School News

Dear parents, families and friends,

Welcome to Term 2!!

Last Friday afternoon we gathered as a school community to commemorate ANZAC Day. We remembered all Australians who have served, fought and died in war and thanked them for their sacrifice. We also took time to pray for peace in our world. At this current time, we here in Australia are grateful and blessed to live in freedom, free from war.

Demolition and exploratory works are continuing. With the guts ripped out of the building we have found that we need to replace stumps and flooring. Parts of the roof need repairing and all the guttering and downpipes need repairing and replacing. The builders are currently sorting out plumbing related to storm water and sewage, which seems to run everywhere, but not where it should be. With the age of the building, we always knew that we would find a few surprises and that we would only get the full picture of the work required once we had pulled everthing apart and exposed the bare bones of the building.

Sadly, no pot of gold or secret stash of money has been found yet!

Air Quality Improvement Project

The installation of the environmental screen (hedge) along the perimeter of the school facing Somerville Road and Birmingham Street, including the installation of a misting system is now complete. The misting system will run between 8am and 4pm daily ( including weekends) every 3 minutes for 30 seconds. The misting system serves a dual purpose of reducing dust and pollutants by making them heavy and settling to the ground to be washed away, as well as watering the shrubs. Eventually the shrubs will grow and form a dense and high hedge to filter the air and provide a habitat for birds and insects.

We will also install an Air Quality Meter to measure the air quality inside the school. Thank you to all parents (mums) who volunteered their time and muscles to help me with this mamoth project.

Learning Conversations

Learning Conversations will be held over Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June. With the limited space due to the building project we will be dismissing the students early on Wednesday 24th June at 1.00pm. OSHClub will be available for families needing the service.

Learning Conversations on Wednesday 24th June will be from 1.30pm to 7.00pm.Learning Conversations on Thursday 25th June will be from 3.30pm to 5.00pm.

No Dogs Allowed

Starting this term, no dogs will be allowed on school grounds. All dogs will need to remain in the Birmingham park area. I know that many of the family dogs are well trained, placid and friendly, however, with any dog we just don’t know how they will react to certain situations, people, smells/scents and especially to other dogs.The only dog allowed onsite is Ziggy as a fully registered and trained therapy dog.

Hats

As we have begun Term 2 and enter the cooler months, School Sun Hats are no longer compulsory. However, on days that are warm and sunny we do encourage children to wear their hats as a precaution.

Cold and Flu Season

We are now entering the cold and flu season. Please check your children for symptoms such as coughs, sniffles, headaches etc. If they are unwell, we recommended keeping them at home to avoid the spread of germs and visiting your local GP.

Child Safe Standard 1

Please take the time to read the below attachment about Child Safe Standard 1 that applies to all students, staff, parents, carers and employers of MACS schools.

Keep this date free - Friday 28th August, 4pm to 8pm - St. Augustine's Book & Craft Night Market!! More information to come soon!

Website updates!

Our website has had some major updates! If you haven't seen the latest updates, please spend some time checking this out!

https://www.sayarraville.catholic.edu.au/ 

Monthly Newsletter Dates:

29th May, 26th June, 31st July, 28th August, 18th September, 29th October, 27th November, 11th December

Matthew Stead

Principal

“Have courage no matter what your crosses are.” - St Mary MacKillop