Principal's News

Parent Newsletter Term 3, Week 8  Tuesday 03/09/2024  

Happy Father’s Day 

To all the wonderful Fathers & special men of our St. Kevin’s community, we hope you had a Happy Father's Day.  It was wonderful to share breakfast with 18 amazing dads/father figures on Wednesday in the Church Foyer. Hopefully next year we will double our attendance numbers!

Art Show

There is a hive of excitement in the air. Everyone is working hard to get the artwork up and displayed beautifully ready for the Art show. We are all praying that the weather improves so that we can use the outdoor spaces for entertaining.

Hope to see every family visit and enjoy their children’s beautiful art.

Thursday afternoon is going to be the main event and everyone is invited to have a sausage and participate in hands-on activities.  This is our major fundraiser for the year and all funds will go towards Literacy Resources for the school.

MHFA’s Annual 37th National Consumers Art Competition 

Launch of National Multicultural Mental Health Month

Our budding and passionate artist Azalia in Year 2 took on an opportunity to create and share her work within a supportive community while raising awareness for mental health.  The theme this year is "Celebrating Diversity, Healing Together".  This was a perfect theme as our concept this term was Diversity.

Azalia’s work has been selected as one of the final 30 pieces and will be part of the competition to win a prize.

Working Bee

Thank you to the amazing Parents and Students who worked extensively and collaboratively on Friday 30th of August at the Working Bee.  Outstanding Teamwork and the joy was infectious as everyone worked together to achieve a common goal.  

A massive thank you to the students who showed true community service, were  united in their efforts to sort equipment and ensure a space for important PE resources.

Thank youThank youThank youThank youThank you

Chris & Renee, Justin & Suzanne, Sebastian & Laura, Marey, Ian and Gerard

We appreciate all your help.

Remember if you can assist at another time, any time please let me know.  

We have spoken at the SAC Meeting about introducing a ‘Working Bee Levy’ to every family which is refundable once the parents or carers assist the school at a working bee.   These funds would pay for assistance, if and when it is required.

If every parent volunteered for one hour a year this would really help and make a difference to our school.  All tasks are to better the school for the students.

Thank you also to staff who assisted at the Working Bee -  Eva, JR, Annie and Louis for your help on Friday night.  We are getting there! Great effort to all!  Thank you for supporting and working with parents and students.  TOP JOB!

Shout outs

If you have a shout out for students or staff please email me and I will insert into the next school newsletter.

Renee’s email

I received this feedback and asked the parent to send me an email.  This is a testimonial to all the hard work staff and parents do to teach the students that we are Jesus people and we need  to open our hearts to help each other.

Afternoon Gabee,

I just wanted to provide some feedback regarding the experience I had with the students at St. Kevin’s when I was assisting with the Father’s Days Stall yesterday (Thursday 29th August).

I would just like to commend you on the behaviour of all students that I encountered but a BIG shout out to the grade 5/6's they were so friendly and extremely helpful especially since they were scattered across all the year levels, if I asked any of them for help they were all ready and willing, so well-mannered and assisted in looking after the younger students. 

It was such a breath of fresh air to know my younger kids have these amazing kids to look-up to for support and guidance. 

I have been so proud to receive such feedback from one of our parents.  I will ensure that each student has an opportunity to hear these words of gratitude and respect.  Well done 5/6GS you have risen to the occasion.

Enrolments for 2025

Prep enrolments for 2025 have been finalised. 

If you are intending on moving your child onto another school next year regardless of the year level, please let our school office know as soon as possible.

The Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools - School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS) 

We are asking families to complete the 15 minute MACSSIS survey to provide us with valuable feedback about various aspects of our school and community. The Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS) will be conducted from 2 – 15 September 2023. Students in Year 4-6 will also complete the student survey next week. We encourage all families to complete the survey. Today, you should receive a link to the survey with an individual family login code. The surveys are totally anonymous and your feedback will help to guide our planning and goal setting for next year.

Once you have completed the survey please email me a screenshot so that we can record your completion. The class with the most completed surveys will receive a movie and popcorn afternoon supplied by the school. Let’s see which class will have the movie afternoon this year!

The Right to Disconnect Policy

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) will soon introduce guidelines addressing email usage outside of school hours. These guidelines commenced on Monday 26th August 2024. This is to assist in managing appropriate work/life balance and aligns with professional standards. The Right to Disconnect Policy also aligns with the Fair Work Act 2009.

