From the Principal

Dear Families,

Welcome back to Term 4! There is always something exciting to look forward to, this time of the year… the weather is improving, and a little bit of sunshine always puts a smile on our faces. While we had a ‘sleepy’ start to the term (the kids were very quiet on Monday!), we have found our feet and are ready to go. Being around the classrooms this week has highlighted the rigour of our teaching and learning. All of our classes have hit the ground running with new books to unpack, math concepts to learn, and writing genres to explore. What a pleasure it is to see our kids soak up the learning opportunities presented to them.

At the end of last term, our Year 6 students celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation. It was a beautiful evening for our school community as we watched our children take the next step in their faith journey. In his homily, Bishop Trinh highlighted three essential aspects of faith life: Belong, Become, Believe. While this concept seems simple, it is often in the simple things that we can truly reflect on our faith and the importance of leaning into it. A very big thank you to all of our staff who supported the students during this time, especially Mr. Adaman, Miss T, Miss Di Cosmo, and Mr. Cotesta.

I am sure you have all noticed the new speed bumps down the driveway. We hope this addition continues to keep our community, especially our students, safe. As we head into this term, could I please remind everyone about carpark safety and the importance of remaining calm and patient during drop-off and pick-up? We all have places to be, but the safety of our community must always come first.

2027 Classroom Arrangements

In 2027 there will be 2 classes of Prep and 3 multi-age classes in each of Year 1/2, 3/4 and 5/6. We will have 11 classes in total.

 As you are aware, teachers change schools and change teaching levels from time to time, so any of our current staff or new staff members may teach your child in 2027.

Planning for the 2027 school year will be commencing soon. Staff undertake a long and detailed process of organising which class each child will be allocated to, based on many factors.

Our professional staff make considered decisions in light of what is the best for each child with our available resources, in the context of the other children, not just in the context of an individual child. Such factors include the academic and social/emotional needs of each child, working relationships and friendships.

We would prefer it if you left these decisions to staff, but if you have any urgent information regarding the placement of your child, please put your reasons in writing, addressed to me strictly before Friday, October 24th. You may receive a phone call to discuss the issues. 

Information received after this date cannot be considered as it will impact on decisions that will have already been made. Information about the placement of your child should be written in the context of your child’s needs, not your preference for a teacher, so please do not use teacher’s names. Requests for 2027 cannot be guaranteed due to the complicated nature of our processes.

The process of class placements includes an opportunity for each child to nominate three children they work well with and three different children they play well with. We guarantee that each child will be placed with one of these nominated children.

If your child is not returning to St. Leonard’s in 2027, I would appreciate you letting me know, by email, before Friday, October 24th.