PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Week Seven: Fete Edition

St Agnes’ Fete – A Celebration of Community

Wow! Saturday was a spectacular display of the St Agnes’ community coming together to deliver a fete for the ages. It was a wonderful reminder of what makes St Agnes’ such a special community to belong to.

The fete was nothing short of magical, with perfect weather setting the scene for a day full of fun and excitement. A huge crowd gathered, with so many people coming along to enjoy the Blue Ribbon event on the St Agnes' calendar. Laughter and chatter filled the air, mingling with the irresistible aroma of sizzling souvlakis and other delicious treats. Every corner was alive with the joyful energy that only a community coming together can create. It was a truly memorable celebration, capturing the spirit of our school and the warmth of our community.

School fetes provide rich opportunities for connection, generosity and collaboration. Over the past few weeks I have loved hearing stories of families working together in preparation for the day, creating bunting for stalls, collecting donations for the toy and book shops, and designing signs and displays. These shared efforts highlight the strength of our community and the spirit of working together for a common purpose. Importantly, our children have witnessed firsthand the generosity of their parents and families, learning how meaningful it is to contribute to and support the community they are part of.

Thank you to everyone who gave their time, energy and support in the lead-up to Saturday. From the countless donations arriving at school each day, to the 150 stall shifts filled by parents and grandparents, this event was truly a community effort. Together, we created a day that was joyful, vibrant and incredibly successful.

While we are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed, there are some outstanding volunteers who have led the fete so magnificently over the past twelve months.

Fete Committee Co-Chairs – Laura Stewart and Amy Anderson: Amy and Laura provided exceptional leadership of the fete committee. Their coordination, organisation and attention to detail ensured that every aspect of the event came together seamlessly. Their ability to oversee the many moving parts of such a large event was truly remarkable, and I take my hat off to them for what they were able to achieve.

Secretary – Jess Cox: Jess played a vital role behind the scenes, keeping the committee organised and connected. From coordinating meetings, managing communication and documentation, and ensuring action items were followed up, Jess ensured the committee operated smoothly throughout the planning process. I don’t think I’ve seen a day at St Agnes’ yet where Jess wasn’t actively working to ensure the smooth running of the fete!

Treasurer – Kate Hulsman: In addition to being part of the sponsorship committee, Kate served as our fete treasurer. Her meticulous financial planning and careful oversight ensured the financial management of the event was the incredible success it turned out to be. The detailed financial tracking and reporting she provided were invaluable to the committee.

Stall Coordinators – Pietta Damianos and Natasha Castellano: Bringing together fifteen stalls, and everything that comes with that, is no small task. Pietta and Natasha coordinated approximately 150 volunteer shifts, ensuring each stall was well staffed and organised. Their detailed planning and coordination were extraordinary, even calling on family members when needed to ensure every stall ran smoothly.

Sponsorship Committee – Kate Hulsman, Elaine Trantor and Gemma Wieloch: Kicking off the fete with a substantial sponsorship fund set the stage for an exceptional event. Early donations and contributions positioned us for success from the very beginning. The team’s extensive relationships and networks provided a remarkable foundation, significantly contributing to both the overall execution and the fete’s outstanding financial achievements. 

Social Media – Alishia Boot: Many community members commented on the vibrant and engaging social media promotion in the lead-up to the fete. Alishia’s work ensured the excitement of the event reached far beyond our school gates and across the wider Highett community.

Food Stall Coordinators – Kate Howarth and Niamh McCarthy: The success of any fete relies heavily on the quality and variety of food on offer. Kate and Niamh brought incredible professional expertise to this area, coordinating food preparation and service for well over a thousand people. The scale of this task is truly remarkable, and their efforts were outstanding.

Beverage Coordinators – Anna Wassell and Tim Goodingham: Anna and Tim expertly managed the beverage operations, ensuring all liquor licensing requirements were met within a temporary event setting. Coordinating refreshments for such a large crowd on a warm day is no small feat, and we are extremely grateful for their organisation and leadership.

Thank you to our incredible fete committee for the dedication, time and countless volunteer hours given over the past twelve months. Your commitment to our school and to our children is deeply appreciated.

I'd also like to thank our incredible staff for their work and attendance at our fete. Our staff are such a huge asset to the St Agnes' community and I was so proud to see them all getting involved in the day, volunteering on the stalls and connecting with our current and former students and families. I'm so grateful to work with such a committed group of educators each day and I thank them for their commitment to community life at St Agnes'.

At this stage, it looks like we’re on track to achieve our best-ever financial result for a fete, by a significant margin! While a fete is about so much more than raising money, we are incredibly proud of the impressive financial return on the enormous time and effort our families have dedicated over the past weeks and months. We can’t wait to celebrate this achievement and share the final figure at our ‘Thank You Assembly’ in the last week of Term One.

As mentioned previously, all funds raised through the fete, along with our other fundraising efforts throughout 2026, will contribute to the development of our new school playground, which we hope to begin constructing later this year.

Thank you once again to everyone who played a role in making the St Agnes’ Fete such a wonderful success. While many of us may now be ready for a well-earned rest, I already look forward with excitement to the next iteration of this fantastic event in 2028.

