Leadership & Management

Week 3 Term 1

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome, we have had a great start to our first full week of school. It was wonderful to see all the children back at school with happy faces, eager to reconnect with their friends smiling, learning and having fun. 

This week, the Foundation students will finish at 3:30 pm except for Wednesday, when they will remain at home or be asked to attend for some assessments.

At last Friday's assembly, we officially presented all the school leaders and School Representative Council (SRC) students with their badges. The School Captains and vice Captains made lovely speeches to their school community, and I congratulate them on their first official engagement (see below). We look forward to all the wonderful ideas they will bring to our school in 2024. 

Hi, I’m Patrick. I have been at St. Fidelis since I started in grade prep, almost 7 years ago.  My favourite subjects at school are maths and PE. I want to be a school captain for various reasons:

1st I love our welcoming and inclusive school and everything it offers.

2nd I admire our school community and I’m inspired by what we could achieve all working together.

3rd I am committed to leading by example in living the St. Fidelis values (kindness, respect, welcoming and empathy) so that we can all enjoy school and reach our full potential.

Hi, my name is Violet and I am one of the school captains for 2024.  I applied for this role because I wanted to show people that anyone can lead.  My favourite subject is STEM and I play basketball.  I am a kind person and a good listener.  Being a school leader means being a role model to my peers.  I can help the school by sharing ideas and helping others. 

Thank you to Mrs. Watson and the leadership team for giving me this opportunity.  Thank you.

Hi, my name is Amelia and I am the vice-captain at St. Fidelis.  I applied for this role because I want to help the school in any way possible. My favourite subjects at school are Art and STEM.  This is my seventh year at St. Fidelis and I am so grateful that my parents sent me to this school.  I am so proud to have this role as vice-captain and to represent our school. I can help the school by putting forward as many ideas as I can listen to other ideas people have.  Thank you so much to Mrs. Watson and all the staff for giving me this opportunity. 

Hi, let me introduce myself. My name is Anthony, and my role for 2024 is vice-captain here at St. Fidelis.  I applied for this role because I felt like I could help the school. My favourite subject is Maths.  I am a good listener and helper, and I can do whatever needs to be done whenever it needs to be done.  Having this role means a lot to me because I was chosen, and I am happy to be a proud leader of St. Fidelis. I just wanted to say a huge thank you to the staff and especially Mrs. Watson for helping me get here today. Thank you.

Parents & Friends Meeting-Mon 12th Feb 7pm

Our first Parents and Friends meeting will be held tonight at 7:00 pm in the school staffroom. We look forward to welcoming back the existing committee and welcoming all new members to join us tonight.

Wednesday February 14th - Lent Begins

Lent is early this year and this Wednesday 14th, marks the beginning of Lent in the Catholic Faith and tradition and marks the beginning of the Lenten season in the Catholic Church.  During this time, Catholics are asked to engage in Prayer, Fasting (self-denial) and Almsgiving (outreach to others). All these practices are to lead to an overall personal conversion.  This season lasts for 40 days beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter.  The season reflects the 40 days Jesus spent in prayer and fasting in the desert before he started his public ministry. Lent is also observed by many other Christian denominations. 

In 2024, what does Lent mean for me? Some thoughts?

• Fasting – Am I aware of how much food I actually have? Can I ensure I am not wasteful and only take what I need and not what I want just because it’s there?
• Almsgiving –When giving, am I giving so that it has an effect on me or is that giving the type of giving that will not affect me.
• Prayer - Am I always asking The Lord for my own needs?  Do I ever stop to thank The Lord for everything I have and I have around me? Do I pray to the Lord regularly so my relationship can continue to grow with Him?  Do I listen to Him? Do I recognise the signs when He is speaking to Me?

Wednesday Ash Wednesday 9:00am Mass.

Please note the change of time is 9:00am start  NOT 9:15am.

Parents & Teachers Meet & Greet -Wed Feb 14th 

School will finish at 1:00pm on Wednesday, February 14th, to allow time for the Parents and teachers Meet and Greet Conversations. THEIRCARE will be available if you require this service. 

Family Calendar of Events on AUDIRI

All family and school events will be placed  in the EVENTS tab of AUDIRI for easy access. Please call or email Vira at vpirrotta@sfmoreland.catholic.edu.au if you are having any problems accessing this feature. 

Child Safe:

St Fidelis' Learning community is committed to the wellbeing and safety of all children. Our interaction with all our community is founded on respect for each person. Within a Catholic Community, this respect of each individual is rooted in the belief that each person is made in the image and likeness of God. 

Over the next eleven weeks, each of the Child Safe Standards will be highlighted with examples of how the learning community of St Fidelis school promotes a culture of child safety.

Child Safe Standard 1 - Organizations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.

• Acknowledgement of Country is visible and used in classrooms, assemblies, liturgies and professional learning.
• Each class has their own personalised Acknowledgement of Country.
• Indigenous perspectives are embedded in relevant units of inquiry, including opportunities for incursions related to indigenous culture awareness, such as Harmony Day and Reconciliation Week.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait and Australian flags fly in the school playground.  
• Enrolment pack has a First Nations component for families and students to be identified. 
• Staff Meetings about Child Safe are scheduled throughout the year. 
• Staff induction training online on Child Safe Standards. 
• St Fidelis Child Safety & Wellbeing Policy outlines the controls in place to establish a culturally safe environment and is implemented. 

Documents that address Aboriginal cultural safety, such as:

a) Child Safety & Wellbeing Policy  

(b) MACS Pastoral Care of Students Policy 

(c) Student Behaviour Policy 

(d) Anti-Bullying Policy (including Cyber Bullying)

The above actions and policies assist our community to grow in understanding of the culture of Australia's first peoples. Through these actions, we support and value the cultural diversity of members of our community who wish to identify as a person of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.

Have a lovely week 

Manuela

St Fidelis Amazing Staff 2024