Hello families,

I have been so impressed with how the students have conducted themselves so far in Term 4. At a previous assembly I gave the students a challenge that if we could make our Kindness Tree grow I would organise a whole school fun day excursion. As you can see by the photo below, the response from the students has been amazing. Our tree is in full bloom and our excursion (as decided by our SRC) has been chosen and booked. on the 10th of November we will head to "Slides Playcentre" in Ferntree Gully for an afternoon of fun and games.

I would like to pass my thanks to all the parents that came and helped with the running of both our Referendum BBQ and Bunnings BBQ. Many hands make light work and as a community we did a specular job. We raised $2700 over the weekend, this money will be reinvested into the school to create fun and engaging experiences for our students.

In the last week or so, our school received its results from the MACSSIS survey. Thank you to the parents that completed this survey. Overall the results from parents were overwhelmingly positives. However there are always areas to improve. One main area that we have room for improvement is engaging families more in learning experiences (ie. STEAM nights, ART nights). That is something that will be an agenda item at upcoming SAC meetings.

The next assembly will take place at 2pm on Thursday 2nd of November and will also have a Music performance from those students who work with Jed Rowe.

Advent is coming, but what is it?

Congratulations:

Last week Jessie Prince shared the wonderful news that her and her partner Adam are expecting their first child. This is wonderful news and we are all excited for them as they enter a wonderful journey.

I also wanted to congratulate Suzie Meese (and the entire Meese family) on the arrival of Baby Meese - a little girl named Joan. We are so thrilled for you all.

World Teacher's Day:

Tomorrow is World Teacher's Day. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff at STM for the work, love and care they put in each day to make our school a truly remarkable place.

Kiss and Drop (1 minute drop)

When dropping your children off at school if you need to exit your vehicle for any reason, please park your car first. The "Kiss and Drop" is designed to keep the flow of traffic moving and gets congested if the driver exits their vehicle. Cars behind also use a common sense approach, sometimes parents need to help their children get unbuckled out of their car seats.

Evacuation and Lockdown drills:

As part of our school compliance, we are required to undertake several different types of exercise drills. A few weeks ago our school held a "Bushfire" evacuation exercise. Our staff were monitored by a professional in emergency management and was very impressed with the response from students and staff alike. In the next few weeks we will have to engage in a "lockdown" procedure exercise. Although these can provoke some anxiety in students it is important we practise in the unlikely event we would need to go into a lockdown event.

Parent Teacher Interviews/Parent Support Group Meetings:

Parent-Teacher interviews will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Those families who already engage in termly Parent Support Group meetings with staff, they have been organised for later in the term. Dates will be shared soon.

School Disco:

We are all looking forward to the school disco organised by our PnF. Children can be signed in and out at the door. Mr Mc will be in attendance for supervision purposes.

Parents and Friends Committee:

As we approach the end of 2023 we are on the lookout for new members for our passionate and hardworking parents and friends team. The AGM will be held at school on the 27th of November at 7pm.

Day for Daniel:

Tomorrow is Day for Daniel. We invite students to wear a touch of red. As a school we are committed to the wellbeing and safety of every child.

2024 School Fees;

Dear families,

Every year around August and September Principals work with MACS business partners to produce a budget for the following year. This year's budget is nearly complete and is shared with the community each year in the Annual Report to the School Community.

In the past two years we have managed to increase school fees by only 2% per year, which has been a welcome relief to families. Unfortunately this year it has been decided that fees will need to be increased by around 4-5%. These figures will be finalised and shared with families in Term 4.

As always we will support families with flexible payment options and plans, MACS will also continue to offer Concession fees for Health Care Card holders. Please remember if you are ever having financial difficulties please reach out to me via email or pop in the office.

More detailed information will come out in Term 4.

Kind regards

Declan

School Closure Days:

Please add the following dates to your diary.

Friday 3rd of November: Curriculum Day

Monday 6th of November: Report Writing Day

Tuesday 7th of November: Melbourne Cup

Monday 4th of December: 2024 Planning day for staff

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 6:30pm-8:30pm)

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

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

Term 4 Assembly Celebrations