Last Friday, our staff spent the day beginning preparations for our upcoming review. We focused on three key areas: Learning and Teaching, Student Engagement, and Community. We spent time discussing how we felt we were doing in each of these areas, guided by the School Improvement Framework rubric. Importantly, we also gathered the evidence we had to support our beliefs.

It was a really valuable opportunity to reflect on the work we are doing across the school and to consider the areas where we are going well, as well as those where we can continue to grow and improve. There was some great discussion throughout the day, and it has given us a strong starting point as we continue our preparations for the review.

P & F Function

It was a few weeks ago, but I just wanted to acknowledge and celebrate the recent P & F Double Denim Trivia Night. There were multiple tables from each year level, which created a fantastic atmosphere and made for a really fun night.

We also had a record number of staff attend. And, to make things even better, one of the staff tables managed to win the evening! Look how proud of themselves they are.

A huge thank you to the Year 5 Reps Lauren, Edwina, Alice, Amy and Jane for all the work that went into creating such a fun event. There is always a huge amount of work that happens behind the scenes to make these events possible, and we really appreciate the time and energy they put into bringing our community together.

Fidget Toys

We’ve seen an increasing number of fidget toys around the classrooms lately, which can often provide a distraction from learning. We understand that some students benefit from fidget toys, and if these have been recommended by a treating professional and are documented in your child’s PLP, we have no issue with them.

For the wider school population, however, we will be expecting fidget toys to stay at home. While they may be helpful for some children, we are finding that they can quickly become a distraction for others and can sometimes lead to students focusing more on the toy than the learning.

Ooshies have also caused a few issues recently. However, we know this is a short-term fad that will soon pass! We encourage Ooshies to stay at home as well, so that we can keep classrooms focused on learning rather than collecting, swapping and comparing them.s is a short term fad, which will soon pass. We encourage the Ooshies to stay at home.

2027 Intentions

IIt’s hard to believe, but it is already time to start getting organised for 2027. Over the next couple of days, you’ll receive an NForma form asking you to indicate whether your children (Prep to Year 5) will be returning to St Finbar’s in 2027.

While it might seem a little early to be thinking about next year, this information is really important as we begin our planning. It will help us to get an idea of our enrolment numbers for 2027 and, importantly, give us an indication of how many places we may have available for families currently on our waiting list.

We’d appreciate everyone completing the form as soon as possible so that we can begin putting our plans for next year together.

Lost Property

The lost property area is overflowing once again! We will do another big sort next week and pass on items to the Uniform Shop to be sold as second-hand uniform. Before we do this, it’s worth having a look through the lost property if your child is missing anything.

We often find items around the school with the names of ex-students, which indicates that they have been passed on to other families. Please take a moment to check that your children’s name tags are up to date and clearly readable. It makes such a difference when we are trying to return lost items to their owners.

Assumption of Mary

We celebrate the Assumption of Mary this weekend, and will celebrate with a whole-school Mass tomorrow. Laura goes into more detail about the significance of this feast day on the Religious Education page of the newsletter.

It is always lovely to come together as a whole school community for Mass, and we would love to see as many families there as possible. Feel free to join us for Mass at 1pm tomorrow if you wish.

Around the classrooms

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting many classrooms this week, which is always a highlight for me. I love seeing the different things happening across the school and getting the opportunity to spend a little time with the students in their classrooms.

I taught Prep P a Maths lesson, with the children practising their hefting skills and exploring the concepts of heavy and light. It was great to see them making predictions, testing their ideas and explaining their thinking.

I also managed to see a few Year 6 students present their Saint projects to their classmates, which is part of their Confirmation preparation. It was wonderful to hear the students sharing what they had learnt about their chosen saints and explaining why they had chosen them.

Take care,

Michelle Hill

Principal

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