Principal Message

Be Kind, Be safe, Be respectful, Be responsible, Be resilient, Be ready

Dear Families,

What a wonderful time our Grade 5 and 6 students have had at camp! It has been a joy to hear about their experiences and to see the excitement, enthusiasm, and sense of achievement they have brought home with them.

Camp provides our students with opportunities to learn and grow beyond the classroom. Through new experiences and challenges, our students have developed their independence, resilience, teamwork and confidence. They have supported one another, stepped outside their comfort zones, embraced new adventures and, most importantly, had plenty of fun along the way.

We are so proud of the way our students have conducted themselves and of the achievements they have made throughout their time away. These are the experiences that create lasting memories and help our children discover more about themselves and what they are capable of achieving.

I would like to sincerely thank our wonderful teachers and staff who gave their time, energy, and care to make this camp possible. Their commitment to providing these meaningful experiences for our students is greatly appreciated.

I would also like to thank our parents and families for supporting this important activity in the life of their children. Your encouragement and support allow our students to embrace these opportunities with confidence, and we are very grateful for your partnership.

Enterprise Bargaining Update

Teachers and support staff make an extraordinary contribution to the success of our students and our school community. Negotiations are currently underway for a new enterprise agreement to recognise this work through improved wages and conditions.

The Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) has been negotiating for a new cooperative agreement on behalf of 34 Catholic education employers, including Our Lady Star of the Sea, since early 2025.

While negotiations are ongoing, Catholic schools have committed to matching the total percentage wage increases to be provided by the state government in government schools. Based on the state government’s current wage offer, this will be at least 28.3 per cent over four years.

While these changes will be government-funded in state schools, Catholic schools will not receive additional government funding commensurate with the additional cost. The cost will therefore need to be supported through our usual budget and planning processes.

This represents a significant change for school budgets and will take some time to work through. We are currently undertaking our planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure that we are well placed to support our staff, students and the broader school community into the future.

As we work through these planning processes, we remain firmly focused on delivering a high-quality Catholic education for every student.

We are very fortunate to have a team of outstanding teachers and staff at Our Lady Star of the Sea. We value their contribution and recognise the expertise, hard work and care they bring to our school community every day.

We look forward to providing further information as negotiations progress.

Book Week

Finally, I am very much looking forward to our Book Week celebration this Friday! I can't wait to see the joy, creativity and fun as our students and staff dress up as their favourite book characters.

Book Week is such a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the magic of reading and the stories that inspire, entertain and take us on incredible adventures. I am sure we will see some fantastic costumes and plenty of smiles throughout the day!

I look forward to celebrating with everyone on Friday and sharing in the fun of Book Week together.

Warm regards,

Pamela McKillop