Principal's Message

Dear Families,

Don't forget we have our annual Mother's Day breakfast, lunch and stall tomorrow, Friday 7th May. (Dads, please remember to send the students to school with money for the stall) I would also like to wish all of our Mothers a 'Happy Mother's Day' and I hope you are well looked after by your families on this very important day. Our Mums are incredibly important people in our lives. From our first memories they are our primary care givers and make many sacrifices to ensure we are prosperous and successful.

I would like to thank all of our P & F members for their amazing efforts in preparing for the breakfast and the many special gifts at the stall. Please note that cars can still drop off at the electric gate on Friday morning but the playground/asphalt area will be used for the Mother's Day breakfast. I will be on duty to direct traffic.

School Master Plan

Please find attached below the new St. Finbar's School master plan. My thanks to the School Advisory Board for their input and the St Finbar's Staff as well for their contributions. Thanks also to our school architect Mr Nat Preston for his excellent work. We now begin preparations for the Elevator Project to begin this year.

Parent Helpers in the classrooms

We are able to once again have parent helpers back in the classroom. Please contact your child's class teacher if you are available to assist. Please note that all classroom helpers must have a current working with children check and have nominated St. Finbar's School on their documentation. All visitors to the school must also sign in at reception for our COVID-19 contact and trace requirements. We are only able to have 1 helper per classroom at a time.

Unfortunately due to density numbers we are not able to have parents back for indoor assemblies just yet. We are very hopeful in the not too distant future to have our parents back for these important celebrations on Friday mornings. In the meantime we will continue to record assemblies and share them via Seesaw.

Bike Ed Training and Camp

Year 4 Bike Education training begins next week with 3 weeks of riding lessons scheduled before the Year 4 Bike Ed Camp in Maldon. Thanks to Miss Laura Zeeng, Mrs Lara Berley and Sonia for running this exciting event for our students.

P & F Meeting

Thank you to all of our P & F members for a great meeting on Tuesday night this week. It was very exciting to discuss all of the plans that are upcoming for this year in particular the P & F Function scheduled for Saturday 21st August. Please save this date in your calendars, it promised to be a fun night! We also discussed assistance required for the School production - Madagascar coming up in Term 3.

Last call please for any Walkathon sponsorship money as well please.

School Podcast

Last week I had the privilege to be the first guest on the new St. Finbar's Podcast channel. Thanks to Jesse and Tas for inviting me on their show. Please see HERE the first official Podcast for St. Finbar's, as we discuss all of the exciting things happening at school!

Camps, Sport and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

The CSEF allowance is available for eligible students and is paid to the school towards expenses like camps, excursions or sporting activities. Those who hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent may be eligible. The funding amount for 2020 is $125. Those eligible should complete a CSEF Application Form and return it to the office by 7th May 2021.

Enhancing Catholic Schools Identity Survey

I have emailed parents directly this morning about the importance of this survey that happens every 4 years and have provided new access log in details. This survey which is completed the year before our official school review, helps provide necessary direction and clarity for our 4 year school improvement plan. Staff, Students and Parents are all invited to participate in this survey. The survey should take approximately 1 hour to complete. My thanks for your assistance with this important data collection.

NAPLAN

From Tuesday 11th May to Thursday 20th May, our students in Years 3 & 5 will take part in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy, or ‘NAPLAN’, as it is commonly known. Whilst this is a 2 week testing window we will aim to complete all testing by the end of the first week to minimise interruptions to the school.

Skills that will be tested include: reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. This year we will be a NAPLAN online school with all tests being conducted via a lock down browser on the students' Chromebooks (except the Year 3 writing test which will be handwritten).

The tests are completed here at school and are considered just another part of the curriculum. It is important for you and your child to know that NAPLAN is not a pass/fail test. It simply looks at what level students are achieving in literacy and numeracy against National Standards and compared with student peers throughout Australia.

NAPLAN cannot be studied for and students are not expected to do so. The best way you can help your child prepare for NAPLAN is to let them know that it is just a routine part of their school program, and to urge them to do the best they can on the day.

All Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to participate in NAPLAN testing.

Later in the year we will send parents an individual student NAPLAN report that you can use to view and monitor how your child is progressing.

More information is available on the NAPLAN website www.nap.edu.au.

School Closure Day

On Monday 17th May we will be having a school closure day. On this day the staff will be undertaking their compulsory first aid training. All staff will be onsite for this very important professional development. Out of Hours care will be available on this day.

Winter Uniform

This week all students should be in full winter uniform. I have had a few inquiries regarding the use of skivvies for our junior students. Please note that we no longer have skivvies on our uniform list, nor do we stock this item in the uniform shop. We will be phasing out the use of skivvies by the end of 2021. Students can wear singlets or t-shirts under their school winter shirts on colder days as well as take advantage of our school scarves, beanies and jackets on our uniform list. Please note that ties are compulsory for all students in winter uniform.

Welcome to St. Finbar's School

I would like to welcome Evelyn N to St. Finbar's School. Evelyn will be joining Mr Stent's class in Year 1. We hope Evelyn and her family enjoy all St. Finbar's has to offer.

Inter-school Sport Photos

Thanks to Matt Skehill for the amazing photos of our first footy hit out for over 12 months!

God Bless,

Pat Berlingeri

Principal

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