Dear members of the St Raphael's school community,

We trust you enjoyed time with your family and friends over the Melbourne Cup weekend.

The Melbourne Cup weekend is a reminder that the end of the school year is fast approaching, and we look forward to the many activities and events planned for the remainder of the school year.

As we move into the second half of the final school term, I would like to give thanks that we have been able to manage to be on-site throughout the entire school year. We have all faced enormous challenges this year, and we continue to manage the sudden and unexpected outbreaks in various parts of the school. Managing this has been due to the wonderful support of our parent community. We urge all parents to continue to be vigilant in testing their children if they have symptoms and keep them at home if they test positive.

On a personal note, my mother-in-law, Kathleen Healy, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully last week. She was surrounded by her loving children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Kath was a beautiful mother, mother-in-law and grandmother. She was a regular attendee at St Raphael's events and ceremonies many years ago during my two son's primary school days at St Raphael's.

I sincerely thank Rosalba Squarci, Shane Giese and all the staff at St Raphael's for their tremendous support for my wife, Teresa, and I over the last week. Kath was the last surviving grandparent for our two children, and it has been an incredibly sad time for our family.

It is a reminder that life is short and precious.

Teacher Burnout

Recently the media have reported the nationwide issue of teacher shortages and teacher burnout, emerging from the pandemic. This is a concern for all schools and education systems. It is something that all schools are currently experiencing throughout Australia.

Teaching staff have worked hard throughout the last few years of remote learning and lockdowns to provide the children with the best possible education. In recent years, teachers put an enormous amount of time and effort into documentation, planning, assessment and compliance, which they are now required to do. Many parents would be unaware of the requirements that are contributing to this additional workload. Many of our teachers at St Raphael's work hours after school and on weekends to complete these tasks and requirements. The level of detail contained in this newsletter is an example of the additional hours that staff take to complete each fortnight to inform parents of their children's learning.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-26/australian-teachers-are-burnt-out-and-fed-up/101458286

As teachers, we want the best for the children at St Raphael's. This is the core purpose of our profession. We want them to have the best education possible and be happy, healthy, independent and resilient. In addition, we want to work with parents to support your children.

We are doing all we can to make this a reality. Still, we must be realistic that the children's education and social and emotional wellbeing over the last two years has been severely impacted.

We all want to return to our pre-Covid lives. This is human nature, but unfortunately, we can't take back what we have lost. However, you can be assured that all staff at St Raphael's are working hard and doing everything possible to give your children the opportunities to learn and flourish.

This Sunday 13th November, is World Kindness Day. It is a timely reminder to be kind to each other, especially our teachers, and support each other to give the children the best possible education.

Staffing News

Jackie Moloney will be taking leave in 2023. Jackie has been a respected teacher in our school since graduating, and we wish her all the best for next year.

Maxwell Allan will be leaving St Raphael's at the end of the year. Max came to us in 2020 amid the uncertainty of the pandemic and has been an excellent teacher and mentor to many Year 5/6 children. We wish Max every success as he sets off to travel the world.

We also farewell Anna Fedele, an Education Support Officer in our school for many years. In the last few years, Anna has been instrumental in running the Italian program throughout the school, which has been hugely successful. In addition, she has worked with many children with additional needs over the years, and we wish Anna all the best for the future.

We have been busy advertising and appointing various teachers and education support officers for next year. In the coming weeks, we will notify all parents of these successful candidates, who will all be fantastic additions to our school staff.

SAB Members

The SAB meeting will be held on Tuesday 29th November, at 5 pm.

At this meeting, new SAB members will be elected into various roles on the SAB, and the departing SAB members will assist the new members with this transition.

Community Group (CLC)

If anyone would like to join our parent volunteer community group (Community Liason Committee) to help with organising community events and gatherings, please email Rachael Harman:RachaelH@kirsaenv.com.au

Rachael has offered to coordinate the group, and we hope to hold regular meetings starting in the coming weeks in the staffroom or on the school grounds.

Please reach out if you would like to get involved with this parent volunteer group. It will be a great way to meet other parents in a casual environment.

Student Birthdays