Principal's Report

Dear Parents,

It was great to visit the Prep classrooms once again this week and see a literacy lesson in action.  Already the Preps were confidently identifying letters and excitedly pointing out full stops when they sawmthem.  They've also started the process of bleding known sounds to read words. It was wonderful to see the enthusiam and sense of achievement as the class read a shared text. Well done Preps - you'll be reading in no time. 

School Google Calendar

The St Finbar's Google calendar continues to be updated as new dates are locked in. You can use the link HERE to stay up to date with all school events.  

It is important to note the school closure dates that are coming up in the first half of the year. We have our annual staff conference coming up on March 7th and 8th.  I will elaborate more on the agenda conference in a future newsletter.

Friday April 26th is a closure day giving families the opportunity for a four-day weekend following ANZAC Day. 

Friday June 7th  will be a staff professional development day with staff being trained in the Seven Steps of Writing. 

If you need childcare on any of these days, TeamKids will be available. 

Driving courtesy

As always, we aim to develop good relationships with both our neighbours and parishioners. For this reason we ask again that you avoid using the laneway at the end of Wallen St to cut through to Florence St as it impacts the residents and is a safety hazard for children walking home.  If you must use this laneway, please drive as slowly as possible along the lane.

Many of our parishioners attend 9:30am Mass every day and struggle to find a carpark, which results in them sometimes parking illegally in our staff carpark.  This is particularly an issue on a Friday following assembly.  It is best to avoid putting yourself in a position where your car may be blocked in, especially if you are in a hurry to be somewhere after assembly. 

Dendy District Swimming

Well done to our swim team who competed in the Dendy district swimming carnival on Monday. Thank you to Tania Thompson who coordinated our trials and training session, and marshalled the entire event on the day. Please see the Sport page of this newsletter where Tania has summarised our results. 

eLearning Parent Evening

Please make a note of our eLearning Parent Evening, and make an effort for one parent from each family to attend. I can't emphasise enough how important it is for us as adults to educate ourselves on what is happening online these days, and potential risks to our children.  

Session: Raising Kids in a Digital World

Delivery: Onsite Presentation - School Hall

Presenter: Martin McGauran & Carley McGauran

Date: Thursday 14 March, 2024

Time: 7pm (90 mins)

Martin McGauran & Carley McGauran will deliver content on topics such as; the impact of screen time, cyber bullying, gaming, social media etc.

We would love as many parents as possible to attend, free of charge.

Please book via the link here - bit.ly/stfinbars2024

Prep Sibling Enrolments 2025

I know it's early to be talking 2025 already, but I ask that parents who have a child commencing in Prep 2025 to please enrol their child by Friday 1st March so we can see how many places will be available to new families for 2025.   All siblings are a guaranteed enrolment at St. Finbar's, however, we do require completed paperwork to make it official. 

We expect that our 52 Prep places will fill up quite quickly.  Enrolment forms can be downloaded from the following link:   St Finbar's Enrolment Information 

Sibling enrolment interviews will happen this term via appointment.

Harmony Week 

This year Harmony Day is on Thursday  21st March.  This is an opportunity for us to celebrate the many cultures that our students come from, and our whole school celebration will take place on Thursday 21st March at 9am.  Students will be invited to dress up on this day in colours/clothing representing their own cultural background or students may choose to wear orange, the official colour of Harmony Week. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations.  There will also be some "homework" for each family to complete at home, which will contribute to our whole school Harmony display. 

Thank you and God bless,

Michelle Hill,

Acting Principal