Principal's Report
Last Friday was definitely a highlight of our year so far, with our very own St Finbar's Mini-Olympics and Grandparents/Special Visitor's Day falling on the same day. Both events were wonderful to be a part of and highlighted just how amazing our community is. I enjoyed many conversations with grandparents who told me how much they had loved the opportunity to celebrate Mass and visit their grandchildren's classrooms. We finished off the afternoon with afternoon tea and entertainment from our school choir.
As always, there are so many people to thank for these two events. Firstly to Mrs Thompson who put so much time into organising the Mini-Olympics Opening Ceremony and the events. Thanks as well to our special guest, ex-Olympian Katie Mactier (mum of Lachie in Yr 5) who brought in her silver medal and spoke about her own Olympics experience. Thank you also to Mrs Williams who prepared the choir for the grandparents' entertainment, and to the Year 6 parents who provided and prepared the afternoon tea.
Prep 100 Days
Tomorrow marks a momentous occasion for our Prep students, their 100th day of school.
We can't wait to celebrate with them. We're also looking forward to our mathematics incursion, and a visit from an actual 100-year-old, Sr Marie Therese who is an teacher of St Finbar's. Thank you to Mrs Jo Fraser, Fiona Byrne and Louise Pickering for organising tomorrow's celebration, and to Lena Sirianni for arranging for Sr Marie Therese to visit.
It is important to note that there is a lot of mathematical learning that goes into our 100 Days of Prep event, which started on the first day of the school year and culminates in tomorrow's celebration. Each day, for the past 100 days the Prep teachers have introduced the next number in our counting sequence, representing it in different ways and modelling it using Tens Frames. This helps the children develop an understanding of our Base 10 number system, and an understanding of place value.
Podcast - Ms. Zoe Daniel MP
In the latest episode of our school podcast hosted by Ariana & Isla (Year 6 Podcast Leaders), the Honorable Ms. Zoe Daniel MP joined as a special guest. The discussion covered a range of pressing issues both locally and nationally, offering listeners valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing our community. Ms. Daniel also shared thoughtful advice for aspiring politicians, emphasizing the importance of life experience and being involved in the community.
Thank you to Ms. Daniel for taking the time to visit St Finbars and participate in this enlightening conversation. It is greatly appreciated.
The episode can be found HERE
Swimming
Please see the swimming timetable below to get an indication of when your children's lessons will be. Our swimming lessons will run from 26th August to 5th September.
AeroSchools Aerobics
Congratulations to our 23 Years 5 & 6 students who competed in the AeroSchools State Championships today. They all did so well, with three teams making it through to the finals. Final results included a 6th place, an equal 3rd place and a wildcard entry to the Nationals. All girls had a great experience!
MACSIS Survey
Our annual Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Improvement Survey (MACSIS) is approaching; the official window for completing the survey is from September 2nd to 20th. There is a bit of a time commitment involved, as the survey may take up to 30 minutes, but it is our main form of feedback from parents, staff and students each year. You can find some more information here. Within the next few weeks, you will receive an email with a link to complete the survey.
P & F Thank you
Our new Science equipment has arrived and is already being put to good use in the classrooms. Thank you to the P & F who made a very generous contribution to these purchases.
Parish Dinner
Please take note of an invitation to join our parishioners for lunch after Mass on 11th August. This is an opportunity to celebrate our newly named Emmaus Parish.
Around the Classrooms This Week
Take care and God bless.
Michelle Hill,
Principal