PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Week 3, Term 4

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With the heavens unloading some much-needed rain this morning, we waved off the Year 4 students for their three-day camp to Summit in Trafalgar. This was the second camp in two weeks, with our Year 3 students completing Zoo Snooze last Wednesday night! 

We have all been on school camps during our time at school and for me, they are some of my fondest memories of my education. As a school, we are very excited to offer the camp program that we do. Zoo Snooze is a wonderful entry-level school camp experience and is followed by the two-night stay at the award-winning Summit Camp. Extending this further into the senior years, our Year 5/6 students alternate between an outdoor activity camp near Healesville (Arrabri Lodge) and a 5-day trip to Canberra. There are many benefits for school camps for the children, particularly in the personal, social and emotional learning areas of our curriculum.

• Strengthening of relationships - The extra time spent, away from the structure of the school environment, enables students to strengthen relationships amongst themselves and also with their teachers. Not only does this benefit them in the playground when they return, but it also enables the students to operate with more confidence once they return to the classroom.
• Self-Management and Independence - As the old saying goes: “never do for children what they can do for themselves”. I know as a parent, I fall into the trap of helping my children do things at home they can do without assistance, because it is quicker and easier. On school camp, the children have many opportunities every day to further develop their independence and self-management skills by doing things like rolling sleeping bags, cleaning their dorm rooms and fulfilling roles such as a Meal Time Leader.
• Resilience - There are times at school camp when students will be challenged, they will be tired, grumpy or they may miss home. While the students will be supported by their teachers to navigate the challenges of camp, it is important for them to have the opportunity to work through these challenges independent of parents or carers.

We look forward to seeing and hearing of the adventures undertaken by the Year Four children over the next couple of days! This rainfall is good for ensuring the famous “Summit Mud Run” is nice and damp for them tomorrow morning! I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tracey Law for her organisation, as well as Amanda Baker, Levi Otto and Maddi McKee for giving up their personal time to go away with the children on camp. We are lucky to have great people in our school so willing to lead these very rich educational experiences for the children. Thank you also to Lisa Hampson and Kristina Eterovic for their work with the Year 3s!

Big Ticket Items!

St Agnes’ Trash and Treasure Market - Sunday 26th October

Our 2026 Fete Committee is hosting the St Agnes’ Trash and Treasure Market in the school grounds this Sunday morning (26th October) from 9am onwards. Amy Anderson is leading the effort and is being ably supported by other members of the committee. Stall bookings are now open, so please feel free to book a stall yourself or share this link with interested others. Spring is the perfect time to have a clean-up at home; if you have any items you would like to donate to the school stall at the market, please bring these along. The committee is collecting such items in the area adjacent to the Art Room, above the school office. If you are able to support this event either before-hand or on the day, please contact Amy (pennyfarthingevents@gmail.com). I encourage all families to get along to support this event, with a BBQ, face painting and plenty of stalls to nab a bargain from!

Love of Literature - St Agnes’ Book Fair - Monday 27th November onwards

As adults, one of the key roles we play in the lives of the children is to instill a love of literature. We often talk about the importance of literature at the Prep Information Night, because the best investment we can make in our children is to listen to them read and spend time with them talking about stories. In this digital age that we live in, we can also be great role models by having a novel or biography on the coffee table/bedside that we read each night or on the weekend. This demonstrates to our children that we value literature and learning. A small action from the school to assist in this space is to provide an annual Book Fair! This is an exciting event for the children as they browse new and interesting literature to add to their home library. They will visit the Book Fair, during their scheduled Library time, to make a wish list for sharing with you and other family members. It will be run in the hall next week (open before and after school) and I thank Lynn Miller for her organisation of this event, as well as the parent volunteers getting involved to ensure it runs smoothly. A percentage of the proceeds is donated back to the school to refresh some of the books in our library.

Grandparents Day - Thursday 30th October

This event is a celebration of the special people in the lives of our students who help them to learn about the world and how to live in it. There are so many magical moments when children spend time with grandparents or the older generation of adults in their lives. Grandparents tell stories about what life was like ‘in their day’ and include valuable life lessons around how to treat others, behave in certain situations and what it means to be part of a family. The morning will commence with a liturgy at 9am in the church and be followed by morning tea in the classrooms, where the children can give their grandparents and special friends a tour of the school. The Book Fair will also be open if the grandparents would like to share some literature with the children.

St Agnes’ Walkathon - Friday 31st October

The annual St Agnes’ Walkathon is one of the great events on the school calendar. With a focus on being active and healthy, the community spirit of our school is always on show at this event. It is one of the major fundraisers for the Parents and Friends Committee of our school and as such, the children are asked to seek sponsorship for the event. We are working towards the replacement of our adventure playground in the main courtyard. See below, some mock-ups from proposals the school has sought recently. Exciting times!

