carols. This is an event that all our children really enjoy and I know that this is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a school to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. I hope you can all come along to join in the celebrations with us.
On Friday next week, we have our Colour Run and Tabloid Sports Day. Our sports teacher, Alessio Mantello, our deputy principal, Caroline Madigan, our Admin Team led by Emma Daniels and all of the amazing School Community Team led by Jaymi Le-Ung have been working really hard to make sure this a fun and exciting day for our children. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of them for their hard work. I also want to thank Kelly Sports for supporting our school with this event. Again, this is a wonderful opportunity to gather as a community and enjoy the sports prowess of our children (and, apparently, get to see the children slime the principal!). I hope you can come along for our first sports day as a school community.
On another note, I am mindful that there are likely to be some discussions within parent groups regarding the classes for 2025 and who will be teaching these. At this stage, only the Learning Community Team for Exploration has been confirmed, as this was required due to our extensive Prep Transition process.
Can I request that this does not become a cause for speculation? As I stated in last week’s bulletin, we still have teaching vacancies, and I am working as hard as I can to try and fill these, but any inaccurate information can cause confusion and anxiety. I will communicate the class structures as soon as I can, prior to the Step Up Day on December 3. If, at that stage, we are still missing teachers for next year, I will communicate this to the school community. Please remember, this is not a situation unique to our school – it is a problem impacting many schools across Victoria.
2024 SEMESTER TWO THREE-WAY LEARNING CONVERSATIONS
On December 9 and 10, we have our Semester Two Three-Way Learning Conversations. As I have consistently stated since our school opened, it is an expectation that every parent or guardian will attend a meeting to meet with their child’s classroom teacher. If parents or guardians do not attend, please do not be offended if you receive a phone call from me to arrange a time for a meeting. As a school, we pride ourselves on our communication and the three-way learning conversations are one of the most important ways we can communicate with parents and guardians on the progress of their children.
2025 SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL & ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
We need you!! – we are calling for parents and guardians who are interested in our School Advisory Council in 2025. This is a vitally important leadership role in our school, and the commitment required is limited (two one-hour meetings per term).
The SAC is the major forum to give parents and guardians a voice in key school developments of our school and we have been blessed to have a really active and engaged SAC. We would really love to have new parents and guardians join our SAC team. If you are interested, please let me know.
A reminder that our AGM will take place on Tuesday, December 3 at 6.30pm.
CHRISTMAS RAFFLE TICKETS
Raffle ticket booklets will be sent home with each child, early next week. Extra tickets will be available for purchase on Tuesday evening at the school Christmas carols . All tickets sold need to be returned to school by Thursday 12, December. The winning tickets will be drawn on Friday 13, December.
UPCOMING DATES
November
26/11 – Christmas Carols (6:00pm to 8:00pm)
29/11 – Colour Run & Schools Sports Day
December
06/12 – Exploration Learning Community Assembly at 2.30pm
– School Reports to be sent home
09/12 – Three-Way Conferences
10/12 – Three-Way Conferences
11/12 – Graduation Mass at 6.00pm
12/12 – 2025 Prep Parent & Guardian Parent Information Night #3
13/12 – End Of Year Mass at 11.30am at St Anthony’s
17/12 – Last Day for Students for 2024. Students finish at 1.30pm
18/12 – Student Free Day
– Last Day for Staff for 2024
19/12 – Student Free Day
20/12 – Student Free Day
God bless,
Bill Hill
PRINCIPAL