Principal's Report

Dear St Cecilia's Community,

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to our wonderful staff and school leadership team for the way St. Cecilia’s was so capably led and supported during my recent leave.

I was very fortunate to spend a beautiful few weeks travelling through Europe with my family. We enjoyed magnificent weather, visited some truly amazing places and, most importantly, had precious time together as a family. What made it even more enjoyable was knowing that back home, our staff, students and families were in such capable and caring hands.

I am incredibly grateful to every member of staff for the way you continued to support our students, one another and our families. It is a wonderful feeling as Principal to be able to step away for a period of time with complete confidence in the people who make our school what it is.

I would particularly like to acknowledge Matt Mooney for his outstanding leadership during my absence. Matt brings his own unique combination of capability, kindness, calmness and genuine care to his leadership. I am enormously grateful for the way he led the school and supported our staff, students and families throughout this time. Thank you, Matt.

Since returning, I have also been touched by the welcome I have received from our students and families. So many have stopped me in the yard, welcomed me back and asked questions about where I travelled, what I saw and what I enjoyed most. Their genuine interest and kindness have been very special.

Perhaps more than anything, being away and then returning has reminded me just how special St. Cecilia’s is. It is a community built on relationships, care, trust and people who genuinely look out for one another.

Thank you to our staff and leadership team for everything you did during my absence, and thank you to our students and families for such a warm welcome home. Having said all that, is truly is great to be back.

2026 St Cecilia's School Magazine

Book Week

Guess whats coming?

Senior Choir - Amazing!

A huge congratulations to our wonderful Senior Choir following two outstanding performances over the past week.

On Tuesday 11 August, our Senior Choir proudly represented St Cecilia’s at the Kodály Choral Festival, followed by another wonderful performance at the Monash Youth Music Festival on Monday 17 August.

We are incredibly proud of the way our students have represented our school. Their enthusiasm, confidence, beautiful singing and commitment have been a joy to see. These opportunities allow our students to share their talents beyond our school community and experience the excitement of performing together as a choir.

A very special congratulations and heartfelt thank you to Stefania Miller for the outstanding preparation of our Senior Choir. The many opportunities our students have to perform and represent St Cecilia’s are a credit to Stef’s passion, commitment and organisation, as well as the high expectations she sets for every student.

Our choirs represent St Cecilia’s with such pride, joy and excellence, and we could not be prouder of them.

Congratulations to every member of our Senior Choir, and thank you, Stef, for everything you do to provide our students with these wonderful opportunities and experiences.

Supporting our staff while planning for the future

As we look ahead to 2027, Catholic schools across Victoria are currently undertaking important planning and budgeting to ensure we remain well placed to support our students, staff and school communities.

Part of this work involves preparing for changes that are likely to flow from a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) for school staff. While the details are still being worked through at a system level, schools are carefully considering the potential impact of these changes as part of their planning for next year.

At St Cecilia’s, we strongly value the contribution of our staff and recognise the importance of supporting and retaining high-quality teachers and support staff. At the same time, we are very conscious of the financial pressures currently facing many families.

As we develop our 2027 budget, we are therefore making a deliberate effort to manage these additional costs responsibly and to avoid passing them on to families through significant increases in school fees.

There is still further work to be done as arrangements for 2027 become clearer. We will continue to keep families informed as this process progresses.

Throughout this planning, our priority remains unchanged: to maintain a strong, sustainable school community and continue providing every student at St Cecilia’s with the high-quality Catholic education, care and opportunities they deserve.

Keeping Our School Crossing Safe

We need the support of all families with an important safety issue occurring regularly at our Van Ness Avenue school crossing.

Our crossing supervisor has raised concerns that almost every afternoon her view of approaching traffic and children using the crossing is being obstructed by vehicles stopping too close to the crossing, and at times directly across it.

The particular concern involves vehicles travelling up Van Ness Avenue and waiting to turn left into Hillside Parade. During the busy afternoon pick-up period, cars are sometimes stopping or queuing within the crossing area while waiting for traffic to clear.

This creates a serious safety risk. Our crossing supervisor needs an uninterrupted view in both directions to see approaching vehicles, children waiting to cross and children already on the roadway. Children and motorists also need to be able to see each other clearly.

Stopping means stopping

A very important point for all drivers is that remaining in your vehicle with the engine running does not make it acceptable to wait in a prohibited area.

Under Victorian road rules, drivers must not stop on a children’s crossing, within 20 metres before the crossing or within 10 metres after the crossing, unless permitted by an applicable sign or another specific exception under the road rules.

This means the area must remain clear even when you are:

• waiting for your child to come out of school;
• sitting in the driver's seat;
• leaving the engine running;
• waiting briefly for another vehicle;
• queuing to turn into Hillside Parade; or
• intending to move again "in a moment".

