Leadership & Management

Week 1 Term 4

Station Number Four - Jesus meets his Mother  

Miriam-Rose

Jesus, you feel so alone with all those people yelling and screaming at you. 

You don't like the words they are saying about you, and you look for a friendly face 

in the crowd. You see your mother. She can't make the hurting stop, but it helps 

to see that she is on your side, that she is suffering with you. 

She does understand and care. 

Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term Four.  It is hard to believe we are on the home stretch of the year. I am extremely excited to be back to work and am looking forward to the many Learning and Teaching opportunities we have planned for the students this term. We welcome back Ms O’Flynn, Ms Monaghan, Ms Sally, Mr Jennings and Ms Isabella from leave  and I thank all the staff that took on extra duties in the absence of some of our staff.

October is the month of The Holy Rosary 

October in Catholic tradition is the month of  The Holy Rosary. The Rosary is a repetitive prayer designed to calm us down, as we meditate. It was designed by St Diominic to assist the majority of people in the Middle Ages, who could not read or write. Through the mysteries of the Rosary, it enabled people to know important events in the Gospel. Most families own a set of Rosary Beads and October would be a great time to recite all or some of the Rosary with your family during this special time in the Catholic Church.

Upgrading some of our  School Uniform

Over the past 18 months, I have been working with a team of St Fidelis' parents and PSW to refresh the St Fidelis' uniform. 

The purpose of some changes were:

• To refresh our uniform as it hasn't changed in over 20 years 
• To minimise the amount of items of uniform
• To ensure we have consistency with school logos across all items and accessories 
• The ensure the  uniform has options for all children  

In short we have made minimal changes as you will see in the storyboard below. Here is a table that shows the items that have been eliminated and the replacements. 

NB : There will be a two year transition period before the whole new uniform will be compulsory.

Once we have the uniform samples, they will be on display for the community. Over the holidays, I have been working with PSW to finalise all items. Unfortunately, they have had staff shortages, staff changes and our uniform may be delayed for the beginning of the year. This is extremely frustrating but it's out of my control. I will keep you all informed as to when the samples are ready.  

Zooper Doopers

The sale of Zooper Doopers will begin this Friday. 

The school leaders will be selling these at lunchtime for $1.00. Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to assist the leaders with this task.

Dates to Remember - October Term 4:

Please remember to keep up to date with events happening on the AUDIRI app in the event calendar. Here are the first four weeks for your convenience: 

NOT RETURNING IN 2024? 

Have your circumstances changed? Are you not returning to St. Fidelis in 2024? Please contact the office to discuss your intentions. I have a waiting list of other families for different year levels. I can offer your child’s position to other families. 

FINAL SCHOOL FEES OVERDUE 

Thank you for the families who have finalised their School Fees for this year. Our school does rely on school fees for many recurrent costs so prompt payment is appreciated. 

The office is open from 8:30 to 4:00 pm each day if you would like to pay in person. 

If you prefer to pay by direct debit, please use the bank details below. If any families need to discuss alternative arrangements for the payment of fees, please contact me directly.  

Included are the Bank details for your ease of payment:

Please note once you have made a payment can you email Ann Russo 

annr@sfmoreland.catholic.edu.au   with the amount you have deposited.

SUNSMART: Wearing of  Hats

St Fidelis is a SunSmart School and our policy reflects the recommendations of the SunSmart organisation. The Bureau of Meteorology provides information about the times of day UV levels are forecast to reach 3 or higher, meaning that sun protection is recommended for all skin types. In Victoria UV levels regularly reach 3 or higher from mid – August to the end of April.

As part of general SunSmart strategies, our school:

• Requires all students and staff to wear hats that protect the face, neck and ears (legionnaire, broad-brimmed or bucket style) and suitable clothing whenever they are outside (e.g. recess, lunch, sport, excursions)
• Requires children outdoors without hats to sit in a designated shaded area during play times from the beginning of September to the end of April or whenever UV levels reach three or more. NO HAT- NO PLAY.

All staff and parents are encouraged to access the daily local sun protection times via the free Sun smart app, or at sunsmart.com.au or the widget on our website. All children are to wear hats beginning this week. We will be give the children and families this week to remember that a hat will be required from now on until the end of April.

Have a lovely week,

Manuela Watson