Principal's Report
Michelle Hill
What a week! We welcomed our Year 6 campers back from Canberra last Friday after yet another successful camp experience. You can read more about their adventures on the Deputy Principal.
Shrove Tuesday was a wonderful communty event, and we thank all of the parents who made pancakes and served them to our students on Tuesday morning. We celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass together as a community yesterday and it was wonderful to have our Prep students join us for their first St Finbar's Mass. This Mass marked the beginning of our Lenten season, a time of prayer and reflection as we prepare for Easter.
Finally, the Potato Olympics has been a fun event, and has tied in nicely wth the Winter Olumpics. I've been amazed by the creativity of our families, and loved seeing the Potato Olympians entering the school on Monday morning.
Staff Conference
Next Thursday and Friday our annual staff conference is taking place. This year we will travel to Waurn Ponds and spend two days learning and bonding together as a staff. We will once again be working with Glenn Pearsall, consolidating the work that he started with us last year.
This year, Glenn will focus on strategies that teachers can use to ensure that children understand what is being taught at each stage of a lesson, known as Check For Understanding. Friday's session will have a faith formation focus, allowing teachers time for personal reflection and how we can to develop the Catholic identity of St Finbar's.
Bookings are still open for Team Kids if you need care for your children on this day
Child Safe Standards
At St Finbar's Primary School, the safety, wellbeing and dignity of every child is our highest priority. In 2022 the government introduced 11 Child Safe Standards, which all settings that work with children are mandated to abide by.
Child Safe Standard 1 focuses on creating a culturally safe environment in which the diverse identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued. This standard recognises that cultural safety is fundamental to child safety and wellbeing.
At St Finbar's we are committed to embedding respect for Aboriginal culture and identity into the life of our school, and actively work to ensure that Aboriginal children feel proud of who they are.
Examples of what we are already doing at St Finbar's include:
- our first Little Long Walk (through the Michael Long Foundation)
- Ganbu Gulin Michael Long Foundation 8 week program for Indigenous students Term 1, 2026
- library area allocated to indigenous fiction and nonfiction books
- including Indigenous Perspectives as a leadership role (thank you Ms Lisa Douglas)
In future newsletters I will share each of the remaining Child Safe Standards, with evedience of what we are doing at St Finbar's to ensure that we are addressing them.
Colour Run
Our annual Colour Run is now only six weeks away and we will be officially launching it to the students tomorrow at assembly.
Here is a video that explains what the Colour Run is all about.
Traffic Guidelines
Now that we are a few weeks in to the school year, it is a good time to revisit the traffic guidelines, which have been refined over the years to ensure that children get dropped off and picked up safely and efficiently. There is a dedicated page in this issue of the newsletter which reminds us of these.
Pick Up Times
We understand that parents need to collect children for various reasons occaionally. We ask that you try to avoid the children's playtimes between 11:10 - 11:50am and 1:50pm - 2:30pm, mainly for your own convenience. Once the children are outside playing it is hard for them to hear announcements, and parents are often left waiting.
2026 School Fees
Libby has now sent out fee notices for 2026. I suggest that you consider using the CDF Pay for your fees; it is very simple to set up a payment plan with weekly/fortnightly/monthly payments according to what works best for you, and to see at a glance what the outstanding balance is.
Take care and God bless,
Michelle Hill
Principal