Please help us keep the crossing clear

We understand that Van Ness Avenue becomes extremely busy at dismissal time and that finding a convenient parking space can be difficult. However, convenience can never come before the safety of our children.

If there is not a legal place available close to the school, please continue further along the street, find a safe and legal parking space and walk the short distance back to the school.

We particularly ask parents travelling up Van Ness Avenue towards Hillside Parade to remain aware of the crossing and never join a queue if doing so will leave your vehicle stopped within or too close to the crossing. If there is insufficient room beyond the crossing for your vehicle to clear it completely, please do not enter the crossing area.

This is not simply a school preference. It is a road safety requirement, and most importantly, it allows our crossing supervisor to do her job safely and effectively.

We are fortunate to have a crossing supervisor looking after our children each day. When she tells us that her vision is being obstructed almost every afternoon, we need to take that concern seriously.

Please allow a little extra time at pick-up, park a little further away when necessary and keep the entire crossing area clear.

Thank you for helping us make Van Ness Avenue safer for every child and family.

Keep it clear. Keep it visible. Keep our children safe.

Kids in Space Showcase – Celebrating Our Year 5/6 Innovators

Our Year 5/6 students have been working with great enthusiasm on the Kids in Space Program, and we are excited to invite our families to come along and see the results of their hard work, creativity and innovative thinking.

Tuesday 25 August 2026

9:00 am – 11:00 am - St Cecilia’s Hall

Throughout the program, students have been imagining, designing, problem-solving and creating prototypes in response to challenges associated with life in space. The program has encouraged them to think creatively, work collaboratively and develop solutions to some fascinating real-world problems.

The passion our students have shown throughout this experience has been wonderful to see. They are now very excited to share their ideas, explain their thinking and showcase the prototypes they have developed.

We warmly invite parents, grandparents and special people from all year levels to visit the showcase at any time between 9:00 am and 11:00 am. Come along, speak with our students, ask questions and allow them to proudly share their learning with you.

This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our senior students and the curiosity, creativity, collaboration and confidence they have demonstrated throughout the Kids in Space Program.

We would love to see you there and hope you can join us in celebrating the achievements of our Year 5/6 students.

Can You Help? Fair Committee & Parents’ Association Finance Roles

As we continue planning for our upcoming School Fair, we are looking for a parent who may be willing to assist with the finance side of the Fair. We are also looking for someone to take on the Treasurer role for our Parents’ Association (PA).

These roles might sound more daunting than they actually are. You do not need to be an accountant or finance expert. If you are comfortable working with a spreadsheet, are reasonably organised and happy to keep track of some basic financial information, you would be very well suited.

Importantly, the same person could take on both roles, as there is a natural connection between the Fair finances and the broader PA Treasurer responsibilities. Equally, we would be very happy for two different people to volunteer.

Fair Finance Lead

The good news is that much of the work has already been done. The Fair finance spreadsheet is set up, and there are clear handover notes and records from previous years to guide you.

The role involves:

• keeping track of Fair income and expenses in the existing spreadsheet in the lead-up to the Fair;
• helping organise the Square readers for each stall, including ensuring products and prices are loaded. The readers are already at school;
• assisting with counting the cash at the end of Fair Day; and
• finalising the Fair figures once everything is complete.

You will not be starting from scratch, and there will be support available along the way.

PA Treasurer

We are also looking for someone to assist our Parents’ Association as Treasurer. Again, this is a straightforward role and does not require specialist accounting knowledge.

The Treasurer helps the PA keep a simple record of money coming in and money being spent, assists with keeping the PA’s financial records organised, and provides the group with a clear picture of its finances throughout the year.

Our PA plays such an important role in building community and supporting activities for our students and families. Having someone willing to look after this practical part of the PA allows everyone else to concentrate on organising the events and activities that make such a difference to our school.

Interested, or just want to know a little more?

Please don’t be put off if you have never done something like this before. If you know your way around a spreadsheet, we can help with the rest.

If you think you may be able to help with either role, or perhaps both, please get in touch with Marty or Laura McCarthy on 0418 351 602.

Even an expression of interest or a conversation about what is involved would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for considering supporting our school community in this very practical and valuable way.

Melbourne Demons Special Offer

The club has also been generous enough to offer all our families the opportunity to attend 3 Melbourne Demons AFLW games in the upcoming season. To redeem this offer, you can scan the QR code below and complete registration on the linked page.

Fair Call Out to the Community

Father's Day Breakfast Details

Innaugural St Cecilia's Golf Day

St Cecilia's Annual Mother's Lunch - SAVE THE DATE

Friday, 20th November 2026

Details to follow ....

Marty McKenna

Principal

St Cecilia’s Primary School