Hello!

End of Term Message

As we come to the end of Term 3, it is wonderful to pause and reflect on what has been an incredibly busy and rewarding few months at St Finbar’s. Our students and staff have embraced so many opportunities - from the magic of our whole school production, to the joy of Book Week celebrations, the reverence of the Year 4 Eucharist, the adventure of the Year 5 camp, the energy of the 9-day swimming program, and the excitement of multiple basketball tournaments. Each of these events has showcased the enthusiasm, talent, and spirit of our community, and we are very grateful to all who made them possible.

Thank you to the Year 5/6 Parents who provided the staff with a delicious lunch earlier this week. A heartfelt thanks goes out to all our staff for their incredible hard work, dedication, and care throughout the term—it is truly appreciated.

Toys at School

A quick reminder to families that bringing toys to school is discouraged, as they can easily be misplaced, lost, or stolen. We appreciate your support in helping to keep personal belongings safe.

Term 4 Assessments

Looking ahead, our Literacy Leader Nonie Kay and Maths Leader Jo Fraser would like to highlight that in Weeks 4, 5 and 6 of Term 4, students will be undertaking several important assessments. We ask for your support in maintaining strong attendance during this period, and if you are aware of any planned absences, please inform your classroom teacher in advance.

Finally, over the past fortnight, classrooms have been buzzing with rich learning across all areas of the curriculum. Below, you’ll see a snapshot of this wonderful learning in action, captured through photos of our students engaging, creating, and thriving.

We wish all our families a safe, restful, and joy-filled break, and look forward to beginning Term 4 with energy and purpose.

Year 5 Camp – Waratah Bay Surf Camp

Last week, our Year 5 students enjoyed an unforgettable three days at Waratah Bay Surf Camp. Despite some challenging weather conditions, the students threw themselves into every activity from surf lessons on the beach, to team-building challenges, beach walks, and evening reflections.

The camp was a wonderful opportunity for students to develop resilience, strengthen friendships, and create lasting memories.

A heartfelt thank you goes to the dedicated staff who accompanied the students: Sigrid, Shannon, Laura, Jo and Ann. Their support, encouragement, and care ensured that all students had a safe, enriching, and fun-filled experience.

We are so proud of our Year 5 students for the way they embraced camp life with enthusiasm, positivity, and courage.

Let's hear the thoughts and opinions of our Year 5 students in regards to their recent camp experience:

Grace: I really enjoyed ringtail ramble, where you had to guide your partner through an obstacle course when they had a blindfold on! My partner was Mila, we found it hard to get through the course, but we got it done in the end.

Sophie: l really enjoyed surfing because the waves were really big and the water was not that cold because we all had wetsuits on and l enjoyed it because everyone had a go at surfing even though people were crashing into each other.

Christopher: Camp was a great experience because we learned how to be resilient. For example when surfing was difficult, I kept trying and did well. Camp also taught me how to be resilient when missing my family, at the start I was a bit worried but by the end I had the best time!

Charlie: I really enjoyed Year 5 camp, especially having fun in my cabin, spending time with my friends and I also loved the responsibility of duty groups because we got to set up the tables for dinner and go into the kitchen and help with cleaning. Even at the end, the teachers gave out special awards called "best on camp" and I was so happy to receive this award.

Billie: I liked the giant swing because it was really fun getting pulled up high and dropping a big height. I felt proud of myself for doing this activity.

Aliki: I really enjoyed surfing because it was a new and fun experience. I really liked trying to surf for the first time. I was very happy that I was able to stand on the board.

Celebration of Excellence – Year 2 Italian

This week we celebrate Oliver and Ella in Year 2 who have created an amazing booklet detailing what they have learned about animals during their Italian lessons with the Fabulous Señora Sirianni.

When asked about what they learned from the experience, Oliver and Ella replied:

Oliver: We learnt about animals and their Italian names and how to use adjectives to describe them.

Ella: I learnt lots of new Italian animals names - I didn't know what a bunny was called in Italian and I also learnt lots of other nouns in Italian.

Oliver and Ella were also quizzed about what they love about their Italian lesson:

Ella: I like when we write books in Italian and learn new words.

Oliver: Señora always makes the lessons fun and we're always learning so much new information.

Well done Ella and Oliver. Learning a second language is never easy but both of you are showing great determination to master the Italian language! To watch a video of these two amazing students reading from their booklets, please click here.

Narelle's Book Recommendation

We’re excited to share that our Librarian, Narelle, will be giving us fortnightly book recommendations to inspire a joy of reading. To begin, she would like to highlight Matt Cosgrove who is a fabulous author.

Macca the Alpaca series (picture books)

With fun colourful illustrations and rhyming text, the Macca the Alpaca series explores themes such as embracing your individuality, kindness and working together - a great read before bedtime!

Worst Week Ever series (Eva Amores & Matt Cosgrove) - illustrated fiction

Have YOU ever had a bad week? Join Justin Chase as he details his terrible week, day by day starting with Monday. Packed with hilarious descriptions (full of great words to explore and chat about) and illustrations of Justin’s truly terrible week, this read will have the whole family giggling ! Once you’ve started you’ll need to keep reading to find out what happens next - all the way through to Sunday.

Flourishing Learners Conference

On September 8 and 9, a group of St Finbar’s staff attended the Flourishing Learners

Conference at Marvel Stadium, hosted by MACS. Representing our school were Callum, Laura, Jo, and Nonie, who joined educators from across Melbourne to engage in two days of rich professional learning.

The conference featured an outstanding line-up of keynote speakers, including Dylan Wiliam, Tom Sherrington, Professor Brother David Hall, Kristen Douglas, and Emina McClean, among many others. Each speaker brought fresh insights into teaching, learning, and wellbeing, challenging participants to reflect on current practices and inspiring new approaches to ensure every child has the opportunity to flourish.

Key Takeaways for St Finbar’s:

Assessment for Learning: Dylan Wiliam emphasised the power of formative assessment and feedback to improve student outcomes.
Instructional Clarity: Tom Sherrington highlighted evidence-informed teaching routines that build consistency and clarity in classrooms.
Faith and Flourishing: Professor Brother David Hall explored the role of Catholic identity and values in shaping environments where young people can thrive.
Wellbeing and Resilience: Kristen Douglas of HeadSpace addressed the importance of mental health supports for students and staff, particularly in fostering safe and supportive learning spaces.
Inclusive Practices: Emina McClean shared strategies for addressing diverse learning needs through structured and responsive approaches.

The event also provided valuable opportunities for networking, collaboration, and dialogue with colleagues from other schools. Our staff returned with renewed energy and a host of strategies that will continue to enrich learning and teaching here at St Finbar’s.

A message from Lisa - Community Leader

The Royal Brighton Yacht Club, would like to extend our sincere thanks toyour school for participating in the celebrations of our 150th anniversary. The artistic works provided by your students have added a vibrant and meaningful contribution tothis special milestone.

We are pleased to invite all participants, along with their families, to visit the yacht club and view their artwork displayed at the club alongside paintings submitted by other local schools.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see the collective creativity and community spirit that has made this celebration so memorable. The sails will be in display from 9:00am - 11:00am on Saturday 4th October, 2025. We hope this timing allows students and their families to enjoy the exhibition, grab a sausage from the sizzle and watch the Opening Day (Opening of the Sailing season) ceremony, which will commence at 11:00am and share in the excitement of the day.

Have a great week - May God Bless

Laura and Callum

Deputy Principals

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