Whilst you may wish to contact school staff out of school hours, staff are not required to respond to these emails until business hours resume. This policy will soon be added to our St Kevin’s School website.

Italian TCL Program

Ciao! In Week 7 and Week 8 the students are continuing with Unit 6A & 6B

We practised making sentences such as:

- Cosa ti piace fare a scuola?  (What do you like doing at school?) 

- Mi piace....  (I like) and non mi piace (I do not like)

We are now practising expanding our sentences by adding a noun eg.

- Con il mio amico (with my friend masc.)

- Con la mia amica (with my friend fem.)

- Con i miei amici (with a group of friends masc, or both masc+fem)

- Con le mie amiche (with a group of friends fem.)

Our goal for this week is to create full sentences including verb + activity + noun+ justification eg. = Mi piace giocare fuori con i miei amici perché è divertente! (I like to play outside with my friends because it’s fun!)

Grazie, Chiara

Year 5 /6 PE Nominations for Week 6 and 7

The nominations are for students being respectful, listening and showing sportsmanship.      

Well done to these students! 

Seesaw

PBL  

RESILIENT

Term 3  Week 7 & 8

Expected Behaviour:

PBL Focus: I am a good sport.   Every day the Year 6 students put an announcement over the PA about how to enact the 'Expected behaviour'.

Parish Item

Parish News

The Parish was very excited to hold its very first Fathers Day Breakfast. On Wednesday 28th August at 7.30am. All dads

And children were welcomed with muffins, a hot drink and cupcakes for the students! Fr Charles gave a blessing and 

the fabulous morning  ended with a gift for the dads!!

Coming Up

First Eucharist Preparation & Celebration

Youth Group – Footy Fever and Girls Glam on Saturday 14th September.

Playgroup – commencing Term 4.

Altar Servers Training.

Bookish Morning Tea- the Parish has a free library that everyone is welcome to use!

We Hope to see you at the Parish soon

Key enrolment dates for Year 5 students in 2025 starting Year 7 in 2027 

Main Points 

• The key enrolment dates for students in Year 5 in 2025 who will be starting Year 7 in 2027 were agreed after approval from the principals on the Archdiocesan Enrolment Committee. 

• The timeline of events and dates is as follows: 

− applications for students starting Year 7 in 2027 will open on Tuesday 28 January 2025 and close on Friday 15 August 2025 

− secondary school principals must exchange their full list of applications, including parish of residence, with neighbouring colleges by Friday 29 August 2025 

− secondary principals must subsequently exchange their full list of applications, identifying proposed offers and non-offers, with neighbouring colleges by Friday 12 September 2025 

− the Principals and Registrars Enrolment Briefing will be held at the Catholic Leadership Centre on Thursday 9 October 2025 from 12.30 to 3.00 pm 

− offers will be posted to prospective Year 7 applicants on Friday 17 October 2025 

− parents/carers will be required to accept an offer from a school by Friday 7 November 2025. 

• The Principals and Registrars Enrolment Briefing comprises both: − an update on the Archdiocesan Enrolment Committee, enrolment and demographic trends, and future schools provision 

− an opportunity for colleges to finalise offers for 2027 and exchange names of unsuccessful applicants to ensure that a place can be found for all students. 

• While many colleges may have finalised their Year 7 enrolments by the time the briefing takes place, those schools yet to complete the process are strongly encouraged to attend. A number of principals and registrars in this position anticipate the engagement with fellow colleagues.

The Camino de Santiago (The Way of St James) Pilgrimage 

The last week of the September holidays and the first week of Term 3, I will be participating in a pilgrimage with North Eastern and Southern Principals from Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Education. There are 19 principals taking on this pilgrimage.

A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place. Some of you may have heard of the pilgrimage called the Camino de Santiago or even the Way of St James. It is said that St James himself travelled and preached in this area of Spain and following his martyrdom in Jerusalem in 42AD, his disciples brought his body back along a similar route to his final resting place in Santiago de Compestela.  The first written record of pilgrimage to Santiago dates back to 950. Today over 250 000 people travel the Camino each year. 

I am excited and I know I will be challenged by this amazing experience for many reasons. Leaving my family and my beloved Gucci as well as the precious St Kevin’s students, parents, carers and staff will be difficult for me.   But I am sure it will be character building and also a massive opportunity for learning and spiritual reflection.    I also look forward to building connections with principals and learning more about the world.

Eva Tomazos will be the Acting Principal supported by the Leadership Team on different days to ensure all learning continues 

Warmest regards, Gabee