Principal's News

                                                                                                                                26/11/24

Dear Parents and Carers,

STOMP

Congratulations to all students who participated in the showcase last Thursday.  Thank you to Mr JR for filming the experience so I could watch the incredible dance routines! 

After a chat with the dance teachers, I was thrilled to hear their glowing feedback. They noted that while some students found the dance routines challenging, they persevered, demonstrating remarkable grit and determination. Others naturally stepped into leadership roles, encouraging their peers throughout the lessons. It was also evident that some students take dance lessons outside of school, as they shone as excellent role models and coaches for their classmates. Top effort to our students for trying something new and doing their best! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Prep 2025 Transition 

The Preps had their second transition morning, last Thursday, and they settled in very quickly. The studentseagerly participated in activities and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company. Miss Montalto was very impressed with their engagement and positive attitude.  Next transition is Head Start!

Student Acknowledgement

Congratulations Phoenix & Alexander for being super leaders and remembering to verbalise over the PA the expected behaviours for the week.  The two students were punctual and spoke respectfully over the PA to remind students of the Expected Behaviours.  I am sure they will enjoy their special lunch this week.

Well done to all the Leaders who supported the PBL program by assisting with this task throughout 2024.  I look forward to working with the Year 6 students next year to continue this important duty.

Head Start  Prep-6

A successful transition from one year level into another for all students is so important. It has long-lasting benefits. Students who experience a positive transition into their new environment are likely to be happy at school and continue to improve their social and academic skills. 

Head Start provides students with the opportunity to experience working in a new environment (their learning space for 2025) while becoming familiar with their teachers and peers. During this time, students are introduced to routines and structures, helping them settle into the setting. They also participate in engaging icebreaker activities designed to ease anxiety and build confidence.  The students will also have an opportunity to meet new specialist teachers during Head Start.

Thursday 12th December Headstart     Prep 9:25am - 1:00pm

Friday 13th December Headstart           Prep 9:15 - 3:30pm

Monday 16th December Headstart         Prep 9:15am - 1pm

                  Reminder Science works Excursion Friday 29th of November 

As part of our Earth and Space Science units this term, the whole school will be visiting Scienceworks and the Planetarium. Scienceworks, located in Spotswood, is an interactive and hands-on science museum that promises an engaging learning experience for our students.

The Melbourne Planetarium at Scienceworks features a 16-metre domed ceiling, reclining seats, a 7.1 surround sound system, and a full-dome video projection system. This immersive environment offers an awe-inspiring astronomical experience, allowing students to visually explore how our solar system works.

Travel Details:

• We will travel by bus, departing school at approximately 8:50 am.
• Students need to arrive at school by 8:40 am to ensure a prompt departure.
• We will return to school before 3:30 pm.

What to Bring:

• Wear the St. Kevin’s uniform with black-soled school shoes.
• Bring a large bottle of water, clearly labeled with your child’s name, as there are no drinking fountains available.
• Bring a waste-free snack and lunch in a plastic bag, also labeled with their name.

We look forward to this exciting day of exploration and learning!

Year 6 Graduation

SAVE THE DATE YEAR 6 GRADUATION: 11/12/24

MASS at St Kevin’s: 6pm  All Welcome

DINNER: Veneto Club Bulleen

for Parents & Carers and Graduates

Staff News

We are excited to share that Annie Fitzgerald has accepted a classroom teacher position at St Mary’s in Greensborough. While we will deeply miss her, we wish Annie all the very best in her future endeavors.

Annie has built incredible relationships with staff, her students and their families, always demonstrating her commitment to personalising learning for every student. Her dedication to promoting learning at St Kevin’s, particularly through our Instagram page, has been exceptional. Annie has made a lasting impact, and we thank her for her contributions to our school community.

Gladys Schirmer has accepted a position at Plenty Valley Christian College.  We wish Gladys all the very best with her new position and thank her for all your work leading the Visual Art program P-6 and teaching the students in Year 1 and 2. Gladys has been a reliable and collaborative team member who has completed a super graduate year.  

We are excited to announce that Chiara Gerosolimo has accepted a full-time Psychologist role at Yarra Valley Grammar for 2025. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Chiara for all the care and dedication she has shown in guiding our students. It has been a pleasure working alongside her to support both staff and families.  We wish Chiara all the very best in her new role and congratulate her on this exciting next step in her career. Congratulations, Chiara!

Gabriella Castauro has decided to resign from her Learning Support Role at St Kevin’s. She has been dealing with health issues and has been advised to rest and recuperate.  Gabriella worked hard to ensure students were well supported and encouraged them to do their best.  

We wish you the very best Gabriella and hope you have a steady recovery and return to an educational setting very soon.

Staff Updates

Eva and I have been incredibly busy reading applications, interviewing and ringing referees.  We had an amazing response to the vacant positions at St Kevin's and after interviewing the many prospective candidates we welcome - Gianni Montalto, Kellyann Wilson, Dominique Abbey, Vikky Orfanos and Lil Cesarin to our team of talented educators for 2025. 

Italian News

Ciao a tutti, I hope you are all enjoying the last few weeks of term. 

For week 8 & 9 in Italian -

We have been reviewing formal & informal language:

• Formal:
  
  • Cosa le piace?
  • Come sta?
  • Quanti anni ha?
• Informal:
  • Cosa ti piace
  • Come stai?
  • Quanti anni hai?

We have been doing activities such as sentence building and answering question using a variety of vocabulary and phrases.

Here are a few of the items we have been practising -

- Quanti anni hai? (how old are you)

- Ho ... anni. (I am ... years old)

- Come ti chiami? (what's your name)

- Mi chiamo ... (my name is)

- Cosa fai a casa? (what do you do at home?)

- A casa... (at home)

- Cosa fai a scuola? (what do you do at school?)

- A scuola ... (at scuola)

Our goal for this week is to continue to practise learning how to convert our sentences into the formal form, as well as having conversations with one another in Italian.  

In Week 9 the students will have a mini assessment task to see how they are tracking in Term 4, this will be posted onto Seesaw.

                                                                          Grazie, Chiara

PBL

Term Four, Week 7 & 8

Expected Behaviour: 'I am considerate of the privacy of others'

Wellbeing Newsletter Update: Week 8

Human Development Family Session

A reminder to our families in Year 5 & 6 that we have our Human Development Family session tomorrow evening, Wednesday 27th November at 7pm. The session will be facilitated by Kate Wilde from ‘The Workshop’ who has been working with our students this term. The evening will be held in our school library and will run for approximately 90 minutes. It would be lovely to see everyone attend as it is a great opportunity for parents and children to share in the same conversations in regard to human development. 

Take care, 

Fiona George

Student Wellbeing Leader

SEESAW  

PFA and SAC members  shared a delightful Christmas dinner tonight at the Templestowe Pub.  I am so thankful for each member of these strong groups including Father Charles and Eva Tomazos.                    

A massive 'Thank you' to Laura Mangiavillano and Suzanne Connelly for being the leaders of these groups and giving of their time so freely and generous to assist the teams to flourish.  Thank you also to secretaries Mary Nitas and Renee for all their work in ensuring all is communicated to the team.

Next year we will have a recruitment drive and hopefully new members will join PFA & SAC.

Much care, Gabee