School News

Dear parents, families and friends,

Please excuse the lateness of this edition of the newsletter. It has been a busy two weeks, especially this past week where I have had a number of off site and out of hours school commitments, including First Holy Communion on Saturday evening.

In the last newsletter we were praying for Pope Francis after his passing. Now we have a newly elected Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, Pope Leo 14th. Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was elected pope on 8 May, becoming the first US-born and second American pope. He brings a background of study in Rome, years of ministry in Peru, where he is a naturalised citizen, and leadership in the Augustinian Order. A multilingual canon lawyer and mathematician, he supports synodality and has served communities on the margins. His chosen name reflects a commitment to Catholic social justice, and his public support for migrants, climate action, and abuse survivors signals a continued focus on key global issues. In his first message, he called the Church to move forward united, without fear, guided by Christ.

Ball Games after school in the Birmingham St Park

It has been brought to my attention that there have been a few near misses and some direct hits by soccer and footballs in the Birmingham St Park area. Safety concerns have also been raised about balls going onto the road at the intersection of Avoca and Birmingham Streets and students running to get the balls without stopping and looking for cars. The Birmingham Park is a wonderful space for our families to gather and utilise, however i don't want this to be compromised by a serious accident to any of our community members or anyone else travelling through the space. On average, there can be 200 to 250 people in this space at the 3.15pm dismissal, including young children in prams, students on bikes and scooters and grandparents. Therefore, after consoltation with the leadership team and the staff, we ask that you abide by the following:

1. No ball games to be played in the park, especially on the grass until 3.25pm. This will allow for the initial crowd to disperse after the 3.15pm dismissal.
2. Parents and carers are responsible for the safety of the children. Our duty of care is transferred when students are collected by their parents or carers or have been given permission to travel home independently. Parents need to actively supervise their children, particularly when balls go onto the road.
3. No child can play in the park without their parent/carer being present. Students waiting to be collected must wait at the main gate with the teachers on duty.

Generally, the students playing games in the area are supervised by their parents and carers. I thank you for your support in ensuring that our students are safe when either using or moving through the Birmingham Park.

Year Level Family Whats App Groups

WhatsApp groups are being set up for families of  each year level to help you stay connected and share reminders, updates or questions with each other throughout the year. It’s a handy way for families to communicate—especially for things that might get missed in newsletters or notes. A parent from each year level or class will be responsible for setting up, managing and monitoring the group. Many of these parents are members of the Parents & Friends Committee, which is where the idea came from, as a means of ensuring information and reminders about social and fundraising events in particular are communicated quickly to parents and families.

These groups are run by families, for families, and are not used for direct communication with teachers or the school. These groups are also not a forum for gossip, rumour spreading, complaints and slander about teachers, staff, students, families or the school. As far as I am aware the Whats App groups are being used appropriately and effectively as another means of communication along with the newsletter, Operoo and emails, and I want it to continue this way.

Communication Channels

A reminder that, as mentioned above, there are appropriate forms of communication at St. Augustine's. Classroom teachers are the first and main point of contact. They are responsible for the daily running of the classroom and are able to answer questions about curriculum, assessment and homework, along with student progress and behaviour. For broader, schoolwide queries or concerns or when you feel that an issue hasn't been resolved at a classroom level, then a school leader is the next point of contact. There are 4 school leaders here at St. Augustine's; Dina Mazzeo as Deputy Principal & Numeracy Leader, Natalina Paglianiti as Learning Diversity & Wellbeing Leader, Natalie Librizzi as Literacy Leader and myself.

Broader queries and concerns relating to schoolwide matters can also be taken to any member of the School Advisory Council who can then bring this to a council meeting for discussion. The council members are; Luke Harrop, Zoe Noble, Daniel Petroni, Chris Cox, Bryan Chetcuti, Alana King, Katrina Aralios and Andrew McDonnell.

First Holy Communion

The celebration of the Sacrament of First Holy Communion has begun. Over this weekend and the next, students from St. Augustine's, Annunciation and Corpus Christi along with children from the parish catechist program will receive the Eucharist for the first time at one of the parish masses celebrated in the churches of St. Augustine's, Annunciation and Corpus Christi. Yesterday evening I attended the 5.00pm mass here at St. Augustine's. It was cold and wet, however this did not dampen the excitement and enthusiasm of the children, who remebered all that they had practised during the week. Congratulations to Emily, Poppy, Raphael, Alice, Arlo and Alina.

Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Sunday 1st June here at St. Augustine's Church. It will be a combined celebration with students from St. Augustine's, Annunciation and Corpus Christ as well as children from the parish catechist program. The Confirmation candidates have begun their preparation which includes a family workshop night and a reflection day at the Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre. We pray for our candidates that they will be open to the Holy Spirit as they grow in faith, hope and love.

John Burland Concert

On Wednesday 4th June at 9am, John Burland will perform a concert at our school for our students. Parents, friends and toddlers are welcome and encouraged to attend.

John Burland is an accomplished world-renowned Catholic composer, musician and educator from Sydney, Australia who has been writing and recording religious music for children and adults for over twenty years. We use many of John's songs in school masses and other celebrations and events as well as in the classroom.

Again, I warmly invite all parents, grandparents, friends and toddlers to join with us in a fun filled and joyus morning.

Wellbeing Day

This Thursday 22nd May is Wellbeing. Miss Paglianiti and the Year 6 Student Wellbeing Leaders have been working very hard to organise a day of fun activities to promote and support Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Important Upcoming Events

• Tuesday 20th May, 6pm - Matt, Dina, Natalie and Natalina attending the Western Region Leadership Dinner
• Thursday 22nd May - Wellbeing Day
• Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th May - Sacrament of First Holy Communion
• Monday 26th May - Biggest Afternoon Tea - Cancer Council Fundraiser
• Thursday 29th May - 5 Week Intensive Swimming Program for P -4 commences
• Wednesday 4th June, 9am - John Burland Concert

Important Information for Parents about NCCD

Please read the attached document if you have a child currently receiving NCCD funding or may be eligible to receive funding due to being recently diagnosed with a disability.

Matthew Stead

Principal