Principal's Report

Dear St Cecilia's Community,

It has been a really positive start to the school year. Staff and students have settled into learning routines and have lots of exciting and enriching activities planned for the weeks and months ahead.

On behalf of the staff, thank you to all of you who attended and engaged with our Parent Meet and Greets this past week. The teachers were sincerely appreciative of your candour and genorosity in sharing about your children. I know that they all feel they got to understand you and your children much better through the process.

In the coming weeks we will be entering into the season of Lent. 

Lent serves as a time of reflection, prayer, and preparation, encouraging individuals to deepen their faith and strengthen their relationship with God. During Lent, many choose to give up certain luxuries or adopt new spiritual practices, fostering a spirit of sacrifice and self-discipline. This period not only commemorates the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert but also invites us to contemplate our own lives and values. For our school community, Lent provides an opportunity for collective growth, encouraging students to engage in acts of kindness and service, ultimately leading to personal transformation and a greater sense of community.

We would like to encourage you to engage with your children during this time to talk about the types of actions they may have commited to in class, and what simple things you may do as a family to bring a focus to our faith and commitment as followers of Christ.

Information Sessions and Meet and Greets Review

We want to express our deep gratitude to our wonderful staff for the dedication and time they committed to providing such professional and engaging Parent Information sessions. Thank you also to our families for particpating in these important sessions in such high numbers. The anecdotal feedback from these sessions has been very positive, but we would love to collect a larger sample of feedback to help us continue to refine these important elements of our Parent Teacher communications. Please take 5 minutes to complete the linked feedback form.

Swimming Program Information

Our Foundation – Year 4 swimming program for this year commences on

Monday, March 17 and concludes on Friday, March 28.

The lessons are held at Bialik College, Tooronga Road, Hawthorn. 

The program is coordinated by Maccabi Aquatics.

This ten day intensive swimming program has daily 45 minute sessions and students are placed in groups designed to ensure each group is working on the same skills daily to refine existing skills and develop new ones.

Please refer to the recent Audiri post for further details of the program.

Permission submissions are due due Friday March 7.

Lenten Commemorations 

Shrove Tuesday (On Monday)

On Monday March 3 we celebrating the the last days before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday (one day early) with a special pancake day morning tea.

We have some dedicated parent volunteers who are going to prepare a pancake for each child on the day.

So that we can make sure that all children are catered for, please complete the linked dietary requirements form, only if your child can not have wheat (flour), dairy or eggs.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the special church season of Lent. To mark this day our year 3-6 students will be joining the parish for Mass at 9:15 am. We warmly invite all family members to join us in this significant day of prayer and reflection.

Our Foundation to Year 2 students will also participate in a prayer service during which they will also receive the special symbol of the ashes.

School Photos

Our school photos day is coming up on: Thursday March 6.

If you would like to order any of the available packages offered by Advanced Life Photography, please vist the website linked below and use the code:

NBL 4VX 7L8

Please Note: Any families wishing for a sibling photo must order by Monday March 3.

Some students will have PE on this day and would normally wear their sports uniform. Just for photo day, we request that the students wear their normal uniform, and bring their runners to change into for PE.

Parents Association Term 1 Meeting - Tuesday February 25

A reminder that our first Parents Association Meeting is on next Tuesday night, Tuesday 25th February at 7:30pm.

Where: School Staffroom

How: In person or online.

To attend online, click here:  

All welcome: particularly new parents and carers to St Cecilia's, class reps, or any parent that would simply like to see what happens at a PA meeting.

The meeting will be an opportunity to look ahead to what is coming up in 2025 and plan for the myriad ways the PA enriches the life of our school community.

If you would like to know more or get involved in any capacity you can email our president:  Georgie Carman georgiecarman00@gmail.com

Checking Audiri Setup

Our school App, Audiri is vital in ensuring you receive all the relevant and up to date information about what is goin on around the school. The setup document linked below has some important tips and information to help you make sure you have the app installed and setup correctly.

Repeated Reminders

Update Information Reminder 

At the start of each year, it is crucial, from a child safety and wellbeing perspective, that we have the most up-to-date information for all students. To ensure we can support your child effectively and communicate easily when needed, we kindly ask that you notify us as soon as possible of any changes to the following:

1. Medical Updates – Any new medical conditions, medication changes, or updated medical action plans (e.g., asthma, anaphylaxis, allergies).
   • New families in particular are asked to complete any required medical action plans or administration forms using an approved document available from the school office. Please contact us if you require a copy.
2. Personal Details – Changes to your address, phone numbers, or emergency contact details.