Staff Retreat

Last Thursday and Friday our staff gathered in Healesville for our annual staff retreat. These two days provide a valuable opportunity for us to learn, reflect and strengthen our connections as a whole team. Importantly, they are the only two days across the entire school year where every member of our educational staff: classroom teachers, leaders, LSOs and specialist teachers, is able to be together in the same room. Time like this allows us to deepen our shared understanding of teaching and learning while continuing to build the strong professional relationships that support our students every day. Thank you to our families for their understanding and flexibility with these two student-free days. We are very grateful to our community for recognising the importance of this retreat to our whole-school’s professional learning.

Across the two days we revisited key ideas from the Science of Learning, with an insightful and engaging presentation led by our own teaching and learning expert, Mrs Baker. Building on Amanda’s presentation, staff then worked collaboratively to begin developing the St Agnes’ Effective Learner Profile. This profile focuses on the key observable behaviours that both students and teachers demonstrate each day to ensure high-quality teaching and learning.

Alongside this work, we also began developing a scope and sequence of cognitive science lessons that will be taught to our students, helping them build a strong understanding of how the brain works and how we learn most effectively. Our leadership team will continue refining this work over the coming months, and we look forward to launching the St Agnes’ Effective Learner Profile later in the year.

Art Club

In what promises to be a preview of our upcoming art show later in the year, it was wonderful to see Mrs Murdoch’s Art Club up and running again. Each week the club meets during recess, providing additional opportunities for students to explore their creativity and further develop their artistic skills. It is always fantastic to see students so enthusiastically engaging in the arts. Thank you to Mrs Murdoch for creating this wonderful opportunity and providing such a valuable creative outlet for our students. Thank you to our Art leaders Faye and Mollie for doing a wonderful job helping out our younger students.

Library Lunch Club

A valued feature of lunchtime at St Agnes’ is our Library Club, run by the wonderful Lynn Miller. Library Club provides students with the opportunity to connect with one another in a calm and welcoming environment. During this time, students can enjoy board games, read books, draw, colour, and make the most of a quieter space. The club is also supported by our Year Six leaders, Eddie and Lucas, whose assistance is greatly appreciated. We are very grateful to Lynn for providing this valuable opportunity for our students each day at St Agnes’. 

Bike-Ed

March is Bike-Ed month for our middle school students. Mr Kost has been putting students through their paces as they develop their bike handling skills, road awareness and safe riding practices. Throughout the program, students learn how to navigate different riding conditions, understand road rules and build confidence on their bikes. Bike-Ed is a fantastic program that supports both safety and independence for our students, and we thank Mr Kost for leading these sessions.

Parent Expertise

This week we welcomed Karen McGoldrick to our Year Six classroom for their SEL lesson. Karen, who is an integral member of our School Advisory Council, is also a mental health social worker, and generously volunteered her time to speak with our students about a range of important wellbeing topics. She explored ideas such as recognising our current body and mind state, understanding and managing anxiety, noticing our self-talk and whether it is positive or negative, and using visualisation as a strategy to support confidence and focus. She provided examples from elite sportspeople such as Michael Phelps to build an understanding of the power of visualisation.

We are very fortunate to have Karen share her knowledge and experience with our students, and we greatly appreciate the time and care she put into supporting the wellbeing and growth of our senior learners. Thank you, Karen.

Reconciliation Family Faith Night

Last Wednesday evening it was lovely to welcome our Year Three students and their families to school for our Reconciliation Family Faith Night. Led by our Religious Education Leader, Mrs Gorski, and our parish priest, Father Alan Fox, parents and students were guided through a meaningful reflection on the importance and relevance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in their everyday lives. It was a special evening of prayer, learning and connection as students continue their preparation for this important sacrament. Thank you to Mrs Gorski and our Year Three teacher, Mrs Mair, for creating such a beautiful experience for our students and families.

Bunnings BBQ

If running a hugely successful sponsorship campaign wasn’t enough, Kate, Elaine and Gemma also coordinated our recent Bunnings BBQ at Moorabbin a fortnight ago. A hot summer’s day ensured a steady stream of hungry customers, helping the team raise over $2,000 for our fete fund. It was a tremendous effort and a fantastic example of the generosity and commitment of our parent community. Thank you to Kate, Elaine and Gemma for a huge day on the tongs, and to all our families who stopped by to support the fundraiser.

Brad Rowswell MP

This week we welcomed our local State Member of Parliament, Brad Rowswell, to our school assembly. While Brad has a longstanding connection with St Agnes’, his visit came about thanks to an initiative from our school captains, who noticed that our Australian and Aboriginal flags were in need of replacing.

Brad was only too happy to assist and generously donated two new flags to the school. It was wonderful to see Leo and Niamh use this opportunity to educate students at assembly about both flags and the important meanings they hold for the people of Australia. 

Brad also used the opportunity to share his leadership advice for the students. He encouraged the students to understand that leadership is ‘Doing something for others, for no benefit for yourself, to make the world a better place’. Thank you to Brad for visiting St Agnes’. We look forward to welcoming you back again soon.

Gracelyn's Haul

A massive congratulations to Gracelyn in Year Four, who had an incredible week at the State Athletics Championships! Gracelyn had an outstanding series of performances, taking gold in long jump to become State Champion, silver in both the 100m and 200m, bronze in the 400m, and finishing 5th in the 800m. What an amazing haul of achievements. We're so proud of her and look forward to seeing her continue to shine in sports for St Agnes' this year.

What an enormous fortnight we’ve had at St Agnes’. I cannot thank all of our families for the incredible support they have contributed to our school fete, led superbly by our fete committee.

Enjoy a restful Sunday and I’ll see you on the gate on Monday for our final three week run home to end Term One.

Signing off as one very proud principal!