Principal's Report

Staffing News

This is a bittersweet announcement. After 19 years at St Finbar's, Peggy McDonald has made the decision to take on the role of Learning Diversity Leader at the new Shelford Campus of Caulfield Grammar, commencing in Term 4.  While we are sad to see Peggy leave, this is a fantastic opportunity for her and one that is very deserved.

Over the past 19 years, Peggy has made an enormous contribution to our school community, especially in the Learning Diversity space. Luckily we still have a full term to benefit from Peggy's knowledge and expertise, and to celebrate her time at St Finbar's. 

Wedding News

Congratulations to Mr Shane Daly, who will be getting married during the school holidays. Shane will be tying the knot in Greece, which sounds like an idyllic setting. We know it will be a memorable celebration with friends and family, and we wish Shane and his partner every happiness as they begin this new chapter together.

Mayflower Aged Care Biography Project

This week, the Year 5 students visited Mayflower Aged Care Home for the final time as part of the culmination of their Biography Writing project.  Over the past few weeks, the students have met weekly with a Mayflower resident, asking questions about their lives and writing their biographies. On Monday, the students presented their completed biographies to their residents.  This has been a mutually beneficial experience, with both students and residents forming lovely friendships as they got to know each other a little better each week.

It was lovely to see so many of our Year 5 parents there on Monday, finally meeting the residents their children have been talking about at home. Our students were an absolute credit to us, which was reiterated by many of the residents, who commented on their respectfulness and curiosity.

Thank you to our Year 5 teachers, Niamh Lennon and Shannon Bourke, who facilitated this wonderful program.

School Disco

There are now only eight days to go until our school disco, and I know there are some very excited children looking forward to it. Bookings have now closed so hopefully you were able to book your tickets in time. 

There has been a slight change to the theme for the Senior Disco as a direct result of a request by our SRC leaders, and the theme for the seniors is now Celebrity Slumber Party.  Thank you to the Disco organisrs who were happy to accomodate this request - this is student voice in action! 

Term 3 events

Full details will be released closer to the time but there are a few big things happening early in Term 3 that you might want to start preparing for, especially as a few of them involve costumes.

Fri 17th July           Rescheduled Athletics Carnival (whole school)

Thurs 23rd July       Grandparents & Special Friends Day (Mass will be held at 9.30am)

Fri 24th July         100 Days of Prep & Junior Hooptime (Grade 3 & 4)

Traffic congestion at Pick Up Time

Please ensure that you are not blocking any lanes of traffic on Nepean Highway. Once again, we have received phone calls from frustrated members of the public who have been delayed by parents waiting to enter Drive Through.   This situation is extremely dangerous, as drivers often change lanes suddenly to avoid the congestion ahead, increasing the risk of an accident.

I am once again in contact with Bayside Council's traffic management team and have requested that they monitor the situation and suggest some possible solutions.  One simple way to help is for more parents to slightly delay their arrival time. If you plan to arrive at St Finbar's at around 3:35 pm, you can generally drive straight into Drive Through with little or no waiting time.

Dad's Footy Day 

Preparations for the Dads' Footy Day are in full swing, and over the past few years this has become one of our major fundraisers.   This year the dads hope to raise enough to replace our ageing basketball rings out on the playground. To show our gratitude towards the companies that are sponsoring this event, we have set up a separate page in our newsletter. Please consider supporting these companies. 

Mid-Year Reports 

Our mid-year reports will be made available to families on Thursday June 25th. The teachers have put a lot of time into these reports, ensuring that they accurately reflect each student's achievements so far this year. Many of you have had communication and/or meetings with teachers in recent weeks, so there shouldn't be any surprises in your child's report. If you do have questions, please reach out to your child's teacher in the first instance to seek clarification.  Thank you to  Callum Mills who has coordinated the report process this semester. 

PSG Meetings

Our Program Support Group (PSG) meetings have been in full swing this week. It has been wonderfufl to see families, classroom teachers, Learning Support Officers (LSOs) and our Learning Diversity Leader sitting down together to celebrate student progress and map out goals for the upcoming term. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Peggy McDonald, who has facilitated over 40 meetings so far, with more still to come. Thank you to all our families for your ongoing support!

Take care and God bless,

Michelle Hill

Principal