From The Principal

Dear parents, families and friends,

Amazingly we have passed the half way point of the term. We have 4 weeks and 2 days remaining of the term and therefore the year!! I think I have been everywhere over the last two weeks; swimming carnival, Prep Afternoon, Year 1/2 Sleepover, Year 5/6 Excursion to Healesville, Year 6 Confirmation Reflection Day, school tours and even principal meetings.

Remembrance Day: Honoring Those Who Served

On Monday of this week we commemorated Remembrance Day on November 11th. It is important we take a moment to reflect on this important occasion. Remembrance Day is a time for us to honor and remember the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve in the armed forces, protecting our country and our freedoms. It is a time to pause and think about the sacrifices made by these individuals and the impact they have had on shaping our world.

What is Remembrance Day?

Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day, marks the anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I on November 11, 1918. While it originally commemorated the end of World War I, it has since evolved into a day to remember all those who have served in the military, especially those who lost their lives during conflict.

Prep After School Activities

On Friday 1st November the Preps had their after school activities. They were so excited to be staying a few extra hours at school and having the whole playground all to themselves. It was great seeing them have such a great time. Please see the Classroom and Curriculum page for more details and lots of photos.

Year 1/2 Sleepover

On Friday 8th November we had the Year 1/2 Sleep Over, and yes, the students did sleep! Maccas Happy Meals for dinner and hotcakes and hash browns for breakfast. They played for a bit before dinner and then watched a movie before snuggling in for some sleep. A few of the students commented that this was the best day ever!! Please see the Classroom and Curriculum page for more details and heaps of photos.

Year 3-6 House Colour Swimming Carnival

During the day on Friday 8th November we held our House Colour Swimming Carnival. We didn't have the best weather, it was cloudy, windy and cool. As the day progressed it got colder, and the students soon discovered that it was warmer in the water than out. All those that swam did their very best for their colour houses.

Miss Marissa and I would like to thank the wonderful parents and families that assisted on the day. Special thank you to Adam, Day, Glen, Andria, Sally, Mounica, Clare, Jonah and Joe. 

Congratulations to GREEN house for coming first in the swimming carnival with 2090 points. 

First: Green 2090 points 

Second: Red 2070 points

Third: Yellow 2065 points

Fourth: Blue 1530 points 

Staffing 2025 Update

This is a busy time of the year as we make final preparations for next year. There have been a couple of changes to the staffing for 2025 since my last letter.

Mrs Kristen Re, who will be one of our three teachers in Year 1/2, comes to us with five years’ experience teaching and leading the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. She is highly commended by Stephanie Alexander herself. Kristen has agreed to lead the Stephanie Alexander Garden Program here at St. Augustine’s. To facilitate this, Ms Tiziana Scimone has agreed to work in Year 1/2 on Thursdays, releasing Kristen to run the program. We are very excited about this opportunity to develop the program further and build on the hard work of Tiziana this year.

Due to this and our preference to not have more than one job share team at each level, Miss Natalie Librizzi will now join Miss Olivia Jones in Year 5/6 and Mr Milan Bulic will remain in Year 1/2. Having made these changes we believe that we still have very strong teams of teachers at each year level, who will do their very best to provide classroom environments that are happy, safe, supportive and conducive to learning for all students. We also believe that we will provide an outstanding curriculum with a strong focus on the core subjects of Literacy and Numeracy, supported by Religious Education and the Inquisitive Curriculum and enhanced by an exceptional Specialist Subject Program.

We do not plan on making anymore changes at this point in time, however, it is a possibility.

Upcoming Events:

Tuesday 19th November, 9am - 11am: Prep Orientation One

Wednesday 20th November, 10.30am: Bishop Martin Ashe visiting the Year 6 Confirmation Candidates

Saturday 23rd November, 5pm: Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Augustine's Church

Monday 25th to Wednesday 27th November: Year 3/4 Camp at Portsea

Thursday 28th November, 9am - 11am: Prep Orientation Two

Tuesday 3rd December, 9am - 11am: Prep Orientation Three

Wednesday 4th to Friday 6th December: Year 5/6 Camp at Phillip Island

Tuesday 10th December, 9am -11am Step Up Day including Prep Orientation Four

Tuesday 10th December, 6pm: Parent Committee End of Year Celebration - Drinks and Nibbles

Wednesday 11th December: Year 6 Big Day Out at Funfields

Friday 13th December: End of Year School Picnic at Yarraville Gardens

Monday 16th December, 6pm: Year 6 2024 Graduation Ceremony and Dinner

Tuesday 17th December, 9.30am: Whole School End of Year Mass

Tuesday 17th December, 1.30pm: Christmas Carols by Daylight

Tuesday 17th December, 3.15pm: End of School Year Dismissal

All of this plus finalising reports, completing all learning and teaching to meet curriculum outcomes and having a little bit of fun. It can be seen how busy the next few weeks will be, and you would be correct in thinking; how will they fit all this in?

There are only two newsletters remaining until the end of the year!

Kind regards,

Matt