In terms of the logistics of the Walkathon, it is quite simple. All students will walk down to Peterson Street Reserve (top oval) and run/walk laps for about an hour. Prizes are awarded for the most laps and most fundraising completed, both individually and as a class. Parents are welcome to join in the walk/run and assist with lap marking. Please submit all sponsorship efforts either via the P&F Website, using the QR Code on the poster below or transfer directly to the P&F Account, with your name/class as reference (BSB: 083347/Acc: 173603985).

Melbourne Cup Long Weekend

A friendly reminder that the school is closed on Monday 3rd November for the Melbourne Cup Long Weekend. This day is time in lieu for our staff for school events throughout the year, like school production. We look forward to a short week that week.

St Agnes’ Snippets

Sacrament of Confirmation

Congratulations to the Year Six Sacrament of Confirmation candidates on receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit at the recent celebration. Our young people carried themselves beautifully during the mass and were very well prepared by Mrs Gorski, Mr Otto and Mrs Murdoch. Thank you to all sponsors and family members for being present for the evening.

Bully No Way Day

We don’t stand for bullying behaviours at St Agnes’, and we loved that the children learned about being an upstander, not a bystander during this day of action! Thank you to the wonderful Mrs Phyland for your efforts in leading this day, preparing the learning materials and organising the Students VS Staff Netball Match! Unfortunately, due to some inaccurate shooting and poor turnovers, the Year Six students were victorious this year!

2026 Prep Orientation

We welcomed our 2026 Preppies for their first orientation session last Wednesday! It was wonderful to again see fresh little faces coming into our classrooms. The excitement with new teachers and parents was also a joy to experience. We look forward to the next session on Wednesday 29th October.

Transition to Summer Uniform

A gentle reminder that from the beginning of Term Four, students can start wearing Summer uniform. Until the Melbourne Cup long weekend, students can wear either Summer or Winter uniform, but it must be one or the other, not a mix of both. School hats are compulsory during playtime and outside lessons from the beginning of the term, so please ensure your child has one at school.

See below the Summer uniform requirements:

A reminder that the Bomber Jacket is only to be worn as part of the sports uniform and the maroon soft-shell jacket is only to be worn as an outer layer on cold days.

Looking ahead

Regional Hooptime Finals - Year 5/6 - Thursday 6th November

Our successful Year 5/6 Boys basketball team will head to the Regional Finals on Thursday 6th November at Nunawading Stadium. Details have been communicated via Operoo.

Year 1/2 Parish Mass - Friday 7th November

The Year 1/2 children will participate in Parish Mass on Friday 7th November at 9am. All parents and families are welcome to join this mass.

Fete Committee Meeting - Monday 10th November

The Fete Committee will gather together to continue planning for the 2026 Fete on Monday 10th November at 7.30pm.

2026 Prep Parent Information Night - Tuesday 11th November

The Prep Parent Information Night will be held on Tuesday 11th November at 7:30pm. This will take place at school in the classrooms. At this session, we will go through some of the specifics about our school and tips for helping your child to make a great start at school. It is also a great opportunity for new and existing families to connect.

Monday 10th November - Prep-Year 4 Swimming Commences

All students from Prep to Year 4 will participate in a swimming skills program at Toby Haenen Swim Centre from Monday 10th November to Friday 21st November. These sessions will happen every day except Wednesdays over this fortnight. Further information will be communicated via Operoo and Class Newsletters.

Tuckshop

Tuckshop will commence this Friday 10th October. Orders can be placed online at https://www.salutecatering.com.au/tuckshop using the code: Lunch2025.

School Fees

Term Four School Fees Statements were sent out last week. Thank you to those families who have settled their accounts for the year. Fees are payable via EFT, cash or credit card. Please contact Shannon (sshine@sahighett.catholic.edu.au) in the office to organise payment. All fees for 2025 must be finalised by the due date.

Assembly

Assemblies are in the Hall on Wednesday afternoons. Parents are welcome to attend. At assembly, there will be presentations from classes, student awards, birthday acknowledgements and special announcements from student leaders.

Wednesday 22nd Oct - Year 3

Wednesday 29th Oct - Year 4

Wednesday 5th Nov - Year 2

Wednesday 12th Nov - Year 1

Wednesday 19th Nov - Prep

Wednesday 26th Nov - SRC & Mini Vinnies

Wednesday 3rd Dec - Advent Paraliturgy

Thursday 11th Dec - Year 6 Final Assembly

Have a great week.

Kind regards,

Lachie.