Dear Lord,

We thank You for the blessing of our St Andrew’s community as we begin Term 3.

Guide our steps as we learn, create, and grow together.

Protect our students, inspire our staff, and strengthen our partnerships.

May our school continue to be a safe, vibrant space filled with Your grace.

Amen.

Term 3 and We are Ready to Go!

Dear Families,

Welcome back to Term 3! I hope you all enjoyed a restful break with your families and are feeling refreshed for the vibrant, action-packed term ahead. We have a wonderful community spirit building this semester, driven by new student opportunities, exciting volunteer partnerships, and significant school upgrades. Here is a snapshot of what is planned.

Creativity is at the heart of our community this term as we prepare for the upcoming St Andrew’s Art Show. This event promises to be a spectacular celebration of our students’ artistic talents The show will be open Tuesday 1 - Thursday 3 September with the grand opening in the evening of Tuesday 1 September.

Alongside our arts program, we are thrilled to announce an official partnership with Mannix College for Semester 2. Residents from the college will be volunteering their time to support our literacy, numeracy, and student wellbeing programs. We are incredibly excited about the energy they will bring to our classrooms, and we will feature a comprehensive look at this partnership in next week’s newsletter.

Our school Athletics Day is locked in for Friday 31 July! The day is always a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their team spirit, enjoy some friendly track and field competition, and support their houses. We love seeing our community get involved, whether that is through cheering from the sidelines or helping out on the day. Our school swimming program continues with the opportunity for students to build confidence and develop vital water safety skills. This program is tailored specifically to meet the needs of our Prep to Year 2 students and our Year 5/6 classes this term.

There is a real buzz in the air as our major building works are now well underway! Demolition is progressing smoothly, and it is incredibly exciting to see the physical transformation of our school beginning to take shape. These strategic building and landscaping developments are going to create fantastic, modern environments for our students to learn and play in. We can’t wait to watch the progress unfold over the coming weeks and see our vision for a revitalised St Andrew's come to life.

In staffing news, we extend a warm welcome to Alex Heenan, who has stepped in as our Year 5/6 and PE Teacher, replacing Kayla Puetz. We also welcome Natalie Arhontis, who is teaching our Year 1/2 classes on Fridays in place of Anna Kolodziej.

On the industrial relations front, you may have seen media coverage regarding government school union actions. Please rest assured that because Catholic school staff operate under a separate enterprise agreement, there will be no disruption to our daily school operations on Thursday 23 July. Yes, the school is still open.

Our recent staff closure day allowed our staff to complete vital emergency management training and collaborate on positive behaviour frameworks to ensure our environments remain safe and predictable. Please note that our next Closure Day is scheduled for Friday 14 August, with a focus on Learning and Teaching.

Our Parents & Friends (P&F) Association has been exceptionally active. I would like to formally congratulate our newly elected and returning P&F executive team: Lisa La Porte (President), Lisa Christodoulou (Vice President), Elena Bogaoa (Treasurer), and Nicole Rodrigues (Secretary), as well as our many parent members. The team is currently planning wonderful community events for this term, including the Art Show Canteen, Disco, Sushi Days, Ladies' Dinner, Father’s Day Stalls and Colour Fun Run.

As we journey through this busy term, I ask that you keep our Year 6 candidates in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation later this year. This sacred milestone marks a significant step as they are sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray that they feel the continuous warmth, strength, and support of our entire St Andrew’s community behind them.

As we begin the term, please remember that our morning routine trial has concluded and a permanent schedule is now in place. School gates open at 8:25 am, classroom doors open at 8:40 am (where parents are welcome to help students settle), and the bell rings at 8:45 am for prayer and attendance. Finally, families are reminded that students are not to be left at the gates before 8:25 am.

A quick reminder to all parents wishing to help out this term: please ensure you completed your volunteer induction checklist so we can welcome you into our learning spaces seamlessly. Further details in the newsletter.

Thank you all for your ongoing partnership, support, and dedication to making St Andrew's a thriving place to learn and grow. What a fantastic Term 3 lies ahead!

Keep watching the newsletter and nForma for more details.

Regards

Brian Martin

Principal

Child Safe Standard Spotlight: Standard 7