Welcome

Dear members of the St Raphael’s school community,

What a fantastic year we have had at St Raphael’s. As we near the end of the year there are a few people that I would like to thank and acknowledge.

Father Benneth

Father Benneth has accepted a position as the Parish Priest in the Seaford/ Frankston area and will be leaving us in January 2018.

We thank Father Benneth for his support, guidance and spiritual leadership over the past 12 months at St Raphael’s. Even though he has only been in West Preston for the last 12 months he has certainly left an indelible mark on our school and parish community. I hope that Fr Benneth will be leaving us with great memories of his short time in West Preston.

We pray that the next stage of Fr Benneth's life will be rewarding and fulfilling and we wish him every success for the future.

Year 6 Graduation

Congratulations to our graduating Year 6 students. We wish you all the very best of luck in the years ahead and hope that you pursue your dreams. Take every chance, every opportunity. Be courageous remembering St. Paul’s words “Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us”. You are all at the starting line of your race and the track is laid out before you. Whilst you will always have great support around you – parents, family and teachers – it is your race, and only you can run it. Go for it!

We will be watching from a distance with pride in the knowledge that we have been given a special, privileged opportunity to play a small part in your lives and in shaping the person that you have become.

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places." (Roald Dahl, The Minpins)

Staff

Best wishes to Clare Spillane who will be leaving St Raphael's at the end of this year. Clare came to us a graduate teacher and has been at St Raphael’s for the last seven years as a Year 1/2 and 3/4 teacher. Clare is moving to St Mary of the Cross McKillop, Epping North and we wish her every success for the future and thank her for her work at St Raphael’s.

We are pleased to welcome Mr James Downing who will be joining us as our Physical Education teacher for 2018. James has recently completed his teaching degree at the University of Ballarat and we look forward to the many new and exciting initiatives that James will bring to the PE program.

A big thank you to all of the wonderful staff at St Raphael’s who have worked tirelessly throughout the year to educate and nurture your children. I am proud to say that our staff are a dedicated, committed, caring and professional group of teachers. As I reflect on the school year, the children have been involved in many wonderful learning opportunities and experiences as the teachers are constantly working towards improving student outcomes and developing the whole child - academically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

Departing Families

Farewell to our departing families and children. We wish you every success for the future and hope that you have fond memories of your time as members of the St Raphael’s school community.

Volunteers

A huge thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers and parent helpers in our school.

A special thanks to our parents who have worked on the Playground Redevelopment Committee. These parents have generously volunteered hours of time to meet, plan and implement Stage 1 and 2 of the whole playground redevelopment.

An incredible amount of time, effort and extensive consultation with the School Board and various contractors/ providers has gone into realising the vision of the landscape master plan. It has been an ambitious undertaking and I look forward to continuing this work with this group in 2018 as we continue with Stage 3.

To our Uniform Shop mums who have worked tirelessly to provide a great service and source good quality uniforms for our children. Your efforts in sourcing new, quality uniforms to uphold the school’s reputation in our community is greatly appreciated.

To all of the volunteers in the learning spaces, on excursions, camps, Father’s Day & Mother’s Day events, lunch clubs, Sports Day, Bunning’s Sausage Sizzle, Comedy Night, Vintage Car Show and the various fundraising events throughout the year - a huge thank you!

It has been a huge effort by all of these parents who have given so generously of their time and talents to ensure that we can offer the various programs and best possible resources and equipment to the children in our school.

All of the various fundraising initiatives have raised over $30 000 which has been used this year to redevelop our Stage 1 & 2 of our playground space.

There is a special acknowledgement of volunteer support on the School Education Board page of this newsletter.

School Education Board 2017

I would especially like to thank the parent volunteers on our School Education Board who have given so generously of their time to be the parent voice of our school community – Jeremy Richards (President), Tracey Pace (Secretary), Filippa Brugliera (Treasurer), Liliana Varvarigos and Sally Di Martino (Fundraising/ Community Events), Carol Coloe (Playground Redevelopment), Andrew Aquilina and Fiona Garnham (Grants & Funding), Pauline O’Connor (Marketing), Andy Purdon (ICT support) and Paula Moussa (Publicity). I would also like to thank Franco Costa who has represented the St Raphael's Parish and been a valuable contributor to the SEB this year.

