PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

“I never want to leave this classroom, ever again.” - Anonymous Year 2 St Agnes’ Student - 27/04/2023

As you can imagine, hearing and then sharing that particular comment from one of our students, evokes an enormous sense of pride in our humble primary school. It has been amazing to watch the children and teachers settle into their new classrooms over the past couple of weeks. Everyone is now much more comfortable and the learning is now well and truly back in full swing. The challenges of temporary classrooms are quickly forgotten as we see our MSL and Spelling Mastery groups transition so effortlessly, with not a minute of learning time wasted. To see students and teachers working together and crossing over classrooms to get into focus groups for Mathematics has been another highlight. There have been countless compliments from parents, grandparents and of course the students about the quality of the spaces we now have at our school. Much of the feedback has centred around the bright, airy feel in the classrooms and the angular walled design which keeps the noise from travelling from room to room. New carpet, paint, furniture and light fittings in various areas of the administration building has also given our school entrance a much fresher feel. Today, the final touches of paint are being put on the Art Room and Stairwell, but as you can see from the photos below, the updates to the Art Room have made a big difference. Now, all we have to do is spread the good news! St Agnes’ is the place to be.

We look forward to seeing the landscaping completed over the coming week, so we can begin to use this outdoor learning and play space. Again, we are very grateful to the Parents & Friends Committee and our wider school community for your fundraising efforts in 2022 to fund this redevelopment. Priorities for 2023 are new Chromebooks for the senior school students and accumulating funds to go to towards resurfacing the asphalt and replacing the adventure playground on Locinda Street. 

Mother’s Day Activities

Tomorrow, we come together as a school community to celebrate all of the special ladies within our school. It all kicks off with a breakfast from 7.30am in the school hall and is followed by a liturgy in the Church at 8.50am. The children have been preparing diligently for this occasion throughout this week and it will be a special time, so I encourage anyone who is able to attend, to come along. The role of the mother or mother figure is a complex one and it takes many forms in various families. The love provided by the female figures in the lives of our children is what is to be celebrated this coming weekend. I hope everyone enjoys some special time together on Sunday and the children spoil you greatly. I would like to wish all Mothers and Grandmothers a happy Mother’s Day.

Last Friday, a large group of parents gathered together for the annual Mother’s Day Dinner. With around 40 in attendance, by all reports, there was a great atmosphere in the room. Thank you to all of those who helped contribute to make this night a special one, especially Bree Walsh. We look forward to this event again next year! 

Pre-Prep Playgroup

On Wednesday this week we launched our the St Agnes’ Pre-Prep Playgroup for local 4 year old children. This was hosted in our freshened up Art space and there was a real buzz in the room. The children were so very excited to be engaging together at ‘big school’ and it was wonderful to see new faces as well as familiar ones. It was very well attended and these sessions will be of significant benefit to the children from a social and emotional point of view, as they transition into Prep in 2024.

Inform and Empower - Raising Kids in a Digital World

We know that our children are growing up in a digital world; one that is very different to the world most of us as parents were raised. I remember one Apple computer in my Year 4 classroom with the game Frogger loaded onto it and that was about all. Now our children have access to digital platforms every day and there are some wonderful things about this, but there are many challenges too. We place a high value on educating our students, but also supporting our parents to be proactive in managing this and to do this well, current information is key. We are pleased to welcome back Marty and Carley McGauran from Inform and Empower for a 90 minute parent workshop on Wednesday 14th June at 6.30pm. Marty and Carley are highly regarded in the digital safety and wellbeing area and will cover social media, cyberbullying, online gaming, family communicate, managing screen time and it’s impacts. We ask all students and at least one parent from each family in Year 3-6 to be present at school for this very important evening please. There will be a Student Workshop run concurrently by the Science and Technology Captains, who will be supported by school staff. Please register by clicking on the button below. 

Staff Leave in Term Two

Towards the end of this term, we have two staff who are taking some leave. Our Deputy Principal Louisa Di Pietro is taking Long Service Leave to travel to Italy with her partner Paolo. Louisa will be away from Monday 19th June to Friday 28th June (inclusive). Louisa’s duties will be split between Josie Miller and Amanda Baker while Louisa is away. Josie will look after Learning Diversity and chair PSG meetings, while Amanda will take care of our staffing organisation. There will be little impact on our Year 5/6 and Prep classrooms during this time.

Tracey Law is also taking leave in the last week of this term to travel with her family - Monday 19th - Friday 23rd June (inclusive). Parent/Teacher Interviews for Year 4 will be held at an alterative time, to be confirmed.

Fete Committee Meeting & Food Stall Coordinator

Our 2024 Fete Committee is gaining momentum, with sponsorship team already well advanced with their planning and the establishment of community connections. The next meeting is on Tuesday 16th May at 7.30pm in the staffroom. We are still searching for a volunteer to take on the role of Food Stall Coordinator. This role involves sourcing and ordering food requirements, applying for food handling licences and ensuring foods are stored and handled appropriately.  If you are interested in assisting the committee with this, please get in touch with Amy Anderson (pennyfarthingevents@gmail.com) or Shannon Shine (sshine@sahighett.catholic.edu.au). 

Prep Prayers in Pyjamas - Wednesday 17th May at 7pm

We are excited to host our Prep Prayers in Pyjamas night once again this year. The children are asked to come along to school with mum and/or dad, dressed in their PJs to learn as a family about prayer. Parents are certainly not required to wear PJs!

Classroom Parent Helper Course

A reminder that any parent helpers who are new to the classroom or wish to refresh their skills are asked to attend a short Parent Helpers Information Session on Friday 19th May at 9am upstairs in the Italian Room (above the hall). Please contact complete the Operoo form sent out recently, or contact Amanda Baker if you plan on attending.

Carpet for Sale

Following the pack up of our temporary classrooms, we have two rolls approximately 18m in length of broadloom carpet. If anyone from our school community is interested in buying this carpet cheaply, please contact Lachie.

Anzac Biscuits - Donation to the RSL

Thank you to the families that made donations for the sale of Anzac Biscuits for the students prior to Anzac Day. The school raised $178 and this will be donated to the Highett RSL. Thank you to the parents who generously gave up their time to come to school to sell these.

Parish News - Community Refugee Sponsorship

The Australian Commonwealth Government has introduced a refugee migration program on a trial basis, where community groups sponsor a refugee family to settle in Australia. Under the scheme, a group of about 10 people in a community sponsor a refugee family and take responsibility for helping the family to settle in the local area, until they find their feet. A group of parishioners within Our Lady of the Assumption Parish and St Agnes Parish are taking steps to sponsor a family. If you would like to learn more about what is being proposed, see: refugeesponsorship.org.au/what-we-do/crisp/ for more information about the program, or contact Adrian Foley on: 0497 780 233, or Email: ade.foley@gmail.com. 

Term Two School Fees

Term Two School Fees are now payable and updated fee statements have been sent. Please ensure prompt payment and contact Shannon Shine (sshine@sahighett.catholic.edu.au) if you would like to set up a direct debit or payment plan.

Assembly

Assemblies have returned to normal this term, in the hall on Wednesday afternoons. Parents are welcome to attend. At assembly, there will be presentations from classes, student awards, birthday acknowledgements and special announcements.

Wed 10th May - Year 5/6

Wed 17th May - Year 1

Wed 24th May - Year 4

Wed 31st May - Prep

Wed 7th June - Year 3

Wed 17th June - Year 6 Leadership

Wed 21st June - Music Showcase

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Kind regards,

Lachie.