Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Friends

I had a wonderful break travelling to Greece and Türkiye, but it is great to be back at St Carlo's! I am so impressed how settled our student's are. They are focused and working beautifully as we move further into Term 4. Once the Spring Racing Carnival arrives, we know the end of the school year is quickly approaching!

There is still so much to look forward to before we finish the 2026 school year, including our Prep Orientation sessions, St Carlo’s Feast Day, exciting excursions and incursions, and of course, our Year 6 Graduation.

St Carlo’s is such a vibrant school community and there is always something happening! Please continue to check Audiri and our Google Calendar to keep up to date with all upcoming events.

Happy World Teachers’ Day!

This week we celebrate World Teachers’ Day, a wonderful opportunity to recognise and show our appreciation for our incredible teachers and the important role they play in the lives of our students.

Every day, our teachers go above and beyond to educate, nurture, protect, encourage and support our students. Their dedication, passion and enthusiasm help our children to grow and flourish academically, spiritually and personally, and we are incredibly fortunate to have such a talented and caring team at St Carlo’s.

While World Teachers’ Day particularly celebrates our teachers, it is also a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge all of our staff, who work together each day to support our students and make St Carlo’s such a special place to learn and grow.

We will celebrate with a special morning tea this week to recognise our staff and thank them for the wonderful contribution they make to our school community.

I encourage families to send an email or a short note of thanks to a teacher or staff member, or simply say “thank you” when you see them around the school. A few kind words acknowledging their hard work and the positive difference they make can mean a great deal.

Happy World Teachers’ Day to our amazing St Carlo’s staff, and thank you for everything you do for our students and families!

School Uniform - Full summer school uniform is to be worn from next week!

From next week, all students are expected to be wearing their full summer school uniform. Please also remember that runners are only to be worn on sports days. Black school shoes – not black runners – must be worn with the regular school uniform.

Students are required to wear their school hats throughout Term 4 and are strongly encouraged to wear them when walking to and from school. Students without a school hat will be required to remain in a shaded area during break times.

With the UV levels much higher at this time of year, we also encourage families to apply sunscreen before school. Sunscreen is available in classrooms for students to reapply during the day.

Year Five Camp

Our Year 5 students had a fantastic time visiting Sovereign Hill and camping at Lake Dewar. Their enthusiasm, teamwork and excellent behaviour throughout the camp made us incredibly proud!

A huge thank you to the staff who gave up time with their own families to make this wonderful experience possible: Nella Fimiani, Therese Reed, Pina Distefano, Justin Cummins, Tayla Vella, Annette Luck, Jaston Soares, Natalie Galati, Renee Verna and Irma Meacco. Experiences such as camp simply cannot happen without the generosity and commitment of our staff, and we are very grateful. 

Families can enjoy some wonderful photos and student reflections from the camp in today’s newsletter.

Parish Fete: Saturday 14th November

Our Parish Fete is fast approaching. St Carlo will be coordinating a Mystery Jar Stall and we need your help and support. We are asking each family to contribute a new jar or container filled with certain items depending on the year your child is in. If you have children in different year levels, please just fill one jar for your family with the item of your choice. Extra jar donations are more than welcome as well.  Please return the jars and containers to your child’s classroom teacher before Friday 30th October. Details in today's newsletter. 

Day for Daniel

This term, our students have been learning about personal safety and their learning has focused on four important messages:

• The right to be safe – Everyone has the right to feel safe, all of the time.
• Recognising body clues – Understanding how our bodies may feel when something isn’t right.
• Reacting to keep safe – Knowing what we can do when we feel unsafe.
• Who can help – Identifying trusted adults who can help us stay safe.

We also remind our students that Kids Helpline is available to children and young people at any time and for any reason. These are important conversations, and we encourage families to continue talking with their children at home about personal safety and the trusted adults they can turn to for help.

Feast of St Carlo Borromeo

On Wednesday 4 November we celebrate the Feast of St Carlo Borromeo, our school’s Patron Saint. As part of our celebrations, we will gather for Mass, where the annual St Carlo’s Medal will be presented to a student who has demonstrated the values and virtues of St Carlo Borromeo.

In the afternoon, students will enjoy a range of fun activities in their family groups, providing a wonderful opportunity for siblings and students across different year levels to celebrate together. It is always a very special day on our school calendar and an opportunity to celebrate our faith, our Patron Saint and our wonderful St Carlo’s community.

Prep Orientation Sessions

We are very excited to soon welcome our 2027 Prep students and families to St Carlo’s for their orientation sessions.  All sessions will take place from 9:15 am – 10:30 am on the following dates:

• Tuesday 10 November – Prep Orientation Day One: Students attend orientation. New parents are warmly invited to a meeting and morning tea in the School Hall.
• Tuesday 17 November – Prep Orientation Day Two: Students attend orientation. Parents are invited to an informal Q&A in the entrance courtyard after drop-off. Attendance is optional.
• Tuesday 24 November – Prep Orientation Day Three: Parents drop children off at 9:15 am and return at 10:25 am for pick-up.
• Tuesday 1 December – Prep Orientation Day Four: Parents drop children off at 9:15 am and return at 10:25 am for pick-up.

We look forward to welcoming our newest students and helping them feel happy, confident and excited about beginning their school journey at St Carlo’s in 2027.

Before School Supervision – A Reminder

The safety and wellbeing of all our students is always our highest priority at St Carlo’s. We kindly remind families that staff supervision begins at 8:30 a.m. each morning.

We have noticed that some students are arriving at school before this time and are being left unattended (some before 8:00 a.m.). While we understand that mornings can be busy for families, we ask that students are not left at school prior to 8:30am, as staff are not on duty to supervise them.

If you arrive before 8:30 a.m, please remain with your child until staff supervision commences. Families requiring an earlier drop-off are encouraged to make use of our Before School Care service. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and caring environment for all our students.

School Fees

Thank you to the many families who have already finalised their school fees or are maintaining their agreed payment arrangements.  It is important that outstanding accounts are finalised so that the school can continue to meet its financial commitments. If you are experiencing financial difficulty or would like to discuss your account, please contact me directly. We are always happy to work with families to establish suitable arrangements.

Families with significantly overdue accounts who have not responded to previous requests for payment or contacted the school to make arrangements may be referred to our external collection agency in the coming weeks.

Please see the letter below outlining our 2027 school fees. 

Planning for 2027

Planning for 2027 continues to progress and we ask any families who will not be returning to school in 2027 to please contact the school to let us know. We can then cater for any families who are currently on waiting lists to have the opportunity to enrol in the school.

Term 4 School Closure Day and Public Holiday

A reminder that we have one planned School Closure Day and one Public Holiday next week:

• Monday 2 November – School Closure Day (Melbourne Cup Eve)
• Tuesday 3 November – Melbourne Cup Day Public Holiday

There will be no school for students on either day.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support of our students, staff and school.

I wish everyone a fantastic week ahead, and pray that St Carlo Borromeo continues to watch over and bless our Parish and school community.

I wish everyone a fantastic week.

Kevin Gleeson