From the Principal's Desk...

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Season of Lent

It was wonderful to come together as a school community last week to celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass, as we commenced the season of Lent. Thank you to Fr Bona for celebrating Mass with the school community, and to Mrs Parker, Miss O'Connor and the Year 4 students for leading us in the liturgy. Thank you Miss Lock and the choir for sharing your talents with us too! It was wonderful to see many parents and caregivers at the Mass, you are all always very welcome!

Home/School Partnership

We can never remind our families to many times of the importance of our home/school partnership that we continue to nurture at St Helena's Catholic Primary School. This partnership aligns with our Vision for Learning - Pillar Two: Collaboration (Community). At St Helena’s, we value the collaboration of staff, students, parents, caregivers, parish, and the wider community in supporting each individual to become the person God intended them to be. Over the next few weeks of Term 1, Classroom Teachers will be reaching out to parents and caregivers to schedule parent/teacher interviews to discuss your child's learning progress. I encourage all parents and caregivers to secure a date and time offered by the teachers to celebrate your child's achievements thus far and discuss future goals. Thank you in advance to our teachers for their efforts in preparing for these interviews, ensuring we work together with all our families for the best interests of the students in our care.

A reminder to parents and caregivers that the time between 8:10am and 8:20am in Pre-Primary to Year 6 classrooms is valuable time for students to get organised and teachers to connect with individual students. Parents and caregivers needing time to discuss progress of their child are asked to schedule a time convenient to both you and the teacher. Please follow up when a staff member is trying to make contact by telephone too, to ensure important conversations are taking place in a timely manner. Thank you for your continued support of all the school support structures and communication protocols we have in place.

Communication

Strong communication between families and school staff helps every child feel supported, confident, and ready to learn. When we work together, students benefit in every way - academically, socially, and emotionally.

How Parents & Caregivers Can Stay Connected

Families play a vital role in keeping communication open. You can support this by:

Sharing insights about your child’s strengths, challenges, and what works well for them
Being involved in classroom learning and school life
Booking appointments when you’d like to discuss something important
Working in partnership with your child’s teacher and school staff
Using a collaborative approach when challenges arise.

Together, these small steps help create a positive, supportive learning environment.

How the School Communicates With You...

We use a variety of tools to keep families informed and involved:

Parent Information Sessions
Parent/Caregiver Teacher Meetings
Individual Education Plans Meetings
End of Semester Reports
Learning Journeys
SeeSaw Uploads
Newsletters
School Calendars
Phone Calls
Notices
School Website

These platforms help ensure you always know what’s happening in your child’s learning journey.

Need to Discuss Something?

If you have concerns or questions about your child, we encourage you to make an appointment with their class teacher. This helps us find a time where everyone can talk calmly and constructively.

Appointments can be arranged by contacting the teacher directly, or through the school reception.

Classroom matters are usually best discussed with the teacher first, as they work most closely with your child. Families are also welcome to contact the front office to arrange an appointment to meet with me for broader school-related matters.

When Worries Grow Parent Workshop

All Parents and Caregivers are invited to a workshop on Childhood Anxiety on Tuesday 10 March at 5:00pm to 7:00pm in the school library. Learn to recognise common childhood worries, discover practical ways to support your child, and understand how your reactions can help create a calm, confident environment at home. RSVP using this link.

It is another wonderful opportunity that St Helena's has been able to organise, following up from the Cybersafety Workshop a couple of weeks ago.

Have you also seen in the Community Updates section of the newsletter with all the opportunities available to families through the Midvale Hub and the Child & Parent Centre at Arbor Grove?

P&F Committee

It was wonderful to have such a great turnout at our first P&F Meeting the other week. Thank you for everyone's attendance. Thank you to the new P&F Committee for nominating and being appointed to the following roles:

Chair: Jessica Nancarrow

Deputy Chair: Jessica Peacock

Treasurer: Sarah Rothall

Secretary: Natasha Paladina

P&F Representative on the Catholic School Advisory Council: Jaime

It is hoped that all our families will get behind the P&F this year and support them in friend and fund raising activities for the continued betterment of our students and school community. Our committee is very excited about the year ahead!

P&F Sundowner

Have you filled in your RSVP for the P&F Sundowner on Friday 6 March? The P&F Committee have been very busy ensuring the Sundowner is going to be lots of fun! Thanks in advance to the P&F Committee for your hard work already!

Let's be Grateful!

At St Helena’s Catholic Primary School, we are blessed with a wonderfully diverse community. Our families speak many different languages at home and come from a rich variety of cultural backgrounds. This diversity is something to celebrate as it gives our students a chance to learn from one another and to grow in understanding, respect, and connection.

At St Helena's, we are a Christ-centred and a child-focused community,

always striving to do Something Beautiful for God.

Have an awesome Long Weekend. Enjoy!

Peace & Happy Days!

Santino Giancono

Principal

"What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot.

But together we can do something beautiful for God."

Saint Teresa of Calcutta