Principal's Report

Welcome to our final Newsletter for 2025. It's hard to believe that we only have eight school days left, with many events and celebrations still to come in those eight days.

Our swimming carnival last Friday was a resounding success.  This is another day that literally couldn't happen without parent volunteers, so thank you to everyone who helped out.  We are very grateful. And of course, a very big thank you must go to Tania Thompson, who puts in hours of work behind the scenes, working out the logistics for both the Junior and Senior swimming carnivals. 

Congratulations to our Junior All Stars HoopTime team who came runners up on Monday.   They came 2nd out of 291 teams entered in 2025, which is an amazing achievement. 

Year 6 Graduation

Tonight our Year 6s are graduating! It honestly feels like only yesterday they were starting Prep, looking tiny in oversized uniforms and taking those first steps into the classroom. Now they’re getting ready for high school, taller, more confident and so ready for the adventures ahead.

This group has always been small but mighty. They’ve brought such personality and energy to our school and we couldn’t be prouder of the young people they’ve become.  Tonight, we get the chance to celebrate them. We’ll begin with Mass, followed by formalities, dinner, and then a disco. They also have plenty more celebrations planned over the next week or so as they wrap up their time at St Finbar’s.

A huge thank you to our amazing Year 6 team, who have put in an enormous amount of effort to make tonight a really special evening for the students. Thanks also to Anna and her team in the canteen for catering dinner for more than 120 people, an impressive effort! Thank you as well to Amanda J and the Year 5 parents who are helping out in so many different ways tonight. A huge thank you to Lisa Douglas for preparing the art work that you will see on display at tonight's celebration - this is always a stunning feature of  the night.

We truly appreciate your generosity and teamwork.

Below are a few photos of our graduates in their first year at St Finbar's.

Staffing News

As you may recall from a previous newsletter, we are saddened to farewell Amanda Johnson in the office at the end of this year.  I am pleased to announce, however, that Cath Davies-Gray will now be working in the office, alongside Libby.   Many of you already know Cath from the Uniform Shop, or through her work as an LSO at St Finbar's.  Pre-St Finbar's, Cath worked in administration and is looking forward to her new role.

Social Media Ban for Under-16s — What It Means for Our Students

You may be aware that, from December 10th under-16 year olds students will no longer be legally allowed to access social media. You may think that this doesn't affect us at the primary school level, but we are aware that there are students whose parents have permitted access.  At times, issues have arisen and spilled over into the classroom, which teachers have needed to manage. We know this is a big adjustment, especially for students who are already used to social media. Taking something away can feel hard, and it may take time before we see the real benefits.   That said, this ban is likely to eventually benefit our younger students, those who haven’t yet had much exposure to social media. Their introduction to social media will be delayed.  

One specific change is that access to YouTube will now be blocked, even from home (when logged into the school account).

Christmas

Christmas is fast approaching, and if you haven't yet organised a tree this might be a good option, whilst supporting our school at the same time.

Speaking of Christmas, we're looking forward to our Carols on Thursday night.  Gates will open at 4:30pm, with the Prep - 2  performance starting at 5:30pm.   Further details about the carols can be found on the      P & F page. 

Year 5 Leadership Day

Our Year 5s are having a busy end to their year. On Monday, they participated in their Year 5 Leadership Day. This is always a great day with teams racing against the clock to complete a series of ten challenges.  All staff were impressed with the group's teamwork and collaboration, and their mature understanding of what leadership is. Again, we are very grateful to the 10 parents/siblings who volunteered their time to help out. 

Next week, the Year 5s will have their interviews for their leadership roles next year. 

PSGs

A huge thank you needs to go to our Learning Diversity Leader Callum Mills and Andrea La Fontaine for their work coordinating and leading our PSG meetings throughout the last weeks of term. Thank you as well to the families that came in to meet with classroom teachers and other support staff to ensure that we are all working together to best support your children.  

Take care and God bless,

Michelle Hill

Principal