Please send any updated information directly to our Admin staff member, Lucy Csaplar, at lcsaplar@scgleniris.catholic.edu.au as soon as possible.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep all students safe and well-supported.

Communication:

Appointments with Teachers

• Teachers are happy to meet briefly during morning line-up or after school (except Mondays & Tuesdays due to staff meetings).
• For longer discussions, please schedule an appointment.

Emailing Teachers

• Email is a great way to communicate but may not always receive an immediate response.
• Staff will acknowledge emails within two working days during school hours (8 am - 5 pm, Mon-Fri). We are big believers in pacing and segmenting life. So in the good name of practising what we teach and ensuring that we can give you our 100% every time we are in touch, please note that we will endeavour to reply within 24 hours. Your email will have been safely received and will be given all the attention it deserves as soon as possible.
• Please do not email teachers on weekends or holidays.

To use email effectively in a school setting, we have developed the following guidelines for parents/carers: 

Email is appropriate for:  

• Brief enquiries about general school matters  
• School related issues only  
• To pass on relevant information to the appropriate personnel e.g. minor issue  
• As a communication tool between teachers and parents.  
• When agreed between the teacher and the parent (following a face-to-face contact) email may be used as a form of regular communication about a student’s day at school in place of a communication book. 

Email is not ideal for:  

• Your child’s academic progress. This is best addressed through a telephone conversation or a personal conference with your child’s teacher.  
• Use as a tool for in depth discussion but can be used to raise a topic to be discussed at a face to face meeting  
• Sending non-vital messages by this medium. For example, do not use email to inform the school that your child is to meet you somewhere when the day ends. Instead, use the telephone to contact the office to be sure that the message is received and clearly understood.  
• Threatening or offensive language 

When sending email:  

• Identify yourself in the subject line of your email and if appropriate, the name of your child.  
• It should only be addressed to the intended recipient ( To: as the primary recipient)  
• The use of ‘Cc’ (Carbon copy) is to be used if you would like another recipient to be aware of your email as a secondary recipient but not as an invitation to respond 
• Ensure emails are respectfully written, as meaning can be misinterpreted. 

School Communication Platforms

• Audiri App (formerly Skoolbag) – our primary communication platform.
• Email – used regularly for updates.
• School Website: www.scgleniris.catholic.edu.au
• Google Calendar & Google Forms for permission slips and surveys.
• Class Dojo for classroom updates (further details to come).

School Hours

• School Open for Drop off and Student Supervision: 8:30 am. Students are not to be dropped off before this time
• Start of the School Day: Students must arrive by 8:45 am. Classes begin promptly at 8:50 am.
• Morning Snack: 11:05 am - 11:15 am (eaten indoors)
• Morning Recess: 11:15 am - 11:45 am
• Lunch Eating Time: 1:20 pm - 1:30 pm (eaten indoors)
• Lunch Recess: 1:30 pm - 2:20 pm
• Dismissal: 3:30 pm

Absences & Late Arrivals

• If your child is absent, please notify the school between 8:45 am - 9:15 am via phone or email. A written note or email is required to provide a reason for the absence.
• Late arrivals (after 8:50 am) must report to the office where a parent/carer must sign them in.
• If a student is leaving early, parents/carers must report to the office, and our admin team will arrange for the student to meet you there.

All absences and late arrivals are recorded and appear on student reports.

Before & After School Care

Our Before and After School Care program is facilitated by MACSEYE. 

MACSEYE is a new approved provider, established by Melbourne Archdiocese

Catholic Schools to offer a high quality Outside Schools Hours Care (OSHC)

Servic.

OSHC program

• For 5–12 year olds

• Monday to Friday [term time]

• Before School – 7:15am-8:55am

• After School – 3:30pm-6:30pm

glenirisoshc@macseye.vic.edu.au 

Parking & Traffic Safety

To ensure the safety of our students and staff, please adhere to the following parking guidelines:

• Parking is available on Hillside Parade, Malvern, and Van Ness Avenues.
• No parking is allowed on the Church car park during school hours.
• Please avoid using the Staff Car Park, Church driveway, and Parish House driveway on Malvern Rd for drop-offs and pick-ups.
• Council parking officers regularly monitor the area and issue fines for illegal parking.

We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our school community safe.

Have a great weekend!

Marty McKenna

Principal

St Cecilia’s Primary School