Principal's Update
Dear Parents and Carers,
Last Sunday 1st December we began the season of Advent, the beginning of a new year in the Church calendar. Advent is a reminder to us of our own waiting and preparation for Christ’s coming.
What is Advent about?
Have you ever sat completely still by the water’s edge? By a river, creek or ocean at dawn? Watching and listening? In this time, you may have noticed sounds, movements, flora and fauna, or changes in the light. Sitting there in peace, you may have noticed numerous things that happen each and every day, unnoticed, year in and year out. Extraordinary beauty, an exquisite scene before you. This is the unfolding story of creation each day. In the stillness we notice, we are aware. Advent is an invitation for Christians to be still and notice, to be still and to be aware. In this time of noticing there may be an opportunity to see God moments unfold before our very eyes. Possibility for the Emmanuel “God with us” being revealed. Moments of when God is consistently being birthed. Advent is an opportunity for Christians to experience a dawn time like the scene by the water’s edge in the early morn.
School Saver Bonus
The Allan Labor Government’s $400 School Saving Bonus is rolling out this week for 2025. Catholic school students who will be in Prep through to Year 12 in 2025, and who are receiving the means-tested Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF), are eligible for the School Saving Bonus.
Catholic school students receiving the means-tested Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) in 2025 are eligible for additional support through the School Saving Bonus (SSB). The $400 bonus will be provided directly to each school and the school will apply it directly to your fee account. The $400 School Saving Bonus is available for each child. That means an eligible family with three school-aged children will receive a total reduction of $1,200 to school fees.
Families who have had their circumstances change (including new healthcare and concession card holders) and who may be eligible for the Camps, Sports and Excursion are encouraged to discuss this with the school. These are real cost-of-living supports.
Prep orientation sessions
Prep orientation sessions for our 2025 students were held last week after school hours. It was wonderful to see the children arriving so happy and eager to experience their new school for the first time. It was also a great opportunity to meet with parents. The children will be back next Tuesday 10th December. On this day they will meet their Grade 6 buddies.
Liturgy / End of Year Picnic
Our end of year Liturgy will be held Wednesday 11th December at 6pm, as we bid farewell to our Grade 6 students. This is a celebration for the whole school community and it would be wonderful to see everyone attend. The liturgy will be followed by a BYO picnic back at the school.
Move Up Afternoon
On Thursday 12th December we will have our move up afternoon for children in Grades 1-6 (2025). The Prep children and Year 7s will have their move up sessions on Tuesday 10th December as originally planned.
We are still finalising classroom teachers for 2025. The children will find out who their classroom teacher is on move up afternoon and this information will be released in the next newsletter, which will be the last for the year.
At this time of the year there can often be some anxiety around which class children are in next year, which friends they will be with and which teacher they will have. Sometimes children might not get exactly what they hoped for, and this can initially be upsetting. However, this is part of life and learning to be resilient and accepting certain situations that may not be exactly what we wanted. We ask that you, as parents, reinforce this with your children. A lot of time and thought goes into class lists and much is considered. Once they are finalised, we expect that children and parents accept our professional judgement and look forward to a great 2025.
Fun Food Day / Carols
On Tuesday 17th December the children will enjoy their Fun Food Day followed by Christmas carols on the courts. Parents and younger siblings are more than welcome to attend to sing along with the rest of the school.
Learning Conversations
On Tuesday and Wednesday Learning Conversations were held in the school library. This was a great opportunity for parents, students and teachers to celebrate and discuss overall achievements in 2024. It was also an opportunity to look at future goals as we move into a new school year in 2025. Thank you to all the teachers who put so much time and effort into the preparation of the Learning Conversations and the written progress reports.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
Michael Mahoney
(Principal)