Principal's Message 

Praying for our Reconciliation Candidates 

We continue to pray for our children who will be receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Thursday 14th March, at St Andrew’s Church (6.00pm) 

Loving God,

You are our friend always.

We are good people but sometimes we hurt one another.

We are sorry for the uncaring things we do.

Thank you for loving us all the time even when we make one another unhappy.

Help us to be more caring and thoughtful towards each other.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord,

Amen

Dear Families,

St Andrew’s School Storm Restoration Program

We continue to have a number of tradesmen onsite working on the previously flooded spaces of the school.  Floor coverings, wall coverings and in some spaces, cabinetry, has been taken up allowing for the concrete flooring to dry.  Once the concrete flooring has dried completely then we look to restore our work spaces and have children return to their regular classrooms.   It’s frustrating but at the present time it's a case of waiting for the moisture level to drop in each respective workspace.   The restoration team can not provide a definitive timeframe on when the school site will return back to its sparkling best due to the unknown time frame of drying and the availability of floor and wall carpet.  We aim to keep families updated. 

Partnership with Melbourne Archdiocese Schools (MACS) to Address Future Flooding Issues 

School leadership has been working with the General Manager of Infrastructure Services at MACS in relation to the issue that we face as a school with our flooding and drainage.  We will liaise with Kingston Council to address the water flow from Bunney Road on to our site along with improving our drainage systems.  Both the school and MACS aim to put systems in place that will ensure that we do not have a recurrence of the flooding in months or years ahead. Support will also be forthcoming to address the significant financial impact that these works will entail.   We are most thankful for the support of our colleagues at MACS. 

Year Five & Six Public Speaking & Debating Workshop - Salesian Partnership 

Yesterday a team of 20 Year five and six students were invited to attend Salesian College, Chadstone, to take part in a Public Speaking & Debating Workshop, presented in partnership with Per Vocem Vita (Life Through Speech). The program was developed by a group of young students, passionate about delivering public speaking and debating, focusing on skills such as:

·           Debating etiquette

·          Presenting yourself 

·          Gesturing and movement

·          Utilisation of volume when speaking

·          Speech analyses

·          Rebuttal strategies

·          Basics of speechwriting

We congratulate all participants for the manner in which they participated in this most valuable workshop and represented our school.    We thank Salesian College for their continued support and partnership with our school.   

Curriculum Day - Friday 8th March

Out of Hours Care - Youth Leadership Victoria will be operating on this day.   Please remember to book your place and come dressed as your favourite character.

Working Bee - Thank you!

Wow!  What a fabulous turn out we had on Saturday morning with 60 parents supporting our first Working Bee of the year.  A long list of tasks included spreading mulch in various sites around the school, further planting in the garden beds on the Bunney Road playground, painting seats near the soccer pitch, cleaning out and topping up the sandpit, maintaining our garden beds and a general clean up of our school grounds after the January holidays.  Thank you to all involved and specifically to Greg LaFontaine for his efforts to maintain the grounds and buildings of St Andrew’s in such an outstanding manner. 

Our thanks also to Nicole and Emma for their support of the morning.

Year 6 2024 School Jacket Presentation 

Exciting times as our Year 6 children were presented with their Year 6 jackets last Friday afternoon!  It was wonderful to have 2023 School Captains, Eva and Cooper hand out the jackets to their 2023 classmates. 

We thank all parents who joined us for this occasion.

First Communion Date 2024 - Saturday June 1st & Sunday June 2nd

Parents please note the change of date for the 2024 Sacrament of First Communion. The celebration of the sacrament will take place on Saturday June 1 at 6pm and Sunday June 2 at 11am.    We apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of the change of date.

The Sacrament was previously advertised as 15th and 16th June. 

School Photos – Tuesday 19th March 

(No Sports Uniform)

School Photos will be taken on Tuesday 19th March. Please ensure that children are present at school for an 8.45am start so as to avoid your child missing their class photo. Please note that all families should have received an envelope providing details of participation and payment for the photo day.  Please contact the school office if you have not received a 2024 Photo Envelope - 9551 5094 or office@saclaytonsth.catholic.edu.au  

Please note that the children are required to wear the normal school uniform on the day, not the sports uniform.

Prep - Year 6 Athletics Program on Friday 22nd March (1pm-3pm)

We look forward to welcoming families on Friday 22nd March to our annual School Athletics Carnival.   The afternoon events will commence at 1.00pm and conclude at approximately 3.00pm.   Children are requested to wear their St Andrew’s sports tops with their house colour.

We are again teaming with an external provider, Kaboom Kids Sports, to add an extra dimension to the the fun of the day for our children.  

The Prep to Year 2 students will participate in Athletics events on the school oval from 1.00pm through to 2.00pm whilst our Year 3 to Year 6 children will spend 1.00pm through to 2.00pm at the front of the school with Kaboom Kids Sports. At 2.00pm the groupings will swap over the complete alternate activities. 

All students will gather on the school oval at approximately 3.00pm for the presentation of the St Andrew’s House Athletics Shield. 

We aim for the afternoon to be a chance for our students to demonstrate their athletic skills, enjoy the fun and excitement of working with an external sports company along with a chance for families to gather and enjoy an engaging fun family event.

1:00-1:50pm - Oval - Prep & Year 1/2 - Sprints & relays 

1:00-1:50pm - Kaboom - Year 3/4 & 5/6 

2:00-3:00pm - Oval - Year 3/4 & 5/6 - Sprints & relays

2:00-3:00pm - Kaboom - Prep & Year 1/2 

3:00 - 3:15pm - Presentation of shield to winning team. 

