PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are now well and truly settled into the 2024 school year and it has been an outstanding start. With an influx of new students and families, there has been a buzz in the playground before and after school. I understand it’s been a bit more difficult to find parking at these times and I thank all families for your patience with this. All students are to be commended for the way they stepped outside of their comfort zones to form new friendships and relationships. 

Last night, we welcomed parents and carers into the school for our annual Parent Information Night. Thank you to those who were able to be there. I know our staff enjoyed connecting with you, in many instances, for the first time. The relationship building, connection and partnership that comes from this session each year is extremely valuable for all staff, students and parents. I would like to acknowledge our staff for their professionalism and engagement last night too; it’s not easy to stand up and talk in front of 15 to 20 adults that you don’t know particularly well. Slides and class newsletters will be sent home in the coming days.

A big part of what we do at St Agnes’ is centred around relationships and connection. For this to work well, we need active channels of communication and clear expectations for all, especially our students. Children work best when there are clear boundaries in place and high expectations for them to rise to meet. One aspect all of our teachers touched on last night was the importance of reading at home and instilling a love of literature in the children. This is a key role for parents and carers in the education of the children. All students should now have some reading material for reading at home, whether it be a ‘decodable reader’, junior fiction text or novel. At St Agnes’, we expect all students to read at least four to five nights per week and record this in their diary. The junior students will need to read with an adult and then discuss the text afterwards. There are also common words or other vocabulary sent home for our junior students to learn too. We understand that home life is busy, but finding 15-20 minutes each night to invest in this aspect of your child’s learning, will be the best investment you ever make. 

Our Year 3 to 6 students have more significant expectations with regard to homework and this is commencing in most levels this week. Particularly with our seniors students, homework is the responsibility of the students and staff to manage. As parents, it is your role to ensure there is a space for them to complete their homework and to support them to manage their time. If the content is too hard or too easy, please encourage your child to speak to their teacher so the level can be adjusted.

Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Today we gathered together to mark an important day in the church calendar - Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time when we prepare for Easter. It is a time when we can do good things for others and for our world. The three faith aspects we concentrate on with the children during Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Each year during Lent, our school community supports Caritas Australia. The children will be learning about the good work carried out by Caritas in Asia and the Pacific. There will be coin boxes in classrooms and also sent home with eldest children in an effort to financially support these initiatives. All donations, big and small are welcome. This will be collected at our Easter Liturgy on the final day of Term One.

Student Leadership at St Agnes’

Last Thursday morning, our Year Six students presented their Leadership Speeches to the Year Three, Four, Five and Six students, their parents and teachers. Once again, the quality of these presentations was of a very high standard and reinforces the incredible benefits provided by our Public Speaking program, now offered annually in the senior years. The Year Six students nominated their preferred roles, wrote a letter to me applying for these roles and then presented their refined speeches. After the speeches, the students from Year Three up, voted on School Captain and Sports Captaincy roles. Teachers placed the remaining Year Six students in the other leadership positions. Melinda Phyland is to be commended for her work in preparing the children. We have spoken with the children about how some may feel disappointed about their role, but there is a great opportunity for leadership and success, no matter the role. One of the great things about being in a school our size is that all students have significant opportunities for leadership and all students have a specific role in Year Six.

School Captains for 2024

Arabella Shine and Callan Duddy

Parents and Friends Welcome Picnic

Next Friday, 23rd February, the St Agnes’ Parents and Friends Committee is hosting our annual Welcome Picnic at Thomas Street Park in Hampton. This is a great tradition in our school and is always held on the last Friday in February. I strongly encourage all families, old and new, to get along to connect and have some fun together. Pack a picnic basket, a rug, some dinner and drinks at head to the park from 5.30pm. The community is what makes this place special and this is another chance for us to share in each other’s company.

St Agnes’ Fete - Saturday 16th March, 2024

Things are starting to ‘ramp up’ for the biennial St Agnes’ Fete on Saturday 16th March. Our committee met again last night and are moving into the final stages of planning. Last week, you will have received a printed Fete Newsletter which listed all of the ways you can assist and support the committee. Thank you to those who have already made donations of ‘Lucky Jars’, chocolate blocks for the Lob-O-Choc and started to make jams. The more the merrier with all of these items and thank you in advance. The committee is also asking for those who have trestle tables and pop-up gazebos that can be borrowed on Fete-day to please indicate this on the Operoo form sent last week. In the coming weeks, there will be many opportunities to get involved and in support of the community; I kindly ask all parents/carers/grandparents to generously ‘put your hands up’ and help where you can. There will be a stall roster shared and to make the day a success, we really need everyone to do a stint. The fete presents another chance for families, new and old, to immerse themselves in what is an awesome community event. All funds raised will go towards resurfacing the asphalt area in the central courtyard of our school, directly benefiting all current and future students.

