's areDear families,

Thanks for reading the week 2 edition of the newsletter. It has been a wonderful start to the year, the students have settled in well and have been going over the school routines and expectations in their classes. We have been blessed with the weather to start the year, the students have been enjoying the new play spaces (Basketball Court and 4 Square areas) and using the new sports equipment.

I would like to thank families for their understanding around school closures on Extreme Fire Days. This is new to our school and it is a directive which comes from the MACS Emergency Management Department. I will continue to keep families informed when more information about this process comes to hand. As mentioned on SchoolStream yesterday, I will be holding two Parent Drop In sessions for any member of the community who would like more information. The sessions will be held today at 2:45pm and tomorrow at 2:45pm in the staff room.

Parent Teacher Interviews (For families who do not engage in Termly PLP meetings):

On the 18th and 19th of February we are holding our Term 1 Parent Teacher Interviews. These interviews are for all new families and for existing families who do not have termly PSG meetings with the school. If you already have a Termly PSG meeting, I kindly ask that you wait for the PSG schedule later in the term. As always if you require a meeting you are welcome to contact your child's teacher to meet with you. Parent / Teacher interviews can be booked on the NForma Parent Portal from tomorrow.

Sibling Enrolments:

If you have a sibling who is starting school at STM in 2027 please complete any relevant enrolment documents by the end of February. A link to enrol is provided below.

https://app.enquirytracker.net/request-application/95ab0675862c48629fd6d1fd2ba941f2/snYPbtbUumQeesUTfYWD

Parents and Friends Meeting!

Our wonderful PnF committee are meeting for the first time this year on Monday, 9th of February in the school hall. The meeting will begin at 7pm. Please come along and meet some new people.

STM Swimming Carnival:

I have sent a permission slip home for our STM Swimming Carnival. This event will be held at Belgrave Outdoor Pool on Friday, 13th of February. More information is provided in the permission form.

Any parents interested in helping on the day must hold a current Working With Children Check and a copy must be provided to the school office. Declan will then send these parents a copy of our Child Safety Induction.

Working Bee:

We will be holding our first Working Bee of the year on Saturday, 14th of February starting at 9:00am. Jane Morgan will be leading the day and will have lots of jobs set up for all to do. Families who attend a working bee will have $100 taken off there school fees via the Maintenance Levy.

Emergency Management:

Just a note for all parents, as per our Emergency Management Plan the school will be closed when the BOM list the Local Government Area of the Yarra Ranges as Extreme or Catastrophic Fire conditions.

Drop off and Pick up Procedure:

NForma Parent Portal:

Please make sure you are on the Parent Portal and have updated all of the relevant medical information and emergency contacts. This app can be downloaded from the app store. The guides can be found in SchoolStream from late last year or pop into the office if you require assistance.

There are also a large number of families that have not updated medical information on the NForma Portal. This information has not crossed over from Operoo and will need to be done by parents / carers ASAP. Thanks you to the parents who have already done this!

Writing Assessments for Year 1-6 students:

Our school is using No More Marking, an online writing assessment program that helps teachers assess student writing more fairly and consistently.

As part of using this platform, limited student information is securely stored on the digital platform. This includes:

Student name
Date of birth
Year level/grade
Gender

The platform also stores digital copies of students’ writing, so teachers can review progress over time and compare work against age-appropriate standards. No More Marking is widely used by schools and follows strict data protection and privacy requirements. Student information is used only for assessment and reporting purposes and is not shared for marketing or non-educational use.

If families would like more information about the program or how student data is protected, please contact our Deputy Principal, Danielle George, on 9754 4444 or via email dgeorge@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

School Contacts:

Declan McDermott - Principal - dmcdermott@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Danielle George - Deputy Principal - dgeorge@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Marcia Janky - School Leader, Year 3/4 Teacher - marcia@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Emily Biddle - Year 3/4 Teacher - ebiddle@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Belinda Saville - School Leader, Year 4/5 Teacher - bsaville@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Donna Anderton - School Leader and Art Teacher - danderton@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Jess Jones - Year 6 Teacher - jjones@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Katherine McLoughlin - Year 3/4 & 6 Teacher - kmcloughlin@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Grace Hiosan - Year 2 Teacher - ghiosan@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Joanne Piaser - Prep/1 Teacher - jpiaser@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Jeanette Wicks - Sport and Performing Arts Teacher - jwicks@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Kaori Bawden - Japanese Teacher - kbawden@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

Tarnia Hiosan - Office Admin - office@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au

School Fees:

Statements will be going home in the next few days along with a Direct Debit form.

Please complete this form as soon as possible to ensure that DDs are set up from the beginning of the year.

Note that Health Care Card concessions have not been applied as yet this year.

If you have a Health Care Card please see the office for more information.

DDs do not rollover from last year.

Please contact Tarnia in the office if you have any questions.

Yarra Ranges Council - Supporting Anxious Children Webinar:

Declan McDermott

Principal

MACSEYE (OSHC)