Dear Parents,

CyberSafety Parent Evening

It is not too late to sign up for the Cyber Safety parent evening happening TONIGHT in the school hall. Thank you to the 127 families who have indicated that they will be attending. It will be a great opportunity to hear about current trends and risks and to ensure that we are doing what we can to protect our children online.

Session: Raising Kids in a Digital World

Delivery: Onsite Presentation - School Hall

Presenter: Martin McGauran & Carley McGauran

Date: Thursday 14 March, 2024

Time: 7pm (90 mins)

Please book via the link here - bit.ly/stfinbars2024

Harmony Week

This year Harmony Day is on Thursday 21st March. We are excited to celebrate our diverse community and learn more about each other's cultural backgrounds.

Celebrating Harmony Day also demonstrates our commitment to Child Safe Standard 1 where we strive to establish a culturally safe environment for our students.

Our whole school celebration will take place on Thursday 21st March at 9am. Students are invited to dress up on this day in colours/clothing representing their own cultural background or students may choose to wear orange, the official colour of Harmony Week.

Students are also welcome to send in samples of food from their own culture, which may be shared with members of their own classroom. Please ensure any food items are clearly labelled with ingredients and teachers will be vigilant around students with allergies.

Naplan

Naplan 2024 is underway, with our Year 3 and 5 students alreading completing their Writing and Reading assessments. Whilst Naplan can be controversial, it is one of the only ways we have to track how we compare to other schools in the state, and to see patterns in our school over time. Our goal at St Finbar's is to make the Naplan experience as low-key as possible, students are encouraged to do their best obviously but not to put too much pressure on themselves.

Staff Conference

Last Thursday and Friday the staff had the opportunity to gather and spend two days together. This is an invaluable opportunity for us to get to know each other away from the distractions of school life. It is also a great way for new staff to get to know each other - many staff over the years have commented that it wasn't until the conference that they truly felt a part of the St Finbar's staff. We worked with Jo Mitchell from the Mind Room on Thursday who encouraged us to create our own wellbeing plan in order to prevent burnout.

Friday morning we walked around the CBD visiting the Stations of the Cross based around the many churches of the city, and finished up with a visit to NGV Australia. There was also time for fun with a Yarra cruise, dinner and a very entertaining karaoke session. My thanks to Steele Anderson and Peggy McDonald who organised the conference and worked tirelessly to ensure that it was the successful, enjoyable conference that it was.

Exciting Maths News for St Finbar's

There seems to be a "day" for everything these days and today is International Day of Mathematics (sometimes known as Pi Day based on the date March 14th or 3/14).

As a school system, MACS has identified that mathematics is an area of need in many schools and has committed to raising the attainment levels of students in mathematics over the coming years.

Here at St Finbar's, we are always keen to raise the profile and instil a love of mathematics in our students. I am very excited to launch our own Principal Maths Challenge, the full details of which are still being finalised but will be announced shortly. This is a reboot of the Principal Times Tables Challenge that used to run at St Finbar's.

Students will be encouraged to work towards a series of challenges, designed to develop their automaticity and fluency when solving number facts. Watch this space for more details as to how students can participate.

Catholic Education Week 10th-17th March

Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne to celebrate their Catholic identity. The theme for Catholic Education Week 2024 is ‘In the light of Christ’. We have a group of Year 6 leaders attending Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral on Friday, along with thousands of students from other Catholic schools around Melbourne. This is followed by the annual Party in the Park in the Treasury Gardens, organised by MACS staff.

Parent Teacher Meetings

Our first round of Parent/Teacher meetings are scheduled for the 19th and 21st of March. Bookings are now open. You may book your appointment using this link https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/b8dpp or by using the QR code

School Google Calendar

The St Finbar's Google calendar continues to be updated as new dates are locked in. You can use the link HERE to stay up to date with all school events.

Friday April 26th is a closure day giving families the opportunity for a four-day weekend following ANZAC Day.

Friday June 7th will be a staff professional development day with staff being trained in the Seven Steps of Writing.

If you need childcare on any of these days, TeamKids will be available.

Thank you and God bless,

Michelle Hill,

Acting Principal

Secondary School News