Dear Families,

Welcome to Term 3. A special and very warm welcome to Henry, our new student in Year 1/ 2 E, and his family.

The St Leonard's chapter of St Vincent de Paul would like me to thank the school community for your generous support of the Winter Appeal. Knowing that the donations will be distributed to people in our local community is reassuring that we can make a practical difference to people in need.

With NAIDOC Week falling in the holidays, I draw your attention to the 2024 theme 'Keep the fire burning! Blak, loud and proud'. I'd like to share the NAIDOC acknowledgement from their website https://www.naidoc.org.au/news/2024-naidoc-week-theme-keep-fire-burning-blak-loud-and-proud.

Monash Council has planned their first National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. More information below.

Welcome our new 3/4 G teacher, Mia Somerville

On Tuesday, the students and staff farewelled Adriana Siomos, both thanking her for being an integral part of our staff team and wishing her many blessings for the imminent birth of her baby.

Miss Mia Somerville now emerges from the transition time, where Adriana and Mia taught the Year 3 / 4 G students together, to be the classroom teacher. Please enjoy reading Mia's introductory letter.

Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Morning: 24 July

CUT OFF DAY TO BOOK IS TOMORROW, FRIDAY 19 JULY

To celebrate the 65th anniversary of St Leonard's School we invite grandparents or significant friends, such as aunts and uncles or family friends to a very special morning. Parents are welcome to attend if no other relatives and friends are available to come. We all know grandparents and special friends play a vital role in our children's lives. They offer a wealth of love, support, and unique experiences that enrich our students' journeys. To celebrate these special bonds, we're excited to invite grandparents and special friends to a dedicated morning on Wednesday, 24th July.

This event coincides with the feast day of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus on 26th July. We'll begin the day with a special whole-school liturgy in the church, followed by a warm welcome for our special guests.

Here's what to look forward to:

Wednesday 24th July

9:15 AM: Whole-School Liturgy in the church (all welcome) Students can sit with their grandparent/s or special friends

10:00-11:00 AM: During this time, students and their visitors have the opportunity to enjoy a scone with jam and cream, as ordered via the Trybooking online platform. Grandparents and special friends will work in their grandchildren's room where they will participate in a fun activity together. We will ask our visitors to share some stories and or images of when they were at school.

The last day to book tickets is tomorrow

To ensure we can cater appropriately, please secure a ticket via Trybooking for each attendee, including children who wish to enjoy a scone for morning tea. If no visitors are available, the students will be made to feel welcome and included. We hope that you will order them a scone for them to enjoy through the Trybooking link.

https://www.trybooking.com/CSTLC

Please order a scone and drink for your children as well as the visitor/s. On Trybooking the following options are available.

We look forward to celebrating this wonderful occasion with you!

We thank the PFA for organising the scones jam and cream for everyone to enjoy. If you would like to order a pack of scones for your child/ren to take home at the end of the day, please order them via Trybooking.

Car Parking & Drop Off arrangements

Car parking on Grandparents' Day will be challenging. If your relatives or visitors have the stamina to walk, please park away from the school, leaving the parks in the car park for those who really need them. A special once only, drop and go station will be available near the front office bollard area if car parks are not available. After 11am this area will also be available for picking up your loved ones. We thank you, in advance, for your patience.

Year 3 & 5 NAPLAN Reports

Year 3 & 5 NAPLAN reports were sent home today. Please store these in a safe place as they are often called for when Year 7 enrolment is undertaken. Our school will stop keeping copies, so it is the responsibility of parents to keep the reports safe and in a an accesible position.

City of Monash- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day event - 3 August

Hi Monash schools,

My name is Taylor Eldridge, the Children and Young People Engagement and Safety Officer at the Monash Council.

We are excited to invite you to our first National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day event happening at the beginning of August. All families are welcome to come and celebrate National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day with interactive storytelling, a craft activity, free giveaways and more! This event is mostly suitable for children aged 2-7 years old, however children of any age are welcome to attend with their families.

When: Saturday 3 August, 11am

Where: Glen Waverley Library, 112 Kingsway, Glen Waverley

National Children’s Day gives all Australians the opportunity to show their support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and learn about the crucial impact that culture, family and community play in the life of every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child. National Children’s Day is an initiative of SNAICC – National Voice for our Children.

I have attached the flyer/poster for the event to this email. It would be great if you could promote to your school community via posters at your school, in your parent newsletters, word of mouth or however best suits your school.

We look forward to welcoming many families along to celebrate this significant day.

PFA Movie Night

There was a real buzz in the community when we had our annual Movie Night to watch Despicable Me 4.

Briefly

Code Camp Term 3: Code camp is held in the school library on Wednesdays from 24th July to 11th September. Time: 3:30pm - 4:45pm. Bookings now open
Chess Club with Kids Unlimited Term 3: Chess Club operates on Mondays at lunch time. Bookings now open for Term 3 (See Kids Unlimited Chess page of this newsletter.)

Sad News

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Rency Biju's beloved 92 year old father, Joseph. Rency is our fabulous Camp Australia Educator. Rency travelled to India and was fortunate to have seen her father before he passed away. The family would appreciate prayers from the school community.

Wishing every family a very happy week ahead. We look forward to seeing grandparents and special friends next Wednesday.

Rob Horwood

Principal

Code Camp