Acting Principal's Report

Dear Members of the St. Cecilia’s School Community,

As you are all now aware it has been a tumultuous beginning to the term with the news of Marty’s health concerns and his need to step away from school temporarily to address these issues.

Both the staff and school community have been remarkable in the way they have stepped up to offer support and assistance in all sorts of ways. It is yet again a great example of the special community that is St Cecilia’s.

I have been touching base with Marty regularly over the past few days and he has continued to stress just how much the support and love he has received from so many in our community has meant to him and his family.

He faces significant treatment in the coming week and will then need an extended period to recover and rehabilitate. Marty is maintaining the same positivity and resilience that makes him such a special and much loved leader of our school.

As we continue to keep him in our prayers in the coming days and weeks, we to need to mirror Marty's positivity and resilience, and continue to make the most of each day and the many exciting activities and opportunities that this term will surely present for each of us.

Below is just a short message from Marty himself:

Hi all,

I just wanted to share a quick note of thanks to you all. 

I know my priorities have had to shift these last few weeks, and I am committed to doing whatever it takes, but I am enormously grateful to each of you.

My plan is to be back at my desk as soon as doctors allow me to. I promise you that. 

Good luck over the coming weeks. Thank you for everything. You have no idea how supported I feel. 

Marty xx

Staffing Adjustments for Term 4

In Marty’s absence the following adjustments have been made to staffing for Term 4

Matthew Mooney: Acting Principal

Kate Sutherland: Acting Deputy Principal

Camel Brownhill: Will replace Matthew in 2H on Fridays and assist with other Teacher Release on Mondays

2023 Australian Indigenous Voice Referendum

Date: The Sausage Sizzle and Cake Stall will take place this Saturday 14th October.

How You Can Contribute:

Cake Donations: As communicated through the school app, you can pick up a cake kit from the office or outside the Hall after assembly today.

BBQ Volunteers: There are still some places that need filling on the volunteer roster if you are available for an hour on Saturday to help out. 

School Review

This term the school will complete a review process that takes place in all schools once every four years. The staff have been working hard on completing reflection and compliance documentation throughout the year in preparation.

As part of the review, Tuesday October 24 at 2:00pm the reviewer would like to speak to a group of parents from the school to gain an insight in to what the parent body feel are the strengths and the opportunities for growth at St Cecilia's. If you are available at this time and would be interested in being part of this group, please let me by email: mmooney@scgleniris.catholic.edu.au 

Please Note: The reviewer requests that the size of this group be limited, so please do not be offended if places run out. I will be sure to notify people if they are required as soon as possible.

Fair Fast Approaching - 2  Weeks to Go!

Our school fair is now just over 2 weeks away! This event is always such a highlight and often forms some of the fondest memories our students and families take with them from St Cecilia's. It is remarkable to get a little glimpse behind the scenes and the incredible amount of work that is going into making this event as special as it always is. A special thank you to our fair coordinator, Kylie, who with dedicated team is working tirelessly to bring the fair together. I encourage you all to make sure you read through all the communications on the Fair Page of the newsletter and to think about any way you may be able to contribute your time, skills or expertise.

2024 Planning

As we enter Term 4, we begin in earnest preparations for 2024.

• We will be welcoming our 2024 Foundation families to several orientation sessions and activities.
• Class structures will be confirmed and announced  in the coming weeks
• Class placements will be carefully considered and organised
• Post Review the staff will work together to formulate goals and priorities for the next four year period.

As mentioned above arrangements for our 2024 classes will be commencing in the coming weeks.

A significant amount of time and care goes into these arrangements. In the coming weeks students will be asked to nominate a number of students that they feel they would like to be in a class with in 2024. We encourage you to talk to your children over the next couple of weeks about who they think would be positive and suppotive classmates that would help them to get the most out of their learning.

It will also be helpful for you to re iterate the message that, although we will ensure that each student is with at least one of the students they name, there may be the possibilty of dissapointment in not ending up with a particular friend. You can help prepare you child for this by talking about the opportunites that having different classmates brings and reminding them that, regardless of which class they are in, they will be able to to continue to play with and be friends with all their peers on a daily basis.

As so much time and effort does go into the process, students and families will not be informed of finalised classes until the final week of term.

We are aware that some parents may have valid reasons to have input into the placement of their children for the forthcoming year. Should there be numerous requests from parents however, then the ability for staff to make positive and professional judgements for the best learning environments for our classes is compromised.  Given this, if parents have any relevant information that you believe is essential to the class placement process, I invite you to make contact with Kate Sutherland ksutherland@scgleniris.catholic.edu.au  or myself, Matthew Mooney mmooney@scgleniris.catholic.edu.au.  We will evaluate all requests and make a professional judgement on the placement of the child in question. Please note that the final decision must rest with the school in the interests of providing the best scenario for all students. 

School Closure day- Monday 6th November

Just a reminder that Monday 6th November will be a school closure day for staff assessment and reporting obligations. Please note that the following day, Tuesday 7th November, is the Melbourne Cup Day public holiday. 

Mother's and Father's Lunches

A big thank you to Fern Barrett, Liz Reed and Aaron Carman for organising what are sure to be great social events for our parent community in the coming weeks. The response to both has been outstanding and it yet another illustration of the sense of community that exists at St Cecilia's. Tickets sales for the Mother's Lunch have now closed, however the Father's Lunch tickets currently remain on sale but spots are limited. 

For details of both events see the flyers attached to Parent's Association page.

School Hats

Just a reminder that we will be requiring that children have their hats everyday in Term 4. If not, they will be asked to play only in undercover areas for their own health and safety. Please ensure your child has the correct school hat.

Matthew Mooney

Acting Principal

St Cecilia’s School