School News

Dear parents, families and friends,

Illegal Parking at Afternoon Dismissal

Unfortunately I need to begin this newsletter with a grumble, and it is not a new one. On Tuesday afternoon I received a complaint about parents from our school parking their cars in No Standing areas near our school. In one instance a car was parked so close to a resident's car that they were not able to exit their parallel parking space.

Here is an extract of that email:

'I would like to address the parking of parents picking children up at the end of the day.

I am a resident in Birmingham Street and have seen on daily basis parents parking in no standing zones (clearly signed) in the street. They often park in these spaces and leave their car to retrieve their children.

Today, I attempted to leave in my car at appox 3:15pm, a (car) was parked in the no standing zone, so close to my car a could not reverse enough to leave my car space safely. I approached the car and the mother advised she believed she left me enough space, slightly moved her car forward, parked (remaining in the no standing zone) and then left her car to walk toward the school.

I would like this to be addressed with the parents, I have taken photos of the car involved today and I am willing to take this further to the council to address this consistent illegal parking if things don’t improve.'

I cannot stress enough how important it is for all of us to follow all road rules and parking restrictions. We do not own the streets that surround St. Augustine's. You don't need to park as close to the front door or gate to collect your child. If there are no spots close to the school, then you will need to find a legal spot further down Birmingham or Avoca Streets. You can also park in Castlemaine and Goulburn Streets or even along Fehon Street and then walk the short distance to school. I do not oppose any of our neighbours taking their complaints further to the council, in fact I need to support it, as I have mentioned this many times before in previous newsletters. Maybe the council sending around parking inspectors at dismissal time to hand out a few fines here and there, may get the message across more clearly.

So again I ask that anyone involved in picking up and dropping off our students at St. Augustine's follow all road rules and parking restrictions.

Book Week 2025 - Book An Adventure

Last week was a big and exciting week with our celebration of Book Week. From Monday there were a number of activities to engage the children into the theme of 'Book An Adventure'. Our annual Book Week Parade was again very well attended by families. Well done to all our students (and their costume designers) for being so creative in coming up with costumes  inspired by their focus Book Week text. Following the parade the students were treated to a wonderful lunch themed 'Journey Around the World'. The lunch items were very generously donated by local businesses in Yarraville Village. A big thank you to Waa Waa, IGA, Elenis Kitchen, Alfa Bakehouse Seddon, Prestige Fruit & Vegetables and 3013 Bagels for providing the delicious foods. Our Book Week celebrations concluded this week on Wednesday with our author visit by Leigh Hobbs of 'Old Tom' fame. Leigh conducted two sessions with the children, one with the Preps to Year 2s and the other with the Year 3 to Year 6s. The workshops were very engaging, informative and interactive with the children learning some behind the scenes information about Leigh's books and also learning some tips and techniques about illustrating. A big thank you to Deb from the Sun Bookshop for arranging purchases of Leigh's books that were personally signed by Leigh. I also need to thank Kat who through her many contacts arranged the visit by Leigh Hobbs, the book ordering from The Sun Bookshop and all the wonderful food donated to the Lunch Around the World. I think that many children either developed or deepened their love of reading and an appreciation for books during Book Week this year.

Please visit Classroom and Curriculum News to view all the images of Book Week.

School Advisory Council

Please see below the Agenda and Minutes from the recent School Advisory Council Meeting.

Important Upcoming Events:

• Sunday 31st August, 9.30am - Jubilee Mass: Back to St. Augustine's celebrating 100 years of St. Augustine's Church.
• Friday 5th September, 7.30am to 8.30am - Father's Day Breakfast
• Saturday 13th September, 10.00am to 2.00pm - Working Bee (this is a big one!!)
• 16 and 17 September - St. Augustine's Art Show

• Friday 19th September Footy Dress Up Day
• Friday 19th September, End of Term 3, 1.15pm Dismissal

Until the next newsletter, stay warm and stay safe. First day of Spring on Monday!! Let's hope the weather starts to warm up, just a bit!

Matthew Stead

Principal