Leadership & Management

Week 4 Term 1

Dear Parents and Carers,

The weekend's cold snap definitely took us by surprise after such a beautiful summer.  I hope you all had a great weekend and stayed warm. Let’s hope this week brings some milder temperatures, and we can enjoy the sunshine again soon.

Planning For the Future of Brunswick Moreland Catholic Community (BMCC)

The Parish Evangelisation Council for the Brunswick Moreland Catholic Community (BMCC) met for a full day on Saturday. The gathering included Fr. Brendan Reed, Fr. Tien, the Principals from Our Lady’s East Brunswick, St. Joseph’s, myself, and several parishioners from the three parishes.

The focus of the day was planning for the future of the BMCC. The process involved prayer, reflecting on the Plenary Council and its recommendations for parishes, and engaging in meaningful discussions. It was a highly productive day, resulting in a draft mission statement and key pillars for our community.

Saturday’s session was all about brainstorming and gathering ideas. This Thursday night, the three principals and parish priests' representatives will refine the strategic plan to shape the next steps for our parish community. I will update you as this process and rollout begins in the coming months. 

Fundraising – Where Does My Contribution Go?

At St. Fidelis, we are fortunate to have a dedicated group of parents who work alongside the school to coordinate fundraising efforts, represent families within the community, and organize various engaging events for students and their families. Our primary goal is to foster strong connections among families and staff while encouraging active parental participation in school life through social and fundraising initiatives.

Building Community Through Social Events

Social events play a vital role in strengthening the community spirit within our school. In the past, we have hosted events such as the Foundation Families "Getting to Know You" Night, Parish, School Family Social Nights, Parent Trivia Night, Christmas Carols' Night and the STEM/Art Show, to name just a few.

The Impact of Fundraising

Fundraising provides essential financial support for our school, especially in areas where government funding is limited. These funds help maintain school facilities and enhance educational resources, such as:

• Refreshing and upgrading library books
• Purchasing multiple copies of quality literature for upper-year levels
• Upgrading IT resources 
• New take-home books 

At St. Fidelis, we strive to offer various fundraising opportunities to accommodate different family circumstances. There is never any pressure to participate in every event, and we carefully space them out throughout the school year. Some of our most successful past fundraisers include:

• Hot Food Days
• Hot Cross Bun Drives
• Easter Raffles
• School Open and Fete Days
• (Biannual) Colour Fun Run - is a highlight for students, parents, and teachers!
• Bunnings Sausage Sizzle 
• (Biannual) School Fete 

We’re excited to share that we’re almost there and fully completing the Junior Playground area. With your continued support in 2025, we’ll be able to reach our goal of paying off the new playground and play bays and making this wonderful space available for everyone to enjoy. Thank you for helping bring us closer to the finish line.

Major Playground Project: 2026 and beyond

Our biggest goal is to build a new playground for the older children in Hawthorn Yard. While reaching this goal may take a couple of years, your support will play a vital role in bringing this dream to life. 

To stay informed about upcoming events, please take a moment to read the Parents & Friends (P&F) page in our school newsletter. If you have some time to spare, we encourage you to get involved - every contribution, big or small, makes a meaningful impact!

Bunnings BBQ Success

What does the Bible say about working with one another?  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour:  

If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” 

Once again, our P&F had an incredibly successful day selling sausages and drinks at Bunnings Coburg.  Despite the weather, they sold out of all the sausages, a fantastic effort! Please read the P & F page for the funds raised yesterday. Extraordinary result!

Thank you to everyone who supported, helped, and organized our Bunnings BBQ.  Your generosity, time, and effort made the event a great success. Your support strengthens our community, and we are so grateful for your involvement. 

As I always say, “Many Hands Make light work”. Whether you volunteered on the day, donated supplies, or simply came along to buy a sausage, your contribution is truly appreciated.

Vision For  Engagement

A couple of weeks ago, the MACS Student Engagement Team approached me to see if we would be interested in serving as a pilot school for the upcoming MACS strategic initiative, Vision for Engagement.

As part of the strategic deliverables underpinning Vision for Engagement, the Student Engagement team has expanded its partnership with Team Teach to support school-based training in managing student behaviour, enhancing staff safety, and fostering a positive school culture.

Team Teach provides an accredited training framework focused on behaviour support approaches, emphasizing relationship-building, de-escalation, and risk and restraint reduction. The program aims to equip school staff with:

• A comprehensive toolkit of positive behaviour support strategies
• De-escalation techniques
• Physical intervention methods (both nonrestrictive and restrictive)
• Post-incident restorative approaches and ongoing support

This pilot program will evaluate the effectiveness and scalability of this new model. Bianka Zorzut and Vicky Karalis, St. Fidelis’ Wellbeing Leaders, will participate in a three-day professional learning program this week (Monday - Wednesday). In recognition of the significance of this pilot, MACS has granted us an additional School Closure Day on May 9th. On this day, Bianka and Vicky will guide the entire staff through the Team Teach program.

Please note: School Closure Day – May 9th

We look forward to engaging in this pilot program and exploring its impact on our school community.

School Safety - Parking

Thank you for parking safely and responsibly. Your attention to proper parking helps keep our spaces accessible and ensures everyone's safety. We appreciate your cooperation and commitment to a safer environment. A REMINDER THAT OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL IN SAUNDERS STREET NEAR THE PLAYGROUND IS A DROP-OFF ZONE ONLY.

Have a lovely week, 

Manuela