Principal's Report

A reminder to families that next Monday, 11th November will be a Pupil Free Day. On this day, our staff will participate in a Staff Spirituality Professional Development Day, allowing them time to deepen their understanding and engagement with our school’s spiritual mission. This is an important day for staff growth and reflection. Please note that children will not attend school on this day.

On Monday, Remembrance Day, we pause to honour and remember the courage, sacrifice, and service of those who have fought for our country. This year, we are proud that our students will represent our school at the Bendigo War Memorial, where they will lay a wreath to pay tribute to the men and women who served and continue to serve in the defence of peace and freedom. We invite our community to join in reflection at 11:00 am as we observe a minute's silence, honouring the legacy and memory of our service members.

The Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd and all schools in the Diocese will be implementing a policy to support families seeking a Catholic Education who have a Health Care Card. As per the attached flyer in our newsletter, families with a Health Care Card will be granted a significant discount to fees for each child enrolled. All families in which the fee payer holds an eligible, means-tested HCC (such as an eligible health care card or pensioner concession card) are automatically eligible for a school fee concession. The amount of concession granted will be the amount which reduces the standard fees and levies, less the CSEF payment, to the HCC concessional fee to be charged. The HCC concessional fee to be charged is a fixed amount of $520 per student ($10 per week) for Primary schools. Other families who may be having difficulties with fee payment are invited to meet with me to discuss payment options and support.

Next Wednesday, we are thrilled to welcome our 45 new kinder students as they begin their exciting journey with our Prep 2025 Transition Program! This special program is designed to help our newest students feel comfortable, connected and confident, as they prepare to start school next year. Through a series of engaging activities and experiences, they’ll get to know their teachers, classmates, and the school environment, setting them up for a positive start in 2025. We look forward to meeting our new Preps and their families as they join our school community!

Get ready for a splash of colour and excitement at our Colour Run next Friday! This event promises to be filled with fun as students dash through the course, having heaps of fun along the way. We ask that children travelling home on the bus bring a towel and a change of clothes or make alternative travel arrangements, as we’re expecting a very colourful (and messy!) end to the day. Let’s make it a fantastic, lively event for everyone! Everyone welcome!!

Finally, in today's newsletter we are able to advise the 2025 school fees. These fees are set in conjunction with advice from the Catholic Education Office. We are conscious of the challenges that 2024 has placed on families this year, keeping this in mind we have kept our fee increase minimal whilst still allowing us to provide our excellent standard of education.

Paul Wilkinson

Principal