St Francis de Sales Catholic Primary School Lynbrook Newsletter

From the Principal

SFS Twilight Community Market

The SFS Twilight Market is a great community event. Drop by next Thursday and enjoy dinner at one of our food stalls, get some early Christmas gift shopping started. Come and listen to our choir, try your luck and discover some of our activities.

 

Some of the stalls include children’s toys, jewellery, handmade goods, candles, homewares, hair accessories, plants and so much more!!!!!!

 

Drop by and support our SFS Twilight Market, 

bring some friends and spread the news. 

Newsletter Navigation Updated

 

 

We've just launched improvements to the newsletter viewer including:

  • Page navigation for both desktop and mobile is much easier to see and understand 🖥️📱
  • New "Jump to Page" menu makes it super easy to navigate directly to the pages that matter most to you.
  • A "View Archive" button has been added to the footer so you can easily access previous issues

You can now easily go back to view previously published newsletters. We hope this will make reading the newsletter even easier for you. 🙌

 

SCHOOL CLOSURE DAYS:

  • Please remember that Monday, 6th November is a school closure day. There will be no staff onsite as this is a time in lieu day, as outlined in our new award.
  • Tuesday 7th November is the Melbourne Cup Day public holiday. There is no school for students or staff. 

Fr Fabian Visits SFS

Every fortnight on a Thursday Fr Fabian has been visiting our school for a chat with our staff and students. Fr Fabian works with our teachers to chat with the children about something they are currently learning about. This week Fr Fabian visited the seniors in LS2 for half an hour before first play, then he chatted with staff at our first break over a cuppa and then visited our juniors in LS2 to conclude his visits. Fr Fabian was very impressed by the questions our children ask and the way they participate in the dialogue. We are delighted to not only have Fr Fabian visit us for school Masses but also find time in his busy schedule to regulaly visit us and support our staff and students.

 

Next year the staff of St Kevin's and St Francis de Sales will commence the year with a Mass together which is our tradition but will also do some professional Learning about Sacraments. The session will be facilitated by Fr Fabian and will be a great start to our year.

 

Looking for an artist who does Mosaics

 

 

We have an art piece that will go on the front of our new altar. We would like to have an area completed with mosaic small glass tiles. If you do this kind of work or know someone who does, we would love to hear form you, Please call Christine on 8773 6700. 

Staff News

In 2024, we have two of our teachers who will be moving to teach in a secondary school. At the end of this year we will farewell Kristy and Sandi. Kristy will be taking a position as Music teacher at St Peter's College, Clyde North and Sandi will be taking a position as English teacher at St Peter's College, Cranbourne. We will have a chance to farewell and thank them both at the end of this year. We are so grateful for their loyalty, professionalism and commitment to our school community for several years. They will be missed. We wish them the very BEST, as they take up these new opportunities in education.

 

We are pleased to welcome Nicole Parnell in 2024. Nicole will take up the position as our Performing Arts music and dance teacher. Nicole is an experienced Performing Arts teacher. The home Group position is advertised and will be filled shortly.

School Fees

If your family circumstances have changed please update our school office of change of addresses, contact numbers or change in family circumstances (separated or divorced) and that you want to make an agreement to pay fees 50 % and split fees. Please contact the school office or email Vivienne at vdcruze@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au

 

It is important that all 2023 school fees are paid in full before the end of November unless you have an existing direct debit arrangement that you have consistently followed.

 

Eligibility for Concessional School Fees

 

The Concessional School Fee Policy provides fee concessions in MACS primary schools for eligible primary school students whose families are: 

 

– of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage 

– holders of Department of Human Services Health Care Cards

 – holders of Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Cards 

– holders of Department of Home Affairs Proof of Identity card (ImmiCard) 

– refugees, where the child has attended a school within Australia for less than five years – required to relocate schools to St Michael’s Catholic Primary School, North Melbourne, as their (Australian resident) child requires long-term medical treatment at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne

 – experiencing genuine financial hardship (e.g., loss of family home, and/or loss of income through volunteering to fight bushfires, COVID-19 or illness and/or loss of livelihood/income caused by bushfires, COVID-19 or illness)

 

Lodgment of application

An application should be lodged prior to the commencement of the school year so that it can be assessed and direct debit or Centrepay deduction arrangements can be initiated for the following year. Please follow the steps below:

  1. Complete the school’s application form, DDR service agreement or Centrepay deduction authority. ( Contact the office for forms)
  2. Submit the completed forms along with a copy of a valid card.
  3. Complete and return the CSEF application form (where applicable).

We are moving away from cash payments and encourage families to pay their fees via Direct Debit. 

 

A fee discount still applies for families who do not qualify for the Concessional fee reduction, if the fees and levies are paid in full by Monday, 4th March, 2024.

School Uniform

Summer uniform is to be worn in Term 4.  Black school shoes are to be worn with the summer uniform. Hair longer than shoulder length must be tied back. Hats are compulsory. With Spring comes higher UV levels and that means all children are required to wear their hats for the remainder of the year during play times. The ‘No hat, No play’ rule applies. Your support is greatly appreciated to ensure that your child wears the correct uniform to school.

 

Have a wonderful long and restful weekend.

 

Christine White

Principal