Clare's message........

Good afternoon Families,

What a wonderful fortnight we have had with our Student Led Conferences being another huge success. It is always a joy to see the excitement and expectation on the faces of your children as they share work with you that they are proud of and talk earnestly about what they are working on. Thank you for attending, for being present in the moment and for your open and frank conversations with your child's teacher(s). This is what true partnership is all about and we couldn't do our job without you.

Last Sunday, the sun was shining and the people came... to another very successful working bee. Painting was on the agenda this time and we are thrilled with the results. Katie Pisciotta had a team of eager kids offering their hands for paint duty to decorate the fete ticket box which was generously and cleverly built by three of our dads, Paul, Pat and Paul. Thanks for the combined effort everyone. Make sure you pop out to our back yard to see our  gorgeous maze in the sensory garden- the colours are stunning. Thanks to our mums, Tegan, Anita and Elizabeth who got the job done.  A massive shout out to Briana Keenahan who so generously organised and supplied all the paint materials too. In addition, we had a lot of mulch spread, some weeding, much needed sweeping of the sports court, cleaning of the drains and a few other odd jobs done. It was really wonderful to see the kids joining in and taking pride for THEIR SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT. It was really great having the following families joins us... Kerry-Clark, Stilve, Battaglia, Santosa, Jusef, Pisciotta, Mann, Heer, Heather, Connane, Harkin, Mitropoulos and Fusca. Thank you.  As always, the results are super special because WE have done it together and it reduces our maintenance costs significantly so we can put money to other things.

Our Father's Day Breakfast is coming up on Friday 4th September. Please see the attached invitation- that was sent out earlier this week, in COMMUNITY. The annual Paper Plane competition is on again. Start folding and practising now! In addition to this, our P&F are organising a Father's day Stall on the same day. Please see the flyers,  also in COMMUNITY. 

Our fete momentum is building and we need the support from EVERY family. Please make sure you get in your items for our hampers, if you haven't already. Remember, new, unopened items please.

The Second Hand Clothing has been launched and there are dates available for dropping off good quality, pre-loved, washed items that will sell easily. See the flyers in the St Luke's Fete 2026 section of this newsletter.

We had lovely news in Prep this week when Zoe Dwyer announced to her class that she is expecting a baby in February. This is always such wonderful news for a community and we look forward to sharing her journey over the next months.  Micaela Debney has also made the difficult decision to resign her position here at St Luke's but is really looking forward to returning OFTEN as a CRT. We're thrilled we will get to see her.

Class WhatsApp groups... are a fantastic way for parents stay in the loop for all things happening at school. Whilst a parent has set the group up, it is expected that certain protocols are understood by all parents. Under no circumstance should it be a forum for grumbling, being judgemental or for criticisms of teachers, staff or school related operations and decisions. If a parent has a concern, please go directly to your child's teacher FIRST. Where a resolution for the concern cannot be found, please do reach out to the most appropriate school leader - wellbeing, learning diversity, deputy principal or principal. My door remains open to all but in most situations if it relates to classroom, a conversation with the classroom teacher can nip things in the bud.

The following message comes from MACS regarding a changing landscape for all Catholic schools in the Melbourne Archdiocese:

Supporting our staff while planning for the future

Currently, all Catholic schools are working through planning and budgeting activities for 2027 to ensure we are well placed to support our staff, students and school communities in the coming year. This includes looking at how we can accommodate the changes likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) with school staff.

We recognise the significant financial pressures many households are facing, and we are making a conscious effort to ensure these costs are not passed on through significant fee increases.

We will continue to keep our parent community informed throughout this process. As always, our focus remains on maintaining strong school communities and continuing to deliver a high-quality Catholic education for every student.

Please do read through the newsletter each fortnight. We take a lot of time to try to keep you in the Lukan Loop about what is happening in our community. Our Senior students have reflected on their wonderful camp experience, our Middle students have shared a snapshot of their learning around Ancient Rome and there is loads of other content to make a well earned cuppa and read worthwhile. 

Enjoy a wonderful weekend. May the best teams win, this weekend.

Clare