Principal's Report

 Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week, I had the privilege of attending our South Central Principals Conference in the Kimberley. We immersed ourselves in learning about faith, culture, and community from an Indigenous perspective and within Indigenous communities.

We visited two Kimberley schools: Holy Rosary in Derby and Sacred Heart School in Beagle Bay. While there were naturally many differences, I noticed many similarities between the Kimberley schools and St Finbar's. The classrooms were vibrant places of learning, with a clear and strong focus on wellbeing. The similarities ended, however, as soon as you stepped outside and saw the red dirt stretching into the distance.

One of the highlights was attending Mass at Beagle Bay in the historic Mother of Pearl Church, alongside the Sacred Heart school community. We heard from Mena Stemm, an Aboriginal Elder who was taken from her family and raised in the Beagle Bay Catholic Mission. Mena gave us a tour of the Mission and shared recollections from her childhood—an incredibly powerful experience.

Another highlight was networking with inspiring principals who brought their positive attitudes and enthusiasm. It was a wonderful support network, with people willing to listen, share their experiences, and offer their knowledge.

The timing of the conference was especially meaningful, coinciding with National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week. It affirmed in each of us a deep respect for the languages, cultures, and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

My enormous thanks to Callum Mills, Laura Zeeng, and all the staff who held the fort back at St Finbar's.

School Disco

Get ready to light up the dance floor for the annual St Finbars Disco, which is fast approaching! More information and a try booking link will be coming shortly!’

Student Learning Team

Our Student Learning Team meets regularly to discuss how we are best catering for the range of diverse learners here at St Finbar's.

This team consists of our Learning Diversity Leader, Literacy and Numeracy Leaders and a few classroom teachers. 

This morning's discussion revolved around the support programs currently running at St Finbar's and upcoming PSGs. 

Student Achievements

We love celebrating student achievements outside of school. Congratulations to Sam in Year 5 who has just been promoted in the Australian Boys' Choir.  The Choir has a series of ranks, and the boys need to pass tutorials and solos to be promoted. After 3 years, Sam is now able to wear the official blazer. He is still 18 months away from becoming a Chorister which is the highest level within the Australian Boys Choir. Auditions are for boys between 7-9 years of age and rehearsals are in Hawthorn. 

Jewellery 

There has been some discussion about jewellery recently, especially in the senior classes. As per our uniform policy the only jewellery to be worn are sleeper or stud earrings, and students will be asked to remove any other earrings. A cross on a chain may also be worn. Finger nail polish is not to be worn either.

Whilst on the topic of uniform, there are a lot of students missing ties at the moment. We understand that some families may still be waiting on the clip-on tie, but if you need to replace a tie, please organise this through the uniform shop. We often find unnamed ties and girls' bows around the school so please name these as soon as you get them.   

Here is a copy of the 2025 Parent Handbook for those of you who would like to re-read it. This can also be found on the school website (under "About Us")

Parking Update

A few weeks ago two of our parents received parking fines while waiting to pick up their children in Wallen St. We have lodged objections regarding these fines.  Bayside Council are now coming out on Monday to review our parking signage along Wallen St. I will be advocating for more appropriate signage. 

Lost Property

Our lost property is out of control again. If your child has lost an item recently please pop down to the lost property area to see if it is there. We do our best to return any named items to their owners but most of these items have no names, or names of ex-students. We will be going through the lost property very soon and throwing/donating all items without names. 

Change of Date – School Closure Day

Please note that the date for our next school closure day in August has changed due to the availability of our presenters. The new date is Friday, August 8. We hope this does not cause too much inconvenience.

Take care and God bless,

Michelle Hill