Acting Principal's Report
Dear Members of the St. Cecilia’s School Community,
We are very glad to be back and are looking forward to an exciting term ahead. This term will see us celebrate Book Week, our Year 4 students will make their First Communion, the senior students will participate in Hooptime and District Athletics days, and most excitingly the countdown is on to our Whole School Concert.
As you are aware, the staff had the opportunity to spend some time reflecting on and discussing the various elements of our school as part of a whole school closure day last Tuesday.
Although there was a lot of ground to cover and a significant process to move through, a couple of things really stood out to us as a staff. The first was what a special community we have here at St Cecilia's, that the combined efforts of staff, families and students create a clear culture of respect, support and care for one another.
The second thing that stood out was what a great team we have on staff at St Cecilia's, how well they work together and how dedicated they are to the students. When we stopped and looked at all the programs, activitives, interventions, assessements, strategies and professional learning that has been engaged in over the past couple of years it was quite staggering.
This day marked an important step in our school review process. This process will continue this term and into next term during which time parents will be invited to contribute their feedback too. We are excited about completing this process and identifying key ways that we can continue to grow and improve as a school community.
Please read through the some important reminders below, many of which refer to items which are explained in further detail in the rest of the newsletter.
Opening Term Mass
This Friday the whole school will celebrate an Opening Term Mass at 9:15am in the Church. The theme is Winter, you are warmly invited to come and join in the celebration.
Congratulations And Welcome Madame Cecile!
Our wonderful French Teacher, Madame Cecile and her family recently took the very significant and exciting step of becoming Australian citizens. Cecile is a wonderful teacher and colleague and we feel very blessed to have her as part of our school, and now officially as part of our nation. The staff celebrated at morning tea with some Aussie themed refreshments.
School Report and Parent Interview Feedback
You will see on the following page a feedback form regarding School Reports and Parent Teacher Interviews. Please take 5 minutes to complete the form to help us plan for next year.
We will publish the results in the newsletter next fortnight.
Smartphones and Smartwatches at School
We have seen a recent rise in the number of students who are wearing smart watches to school that are capable of sending and receiving calls and messages. Just as we do not allow students to have mobile phones with them at school during the day, our expectation is the same with any device that is mobile network and internet capable. If your child does have one of these devices they will need to either have it set to 'school mode' so that it is not able to call or message, or the device will need to remain in their schoolbags during school hours. This will help ensure that students are able to focus on their learning during the day and that any necessary communication between students and parents during the day is conducted through the staff.
Parent's Association - Helpers Wanted for Father's Day Breakfast
One of the many exciting events coming up this term is the Father's Day Breakfast. The Parent's Association is looking for volunteers, particularly someone who might be willing to help coordinate the event. You will be well supported by previous coordinators if you are willing to take up the role. You can contact jmcgrath1976@yahoo.com or christopher.knott@dwfoxtucker.com.au if you are interested.
BYOD 2024 Information Session - Wednesday August 9th
At the end of last year we introduced a BYOD (Bring your own device) program for this
year's Year 3 students in conjuction with our supplier LWT. The program has been a great success and we will continue to roll out the program over the following years. This year we will run on online information session for all current Year 2 parents on Wednesday August 9 at 6:00pm. However we would also like to extend an invitation to all parents who are intersted in finding out about the program. The program is being rolled out for Year 3 students, but students in year 5 or 6 also have the option of taking it up. Precise details of the sessions will be sent home next week.
Fair Preparations
The school fair is still a number of months away, however perparations are well under way. Much more information will be shared in the coming weeks and months. If however you would be interested and willing to assist with sourcing and organising sponsorhsip for the fair, the team is looking for some creative and enthusiatic people to add to this team. If you would like to learn more contact: kylieanne77@hotmail.com
Save the Date!
We are thrilled to announce that the St. Cecilia's Whole School Concert is coming on
WEDNESDAY 13th SEPTEMBER
More info to follow!
Social Media @ St Cecilia's
Another way of keeping up with what is happening at St Cecilia's is by following us on Instagram (@stceciliasgleniris). We often post photos of what learning has been happening in our classrooms, photos of events such as camp and reminders of what is coming up in our school and community. Thank you to two of our staff members (Fiona Walsh and Bella Lasscock) who have taken over coordinating our social pages. They are doing an outstanding job! Check it out!
Matthew Mooney
Deputy Principal
St Cecilia’s School