Laura Jane's Message

Dear Families, 

It has been such a pleasure to welcome our children and families back for 2026.  The school day is full of fun, joyful and at times challenging learning experiences.  All educators and staff have been focused on creating a sense of belonging by building positive relationships with all children. The children have been focused on the St Gabriel’s Ways of Being and building calm and consistent daily routines in their Hubs.  This will remain our focus as we continue through Term 1. 

Sun Safety

As we continue to enjoy these sunny and some very warm days, we want to ensure that all children are safe from the sun’s UV rays during outside play and any learning that takes place outside e.g., sport or EWP.

To keep all children "Sun Smart" during recess and lunchtime, please keep the following reminders in mind:

• During Term 1 and Term 4, all children are required to wear a hat whenever they are outdoors.
• Playing in the Shade: To ensure everyone stays safe, children who do not have a hat will be directed to play in our designated shaded areas.
• Sunscreen: We strongly encourage families to apply SPF 30 or higher sunscreen each morning before arriving at school.
• Reapplication: Our educators provide regular reminders at eating times for children to reapply their sunscreen. 

Safe Drop off and pick up of Children

The safety of all children and families is our absolute priority. We continue to see some families making unsafe choices and not following road and traffic safety during drop off and pick up.  We appreciate that there may be time pressure, however, it is not worth an injury to a child or another member of our community.  We ask all parents to prioritise the safety of all during drop off and pick up times. 

Here are some important reminders:

• Drive at a safe and legal speed
• Park in the designated areas, following the council signage
• Do not block school or local residents driveways
• Avoid U-Turns as these create an increased risk of accidents
• If your child has to cross the road, you should get out of your vehicle and assist your child safely across the road. 

The educators are at the gates to ensure that all children leave the school safely with the right parents and family members.  We look forward to seeing an immediate improvement in safe behaviours at drop off and pick up.  

MACS Care 

We are delighted to be supported by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) to enhance our Child Safe practices this year. MACS have launched MACS Care which is a dedicated website designed to ensure that child safety is at the forefront of our minds each day in our school. We want to share this with you so you will notice that we have a new section in our newsletter and each month, Child Safety. In this we will share information about one of the Child Safe Standards with you.  We encourage you to prioritise reading this as it will help you to learn more about the standards and also to know which standard our school is focused on for that month. 

 In this month's newsletter, you will read about:

We encourage you to use your child’s Hub email to communicate with your child’s educator. Communicate early as this is a good strategy to enable us to respond proactively to work in partnership with you to ensure the wellbeing of your child and best meet your child’s needs. 

Warm wishes 

Laura Merrick