Dear families,

Welcome to the 2nd last edition of the newsletter of the year... WOW!

As we begin to celebrate the season of Advent and as members of a Catholic community, we await the birth of Jesus at Christmas. During this time we are asked to reflect on the year that has been. It has been an amazing year, full of challenges and successes for all. The children should be commended on their efforts this year and we have lots of wonderful events over the next few weeks that will help celebrate what a wonderful year 2023 has been.

There is lots of information in this newsletter. I ask you to take the time to read each tab as there may be information that is useful to you. In the "School Set Up 2024" tab I am sharing information about staffing allocations for 2024. I will provide further updates in the last newsletter of the year. In the newsletter below I have outlined the new School Advisory Council for 2024, I wish to thank Amy Gillett as she continues in her role as Chairperson of the SAC. We also welcome Kristina Evans and Michael Wheatland as new members of the group. The rest of the members are listed below, I thank each of them for their time and commitment to our school. I also wish to pass on thanks to Sharna Parker and Monica Rayner who have completed their terms on the SAC, both of these wonderful members of our community will be moving on as their children move into secondary school. I thank both of them for their efforts and commitment as members of the SAC.

Early in 2024, you will notice our school will have a larger presence on notice boards around our local communities as we look to continue to promote our school. We will also be out and about to all the kindergartens, with lots of flyer drops and visits. I have been working with MACS to develop new strategies and improve attendance at Open Days for 2024! There will be lots more information to come in the early months of 2024, but for now check out a sneak peak of our "Open Day" Poster.

MACS Christmas Advertising Campaign:

As part of their Christmas advertising campaign, MACS is inviting students to post a message of thanks to teachers who have helped them flourish. I encourage all students (perhaps with some parental help) to show some Christmas gratitude for our amazing teachers. Please follow the web link below to post your message!

Advent video:

I am sharing this video with families as it beautifully unpacks the season of Advent.

Dates for ADVENT liturgies - Families welcome to attend

Friday 24th of November at 2:30pm - Year 5/6

Monday 27th of November at 2:30pm - Year 4/5

Tuesday 5th of December at 9:00am - Year 2/3

Monday 11th of December at 9:00am - Year P/1

Working Bee - Friday 24th (3:30pm-5:30pm):

Just a reminder that tomorrow (Friday 24th) we will be holding a working bee to complete some jobs around the school. Some of the tasks to be completed include:

Topping up the sandpit with play sand
Helping finish the construction of our chicken run
General weeding and garden maintenance

Please note, those families who are helping clean out the portables during the day on Friday will be included as part of the working bee. Please see Tarnia as you arrive at school to get your name ticked off our list.

School Closure Days:

Monday 4th of December: 2024 Planning day for staff.

Production Premier!!

We cannot wait for the premier of our Production "The Reluctant Dragon". Make sure you have your tickets all ordered and paid for prior to the 1st of December.

School Camp Year 5 and 6:

Early next Month, students from Years 5 and 6 will head into the city for our biannual City Camp. The students have had lots of input into what the camp will look like and I am sure they cannot wait for the 7th of December to board the train and head into CYC City Camp. An information session will be held for parents on November 29th at 6:30 pm. This will be held on Zoom. A link will be shared a few days beforehand.

Year 6 Fun Day:

Every year Graduation time is exciting, and this year is no different. The Year 6 students will be celebrated for all they have contributed to our school, and they will also get to have a little bit of fun. On Wednesday 6th of December, they will head into the City and have a fun day at Luna Park. The Year 6s are selling Zooper Doopers every Friday to help cover the cost of this day.

STM Community Picnic:

Over the past three years our STM Community Picnic has become a very popular event for families as we have some relaxing downtime together as a community. This year the event will be held on Wednesday 6th of December (I know Wednesday is not ideal, but the calendar is very full). The picnic will start at 5:30 pm and run until around 8:00 pm. The event will be held outside near the smaller basketball court and will spill out into the lower half of our playground.

Prep transition:

Library Books:

With only three weeks left of school, our Library will close for borrowing from this Monday 27th November. This allows time for all students to enjoy and return the books they have just borrowed before the end of the year.

Now is the time to look under the bed, check the book shelves and behind the couch to find any books that may not have found their way back to school. Families should soon receive any overdue library notices to help with their book search.

Thanks

Lisa Norris

Library Technician

Respectful School Communities start with Respectful Behaviour:

Secondary Education:

To assist your decision making in relation to your child's education for 2025 and beyond, please find below a link to the Nov 2023 edition of the Secondary Education Guide.

CLICK HERE:

https://victoriaschoolguides.starcommunity.com.au/...

STEAM NEWS:

A big thank you to Joel Hooper (Maddie’s dad P/1) for taking the time to come to our STEAM classes and explain the properties of materials. We enjoyed looking through a microscope in order to look closely at our materials. Thank you for showing us how to produce plastic!

Mrs Saville

School Advisory Council AGM:

On Tuesday we held our School Advisory AGM. I thank the following members of our school community who will make up our 2024 School Advisory Council.

Principal: Declan McDermott

Chairperson: Amy Gillett

Staff Rep: Danielle George

Parish Priest: Father Anthony Cruz

Other committee members: Emily Atkinson, Audrey Brook, Kristina Evans and Michael Wheatland.

Parents and Friends Committee:

On Monday 27th of November, we will be holding our Parents and Friends AGM. The event will start at 7:00 pm and will include some drinks and nibbles. It would be great to see as many new faces as possible.

End of School Year Dates:

End of Year dates are as follows:

Year 6 Graduation Day/Year 6 last day: Thursday 14th of December (Lunch from 12pm - 3pm, Mass from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm)

Prep/Year 5 last day: Friday 15th of December at 3:10 pm

Students will commence school on Tuesday 30th of January 2024!!!

Commitment to Child Safety:

Please see attached the CECV's (Catholic Education Commission of Victoria) commitment to Child Safety in schools. Each school must have a range of measures in place to meet the 11 Child Safety Standards.

Thank you and God bless

Declan

School Set up 2024