Principal's Message

Dear Parents, students and the wider community,

Well our students are now all back and greatly enjoying school by the look and sound of things. It is terrific to also have families back on-site again. 

Of great joy every year to our community is welcoming our new Foundation students. It was fabulous to finally have our 27 new students (sadly minus a couple due to the pandemic or illness) on-site today. I bet there will be a lot of very tired little people this evening. Thanks so much to our Parents and Friends who hosted our Foundation 2022 parents for a cuppa in the hall after they dropped off their precious ones this morning. These welcoming touches from our current parents help to show what a great community our new families have joined and the Holy Spirit in action. 

Thank you to parents who have supplied their children with masks for use indoors, particularly the Year 3-6 students. We have very limited stock on-site for emergency situations so it is important that, unless we have a written reason for a student not wearing one, that students from Year 3-6 have their own at school each day. In regards to a COVID positive test at home please inform the school as to whether absence is due to having the virus or your child is isolating as a close contact. As I become aware of any cases where students or staff have attended the school in the previous 48 hours I will alert the classes that have had extended contact. All I can say is - fingers crossed!

Camp Information Night is next Wednesday evening on-line and I warmly encourage Year 5/6 parents to attend. The students are off to Portsea between Monday 7th March- Wednesday 9th March and the program looks like a lot of fun - after all it is an adventure camp!!! Many thanks to Miss O'Donnell and Mr Bright for their organisation of this.  

First term Parent - Teacher meetings for Year 1-6 will be on Thursday 24th February between 3.40-8.00pm. Due to the COVID situation we will do these on-line.  To book your time slot please go on to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and use our code p8vjm. You will then be able to go to the availability tab on the left hand side  to select a time on that afternoon or evening for your child/children. The aim of these particular meetings are for you to help your teacher better understand your child's strengths and interests and identify areas you think may need to focus on this year. 

Our School Advisory Council will meet on Thursday 17th March at 6.30pm online.  This first meeting will commence with a Council Report from 2021 presented by our co-chairs which will constitute our AGM.  The Council's report will be included in the newsletter following the meeting.  At the conclusion of the AGM, the March Council meeting will follow. 

The Council provides advice to myself  on a variety of matters including policy development, liaising with the Parents and Friends group, school infrastructure and maintenance and communication.  If you would like to be considered for appointment to the School Board please request an application package via email from the office and return your application by 4pm Friday 18th February. In mentioning our Parents and Friends group, it was again a difficult year to do much last year but I thank them for their efforts. This year I will be dedicating any funds raised to improving the front entrance to the school where the old gaga pit was.

Currently our students are not involved in Mass at the church but will be on a roster for class based Liturgies. Look out for the opportunity to attend when allowed through class communications.  Shrove Tuesday is the 1st March and Ash Wednesday is 2nd March, commencing Lent for 2022. 

May God bless you all,

Rod Shaw

Principal

School Attendance and Unexplained Absence

Please ensure you contact the school before 9:30am if your child is going to be absent or late  by leaving a message on 9786 4736 and press #1.

If you are running late (after  9:00 am ) please attend the office to sign your child into school. 

As per our policy this will be our morning routine for absences:

Parents will be contacted as soon as practicable on the morning a student is absent via a phone call or text message.

If parent does not reply or is unreachable the emergency contacts will be contacted by the school.

If there is still no response, and the school feels that the child is in danger, the police will be contacted.

Ongoing unexplained absences or lack of cooperation regarding student attendance will result in a formal conference being organized. Unresolved attendance issues will be referred to D.H.H.S.

This is a legal requirement.