The SEB’s support, input, advice and parent voice has been appreciated and valued. Together we have achieved some great outcomes this year and I thank you for continually supporting whole school improvement.

Next year we will continue the great work and we extend an invitation to any new members who would like to join the School Education Board or assist with any of the sub-committees for 2018.

Thanks

Finally, I would like to thank the wonderful children of our school for making this school such a happy school community. You should be very proud of your achievements this year. You are all respectful and unique individuals who make St Raphael’s such a diverse, enjoyable and fun school!

It has been a pleasure and honour to lead this school community and I thank Father Benneth, the staff, children and parents who have supported me throughout the year.

Personal thanks to Tina Colosi for her support, dedication and commitment to improving student outcomes across the school. We are indeed very fortunate to have someone of Tina's experience and knowledge leading the learning and teaching at St Raphael's. We have seen some fantastic results this year and this can be attributed to the professionalism and commitment of Tina, our school leadership team and all of our teaching staff. Thanks also to Lynette Gamble in the school office for her ongoing support and professionalism.

I look forward with optimism and energy to the future as we work towards providing the best possible educational and learning opportunities for your children in 2018 and beyond.

Have a safe, happy and Holy Christmas with your children and families and we look forward to welcoming you back to the 2018 school year.

Kind regards,

Damian

Homeroom Placement 2018

Next Tuesday 19th December we will announce your child’s homeroom teacher for 2018.

This time of year is always an exciting time and can also be a nerve-wracking time. Will our children be placed with their friends? Will my child be placed with the teacher that I want?

Class placement of the children for 2018 takes in many considerations including their social and emotional needs, their learning needs and the best fit with other children and staff.

At these times, we need to trust that each teacher at St Raphael’s knows and cares for your child.

They have worked diligently on class lists for many hours trying to ensure each child will flourish in 2018.

Parents have an enormous role in how their child views the changes for 2018.

A positive parent will reassure that any new change will be a blessing – an opportunity for new friendships to be fostered and a chance to learn from a teacher who will support and care for them. These parents will find that their child develops resilience – an essential commodity necessary for the future.

As a parent you have a choice – do I speak glowingly of the changes that my child faces, or will I model disappointment and anguish with my child?

We are very excited about what 2018 will bring for our school, our community and especially the children in our care.

Parent Concerns

As a school we believe that we work in partnership with you for the benefit of your children.

I would like to remind you that if you have any concerns or need to clarify any decisions that have been made throughout this year to please make an appointment to meet with me before the end of the school year.

As mentioned in earlier newsletters, decisions are not made in isolation, but rather in consultation and collaboration with many stakeholders of our school community.

I reiterate that I am more than happy to meet with any parent to discuss your concerns. Please phone Lynette Gamble on 9478 8374 to make an appointment.

Important Dates for 2018

We will be sending home a Family Calendar early next week outlining the important dates for 2018.

An important date to put in your diaries for early next year.

We will be holding a Twilight School from 12pm - 6pm on Wednesday 28th February as part of a new approach to our School Open Day Tours for 2018. We are hoping to attract working parents and parents who cannot come along to our regular times for Open Day to see our children at work in their learning spaces.

The 28th February will be a 'normal' school day from 12 - 6pm and the session times will be as follows:

12 - 2pm: Learning session 1

2 - 2:45pm: Large break

2:45 - 4:30: Learning session 2

4:30 - 5pm: Evening break

5pm - 6pm: Learning session 3

If the school start times are unsuitable for any children then teachers will be available to supervise them from 9am - 12pm. Before School Care will operate as normal on this day from 7am - 9am.

Guided school tours will be held at 3:30pm and 5pm on this day. Student leaders and staff leadership will take the parents on tours around the school.

We will also be inviting past St Raphael's students on this day to come and have a look at the school from 1 - 2pm. If you know of any ex-students who would like to visit please extend this invitation to them.

Additional Open Days for 2018 will be held on Thursday 15th March (10:30am) and Tuesday 24th April (10:30am) during normal school hours.

2018 Welcome BBQ

I would also like to extend a warm invitation to all existing and new parents of our school community to come along to our 2018 Welcome BBQ/ Picnic on Friday 9th February from 6pm on Greenland.

Student Awards and Birthdays

Birthdays of the Week

Students of the Week