Finally, the Fete Raffle is now open and tickets are available for purchase. Head across to the fete page for more information. Please share the link with family and friends - there are same amazing prizes being given away!

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1179202?

Parent/Teacher Exchanges - Tuesday 20th February

Following on from our parent information night, next week we have our Parent/Teacher Exchanges. These meetings are an opportunity for you, as parents, to tell us about your child’s strengths, passions, social competencies and areas to be worked on. The website to access the booking is https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/en3ak- Code -en3ak The children will finish school at 1:00pm on this day to allow the staff to commence the interviews at 1:30pm. We ask that all parents make an appointment for this important discussion. We prefer face-to-face meetings, but teachers can be contacted to organise a video conference should it be necessary. After-school care offered by Extend will commence at 1:00pm on this day. If you have had a PSG this week with your child’s teacher, you are not required to make another appointment.

District Swimming Team

On Friday this week, our School Swim Team will head to Oakleigh Pool to compete against 7 other schools in our District. We have a strong team of 29 students from Year 3 to 6. We wish them well and know they will represent the school and themselves with aplomb. I would like to thank Mr Simon Kost, our Sports Coordinator, for his work with the students in preparing for this event. Early morning swim sessions over the past couple of weeks have given them a chance to get into competition mode. Thank you also to our other staff who have been at these sessions to support. Parents are welcome/encouraged to go along to support. Details have been sent via Operoo.

St Agnes’ Dads’ Night - Pot and Parma - Thursday 14th March

After a very successful inaugural effort, the St Agnes’ Dads Pot and Parma night is back. We are aiming to establish a St Agnes’ group to strengthen the connection amongst St Agnes’ fathers and father figures. Please register your attendance with Year 4 Dad Bart Carroll (bartscarroll7@gmail.com or 0421 877 991) so we can book some tables. Please see Flyer on the Parents and Friends page.

Sibling Enrolments - Prep 2025

We are asking those current families to complete the enrolment process for any siblings who will join our school in Prep in 2025. We need all families to enrol as soon as possible so we know how many places we have to offer new families. Forms can be downloaded from our website or you can pick one up from the office.

Parent Helper Course

This year, we again welcome the support of parents to assist in our Prep and Year 1 classrooms during the morning literacy block. You will enjoy participating in your children’s education – we are in partnership with you and your support is invaluable. All parents are welcome to help. We require that all helpers assisting in the classrooms are fully trained and have a current Working with Children Check, which must be uploaded to your child's Operoo profile prior to the commencement of the training sessions. We need helpers from 9.30am to 10.4am each day. There is a compulsory training session (approximately 1 hour) for all new Prep parent helpers and any new helpers in Year 1. The training session will be run by Amanda Baker (Junior School Leader) in the Hall on Friday, 23rd February at 9.00am. Please contact Amanda (bakeram@sahighett.catholic.edu.au) to confirm your interest.

Sacrament of Reconciliation Family Faith Night - Wednesday 28th February, 7.00pm

On Wednesday 28th February, all Year 3 families of children receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation are asked to attend the family faith night. This session connects school, home and parish around the preparation for this sacrament. It will be held in the children’s classroom from 7.00pm and will run for a little over an hour.

Tuckshop

Tuckshop commenced last Friday and will continue weekly. Orders can be placed online at https://www.salutecatering.com.au/tuckshop using the code: lunch2024 

Term 1 School Fees

Apologies for the delay in distributing the 2024 school fee invoices. We are waiting for a billing issue to be resolved with accounts administration. We are hoping to have these out before the end of the week. Please be on the lookout for these invoices and ensure payment is made promptly. Please see Shannon in the office if you would like to set up a payment plan.

Assembly

Assemblies are in the Hall on Wednesday afternoons at 2.40pm. Parents are welcome to attend. At assembly, there will be presentations from classes, student awards, birthday acknowledgements and special announcements from student leaders.

Wed 14th Feb - Year 4

Wed 21st Feb - Year 6

Wed 28th Feb - Year 2

Wed 6th March - Year 3

Wed 13th March - Year 1

Wed 20th March - Prep

Wed 5th April - Year 6 - Leadership

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Kind regards,

Lachie