Principal's Message

Dear Families,

Welcome to another edition of our newsletter. We love to share all the exciting things that have happened throughout our school over the last two weeks.

Our 'Magnify Sandhurst' journey is progressing well with a number of staff members now accessing amazing professional development opportunities.

This week, we have another 3 staff members training in InitiaLit: Miss Craven, Mrs. Hutchinson & myself. InitiaLit training is occurring now so, first day back in 2025, we can hit the ground running with quality teaching for each and every student, giving children the best possible start. 

We, along with all the schools in Catholic Education Sandhurst, are using one very simple motto to explain our intention;

Every student

Every teacher

Every school

Every day

In addition to changes in our literacy programs we will be making in 2025, we are implementing something called a 'low variance curriculum.' This enables teachers to be direct and intentional in teaching students what they need to know. This low variance curriculum is offered through an organisation called OCHRE. This requires a change in pedagogy for all teachers here at Our Lady's as we move forward.

Staff are feeling very excited about the changes that are coming as they know the change will directly impact student success.

Staffing Update

Today, I am incredibly excited to announce our staffing structure for 2025. It is an exciting time at Our Lady's, full of change and new ideas. We have also elected for 2025, from Grade 3 upwards, to run straight classes. This is a new way of thinking for us but we believe this change will support our learners best moving forward.

We will also be running a Foundation/Grade 1 class as well as a Grade 1/2 class. Our Grade 1 cohort of students will be split between the two classes based on friendships and personality. Please note, the Grade 1's placed in each class will have access to the same learning outcomes. Sometimes the misconception with the Foundation/Grade 1 class is that we keep the students who are lower in their learning in this grade. This is never the case. Please be reassured also that we will be actively looking for ways for the Grade 1's to come together to learn also.

Classroom Placements

Foundation/1: Mrs. Kate Hutchinson

Grade 1/2: Mrs. Liz Grant

Grade 3: Mrs. Rebekka Sinclair

Grade 4: Mrs. Lynda Griffin

Grade 5: Mr. Josh Naish

Grade 6: Mrs. Cathie Walsh & Miss Lucia Alesiani

In addition to our classroom placements, I am pleased to announce my leadership team moving forward;

Leadership Team

Senior Leader: Curriculum - Mrs. Rebekka Sinclair

Senior Leader: Inclusive Education - Mrs. Michelle D'Antonio

Senior Leader: Catholic Mission - Mrs. Caroline Horg

Joining our classroom & leadership team are our very important specialist teachers. We are also excited to announce a new subject joining our school - STEM! 

Specialist Team

Auslan: Miss Lucia Alesiani

Visual Art: Mrs. Corena Bennett

Physical Education: Mrs. Mel Harper

STEM: Mrs. Caroline Horg

STEM learning, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, is an educational approach that integrates these four disciplines to create a hands-on, real-world learning experience. It focuses on skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration, all of which are valuable in navigating modern careers and societal challenges. The goal of STEM education is not just to teach students content knowledge in these fields but to enable them to apply it practically.

Here's how each area contributes to STEM learning:

1. Science: Encourages curiosity and exploration, teaching students to observe, hypothesise, experiment, and analyse.
2. Technology: Emphasises digital literacy and the use of tools that make life and work more efficient and connected.
3. Engineering: Involves designing, building, and improving structures, systems, and solutions. It brings creativity into practical, problem-solving contexts.
4. Mathematics: Provides foundational skills in logic and reasoning, critical for understanding patterns, making predictions, and quantifying results.

Support Staff

A school does not run without support staff - we are very blessed here at Our Lady's to be able to retain the staff we do have.

Learning Support Officers

Mrs. Mary Sherwill

Miss Celia Craven

Mrs. Jenny Kittelty

Mrs. Michelle Prestianni

Mrs. Lisa Baker

Mrs. Helen Millar

Mrs. Linda D'Agostino

Mrs. Raff Sampson

School Support Officers

Mrs. Kate Ried - Speech Pathologist

Administration Officers

Mrs. Raff Sampson (Mon)

Mrs. Julie McMonigle (Tue - Fri)

School Improvement Plan

Last week, I had the privilage of working with the Leadership Team and Kim Butler, my Principal consultant, to create a School Improvement Framework for the next 4 years. We used information from our recent review, our Catholic Identity Review and also data from our school surveys to create this plan. This plan will now go to staff for input before heading to the students & families for further feedback. 

This is a really exciting time for our school as we pave the way for our future work. I will be calling for volunteers to come in and have your say on our new plan! Please consider if this is something you would like to contribute to our school. 

Bringing Toys to School

Just a reminder to all families that we discourage children bringing personal toys to school. When a child brings along personal belongings from home, it can cause issues in the playground with friendship groups. We are also not responsible for precious items coming along to school and would much prefer they be left at home. Thank you for supporting us with this matter.

Blessings,

Cassie