Sunsmart Protocols  - All children will be encouraged to apply sunscreen prior to going out to the athletics event and children will be wearing hats. We encourage families to apply sunscreen to children prior to leaving home on the morning of the 22nd March. 

Parent-Child-Teacher Interviews - Monday 25th March

We invite all families to attend the Term 1 Parent/Child/Teacher Interviews on the afternoon/evening of Monday 25th March.  Parents can book for this event by clicking on the link below.  The interviews will be 10 minutes and conducted in the School Hall.

Please note that the booking site is Now Open

Bookings close on Saturday 23rd March. 

We remind parents that students are encouraged to be active participants in the interviews.   Should it be necessary to have a private conversation with your child’s class teacher, we recommend that parents simply advise the teacher that they would like their child to remove themselves from the interview for a short period of time. 

Interviews will run from 2.30pm through to 7.20pm.   

Optional Child School Attendance – Monday 25th March - 1.35pm-3.15pm

Teaching staff will be released on the afternoon of Monday 25th March to commence ‘Three Way Interviews’.   Children remaining at school for the afternoon block will be grouped in levels and supervised by staff not required at the Interviews.  Parents attending interviews may collect their children from these level gatherings. 

Parents do have the option of collecting their children for a shortened school day from 1.35pm.  Collection of children assists staff by reducing the number of children being present in the afternoon block.  Please inform your child’s class teacher in writing if you plan to collect your child from school at this early time.

Parents do not need to sign out from the school office on this day.  Your written notification will be a record of student early exits. 

Term 2 interviews will take place on Monday 24th June.   These interviews will involve the presentation of each child’s Semester 1 Report.

Managing Big Feelings Webinar 

 Date: Thursday 7 March  -  Time: 7.30pm (75 min)

Invitation for all junior school families to attend online presentation - Carley McGauran

We invite all families of Prep to Year 3 families to an online forum hosted by Psychologist Carley McGauran.  Carley is well known to our community through her involvement in Prep presentations previously held on the topic of - Starting School, how you can thrive, not just survive. 

Big feelings are a part of being human.  This session is designed to support you to show up in the most helpful way when your children experience big feelings. The goal is for parents and carers to feel more informed and more empowered.

Topics to be included on the webinar include:

How to be an emotional coach, The brain and emotional development, Understanding meltdowns and how to manage them, Let’s talk anger, anxiety and sadness, Tips for encouraging your child’s self regulation and Recognising when big feelings may be a concern

Here is the link for your parents to register for the webinar :

bit.ly/bigfeelings2024

Once parents register (with an email address and name), they will be emailed a link to the webinar. They will also receive reminder emails. The following day, they will receive a link to access the replay. Therefore we recommend that even if parents are unable to attend the live webinar, they register to ensure they can access the replay which will be available for 30 days.

8am Running Club has started!

Running Club - School Oval - every Thursday at 8am

The running club will be held every Thursday morning between 8 am and 8:30 am and will continue only throughout Term 1. Mrs. Kromer will be present to supervise the children on the oval, creating a supportive and enjoyable atmosphere. Parents are welcome to drop off their children at the school oval through the hall gate or may choose to actively participate in the running! As we prepare for our upcoming Cross Country and Athletics day, this running club offers an excellent opportunity for children of all year levels to stay active and prepare for these events in the morning. 

Children at the end of the sports session will be provided with a fruit selection courtesy of Woolworths, Clarinda. We thank ‘Woolies’ for their generous support. We also acknowledged members of the Parents and Friends team who collect the fruit from Woollies on a weekly basis. 

St. Andrew’s Open Days for 2024                                   

Prep/Foundation Children and new Enrolments from Year 1 to Year 6

Icy Pole Sales - Friday Zooper Dooper Sales - 50 cents 

Children can bring 50 cents to school to purchase a Zooper Dooper on a Friday - a maximum of 2 zooper doopers can be purchased. 

All profits raised from the sales will go to our Kadasig Social Justice fundraising efforts.

‘No Hat - No Play’

 Our school has a ‘No Hat – No Play’ SunSmart policy, therefore all children are required to wear their school hat to school, at all outdoor sessions and home from school. 

Please note that with the additions of the blue shade structures outside the Prep classrooms and the church we now have greater capacity for children to play in areas providing shade.

Child Safe Practices - Working with Children Checks 

St Andrew’s School is committed to providing a child safe environment and takes active steps to ensure any person authorised to conduct ‘child connected works’ does not pose a risk to their safety or welfare. To achieve this, the school implements screening processes, including Working With Children Checks (WWCC), to assess and verify their suitability. 

St Andrew’s School ensures that non-teaching staff, contractors, volunteers and visitors are of suitable character and do not have a relevant criminal record that poses an unjustifiable risk to children. 

Teaching Staff & Casual Relief Teachers who are registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) undergo criminal record checks via their annual registration.

Volunteering to Assist with School Programs- WWCC

Parents would be aware that to assist with any of our school programs that all volunteers, parents/guardians/family members are required to have a current Working With Children Check on our school records.

Please refer to the following site for details on accessing a WWCC.

Family members are to provide a copy of the WWCC to the school office. 

2024 School Calendar 

The 2024 School Calendar is available on the School Website. It can be found mid-way down on the front page under the heading ‘WHAT’S ON’.   We will endeavour, where possible, to remain true to the dates on the 2024 calendar. We would recommend that parents make a regular visit to the school website to see updates on all school events.

Audiri School App– Please ensure you download the Audiri App to get alerts for weekly newsletters, important announcements and reminders.

Paul Wakeling

Principal