Principal's Report
Kevin Gleeson
School Camp
Dear Parents and Friends
A huge thank you to all the teachers for attending the Year 5/6 school camp last week at Sovereign Hill - it was a fantastic experience! The students need to be congratulated on their excellent behaviour and participation with all the activities. The staff at Sovereign Hill were so impressed by the excellent behaviour of our students and how respectful they were. A special thanks to Mr Jennings for his thorough organisation and preparation for this extra-curricula activity. Once again a big thank you for the teacher’s commitment and willingness to give of their own time away from their families so the students can experience school camp. Photos from our camp are included in today's newsletter.
2019 Enrolments
Last week Father Cartwright and I conducted Prep interviews for new families. It is terrific to meet these families and we look forward to welcoming them to our friendly school community. Existing families are automatically enrolled and ensured a place once your enrolment application is received.
School Attendance - Unexplained Student Absences
It is now a Victorian Government requirement that:
- Parents/guardians are responsible for contacting the school on that day of an expected absence to inform them and to provide an explanation for their absence.
- This must be done prior to the commencement of the school day.
- This may be done by contacting the school on 9383 3600 directly, email: fidelis@sfmoreland.catholic.edu.au or via our Skoolbag App.
I thank you for your suuport with this matter.
Communication
Under no circumstance is it ever acceptable for a parent to approach another child about an issue or concern. This is the responsibility for the staff. If you ever have any concerns, always make a time to see the teacher or a member of the leadership team, who will ensure that any concerns are followed up.
Curriculum Information Evening
All parents are encouraged to attend our information evening tomorrow, Tuesday May 22nd 7pm - 8pm in the SLA.
Content areas
- Religious Education Curriculum Framework - A brief look at the new Religious Education Curriculum for Victorian Schools
- Developing Mental Computation and Fluency - An approach to teaching multiplication using number sense and metal computation
- Coping with Childhood Anxiety - What is anxiety and when should I be concerned?
Parish Education Board (PEB)
Last Tuesday we had our term two PEB meeting. At this meeting members were updated on our current school initiatives and focuses, particularly about the important area of parent engagement. I would like to thank the Board Members for their time, contribution and support.
PEB Members: Father Cartwright, Father Michael, Janine Turville, Natasha Miller, Leanne Wenckowski, Natalie Gunn, Lisa Kuspira and Daniel Sammartino.
First Communion
Please continue to remember our Year Three students in your prayers as they prepare to receive their First Holy Communion on Saturday June 2.
Assembly
1/2BA will lead our assembly this Friday May 25th. Parents and friends are always welcome at our assemblies to share and celebrate the great learning and student achievement at St Fidelis’.
Photography at School School Events
I would like to remind all parents about our school’s procedures around parents taking photographs of students at our school. St Fidelis’ Primary School allows members of the school community to take photographs and videos of their children at school assemblies, class presentations, performances, sporting events etc. In accordance with the Privacy & Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) & Education Department guidelines, members of the school community are restricted to only photograph/video their children. Images of other students must not be published on social media or in any other form without the prior consent of parents & guardians whose children may unintentionally appear in the images. I appreciate your support and understanding.
School App Upgrade
Parents will have noticed that last week our Skoolbag App was updated to a new version. Already, over 120 parents have successfully completed the upgrade. You will be invited to set up a username and password when opening the app. These details will be saved to allow for quick access in the future. Your account details allow you to log into the SkoolBag app on different devices and see the same groups and subscription settings. After logging in, you will be prompted to subscribe to groups where you can select your child's year level and the whole school.
Click on the file below for additional instructions.
School Closure Day
We have our first school closure day on Friday June 8. This is the Friday before the Queen’s birthday long weekend and staff will be working on student assessment and reporting on this day.
Study Leave
I am very privileged to be joining 15 principals and a group of Australian Catholic University students to undertake some study at La Salle Academy in Rome, in June this year. This program is centred on Mission, Culture and Spirituality and the development of understandings related to the purpose and mission of Catholic education and schools. I am very excited to be participating in such a wonderful experience and will be leaving on the Queen's birthday weekend and returning early term three. Janine will be Acting Principal while I am away.
I hope you have a great week and look forward to seeing many parents at our Curriculum Night tomorrow.
Kevin Gleeson.