From the Principal

Dear families,

Welcome back to school, it is sure to be a busy term. Please make sure you are keeping up to date with all of the latest information. This infomation will be shared on the NFORMA Parent Platform or via the School Newsletter. 

NAPLAN results:

The school has received student NAPLAN results. We are in the process of organising these to go home to families. They will be in your child's school bag tomorrow night. Please make sure you celebrate these results with your child, as a school we are very proud of each and every one of them for the effort they put in. 

Athletics Club:

As we did for Cross Country trials, we are implementing Athletics Club. These trials will be used to help us put together our District Athletics team. Athletics Club will be held each Monday and Wednesday (starting week 2, Monday 20th of July). The Athletics Club will commence at 8:00am. If you are unable to attend the sessions, please email Jeanette Wicks (jwicks@smbelgrave.catholic.edu.au) and register that your child is still wanting to participate. If numbers are tight, preference will be given to the students who attend Athletics Club.

Mrs Wicks has tried to find a new date for the Athletics Carnival and has been unsuccessful, so this is the approach we have decided to take to ensure students interested in participating in the District Athletics still have the opportunity. 

NAIDOC Week:

During the last week of the school holidays NAIDOC week was held. Please see the video below for the 2026 theme. There has been a focus on NAIDOC week in classes during prayer this week and we will also be engaging with a local Aboriginal Elder tomorrow for a Smoking Ceremony. 

Updating of School Policies and Procedures:

Just a note that there has been a number of updates to our school policies and procedures. Most of the changes have occured in the Care, Safety and Wellbeing Domain of policy. These updated policies can be found on our school website. 

Our Complaints Handling Policy has also been updated and is avaliable on the school website. 

MACS Care - Child Safety Standard 6:

There are some updated resources around Child Safety Standard number 6 under the "Child Safety" tab of this newsletter. These resources are provided by MACS Child Safety Team. 

Trivia Night:

Get your tables booked to secure your place at our upcoming PnF hosted Trivia Night. Our Trivia Night is scheduled for Saturday, 1st of August and is sure to be a whole heap of fun. Please see the Parents and Friends tab for more information, including the flyer for the evening. 

Swimming Program:

Just a note that our school swimming program starts next week. The students will attend Swimming Lessons in Ferntree Gully for the next 6 weeks. Please note that while the school swimming program is running, we will not be holding school assemblies. We will however be running our school podcast. 

A timetable for swimming (in the pool times) is below:

9:45-10:30        P/1

10:30-11:15     1/2

11:15-12:00      3/4B & 3/4 JM

12:00-12:45      4/5

12:45-1:30         6

Parent / Teacher Interviews:

On Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th of July we will be holding our Semester Two, Parent Teacher Interviews. This is your chance to discuss your child's progress with their classroom teacher. I ask that families who engage with the termly Program Support Group Meetings (PSG's) do not book in for a Parent Teacher Interview. These families already have termly meetings to discuss goals related to Personalised Learning Plans. 

St Vincent de Paul - Winter Appeal:

Winter Food Drive – Help Us Make a Difference!

This winter, our school is proud to be supporting St Vincent de Paul by holding a Winter Food Drive as part of our Social Justice initiative to help people in our local community who are doing it tough.

If you are able, we would greatly appreciate donations of non-perishable food items such as canned vegetables, soup, pasta, rice, cereal, long-life milk, baked beans, and other pantry staples. Please place your donations in the collection box in the foyer. Every donation, no matter how big or small, will help provide comfort and support to those in need during the colder months.

As students, we are excited to work together to make a positive difference in our community. Your generosity and kindness can help brighten someone's day and remind them that they are not alone.

Thank you for supporting our St Vincent de Paul Winter Food Drive. Together, we can make a real difference this winter!

Thank you for your support, Payton,  Eliza & Bianca - Social Justice Leaders

Declan McDermott

Principal