Gemma's Message

Dear all families and friends,

Today we shared the above urgent prayer as a staff and we prayed for those around us who have lost their loved ones, fear their own life and we hope for peace to surround all. In these times we are reminded of the importance of love, hope and compassion. 

Thank you to all for your support in the past week or so and what I imagine will be our coming weeks as illness seems to be creeping in. Illness coupled with the nation's staff shortage has created challenges. We have had to pop leaders in classrooms, cover extra duties and cancel some of the things we love to ensure we can manage each and every day with a skeleton staff. Our staff, children and families have been amazing in this support thank you.

Staffing update 2024

At this stage we are excited to announce the following:

St Stephen’s 

Prep - Two Lisa and Michelle 

Three - Six Emily and Mariam 

St Gabriel’s 

Prep hub: Natalie B, Joanna and Laura B 

One/Two hub: Cait,  Angelique and Teresa 

Three / Four hub: Caprice and Laura D and TBC 

Five / Six hub: Nick and TBC and Laura D 

As you can see we once again are committing to have extra staff in each level to ensure we meet children's needs and are meeting their progression of learning - ensuring 

12 months growth in 12 months minimum.  At St Gabriel’s 3/4 and 5/6 will have Laura D in their hubs as an educator moving between each hub.  

We farewell Elaine in 2024 as she embarks on a new journey in her career. We wish her all the very best and look forward to hearing the many successes she has. 

WORLD TEACHERS DAY 

We celebrated our amazing Educators on Tuesday night.  I’d like to formally thank our staff, the commitment and dedication that is shown within our school settings is full of joy and rigour. I observe educators constantly reflecting and challenging themselves to be the best teacher - ensuring educational progress for all. 

SCHOOL BUILDING GRANT 

We have submitted the next phase of the Master plan to the Government. The Government has committed $450 million to help build and upgrade schools. We hope to complete our next phase P-2 building, add outdoor learning areas and create a new library with this. We will keep you posted with the outcome when we receive it. 

School times:

Thank you for your emails. We are requiring an adjustment to school times to ensure we meet EBA requirements for staff. The change is complex and requires consideration of many factors. 

To meet this our schools would need: 

Days beginning at 8.45 am to maximise morning learning. 

2 days at 3pm finish and 3 days at 3.20 finish. Please complete the linked form with your preference by 3rd November. 

*No learning time will decrease with the options on the forms. 

https://forms.gle/ibwiL6qhAfyq4kd99 

We are excited for the upcoming Grandparents day, athletics day, celebration for diversity day, advent assemblies, prep transitions, Christmas events, graduation - exciting and busy times ahead. 

Have a great weekend,

Gemma