Welcome back to Term 2

I would like to to take this opportunity to welcome all of our families back to another term full of learning opportunities and friendship. It has been a pleasure for me to wander around the school this week and chat with the children about their time away and share stories about holiday fun.

Year 5 & 6 Swimming

We are back in the swing of things with Years 5 & 6 students starting their swimming lessons at Starfish this week, and from all accounts it has been a huge success. Thanks to all staff for your diligence and support of this important event/program.

Inter-school sports

Thanks to Mrs Thompson and the Year 5 /6 teachers for the work that has gone into preparing the students for the upcoming inter school sports competitions. The students will participate in Football and Netball round robin competitions as well as a Lightning Premiership days later this term.

Year 3 Camp

Our Year 3 students will be going to Mt Evelyn next Monday and Tuesday for their annual school camp. Thanks to Miss Ireland, Mrs D'Rozario, Mr Rodrigues, Mrs Ferrari and Mrs Anthea Conroy who are the supervising staff for this activity. Keep an eye out on our Facebook site for pictures of the children participating in the many activities offered.

Dads Social Evening Tonight!

Last call for our Dads social evening tonight at the Grosvenor Hotel from 7pm. We currently have over 70 registered attendees and it promises to be a great night for all. Please consider attending if you have not already done so as it is a tremendous opportunity for the men of St. Finbar's to come together and socialise.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the following Year 5 students who have been shortlisted as the finalists for the recent Goldstein Anzac Day Poetry competition:

Helena P ~ 5A, Ronny S ~ 5A, and Dewi M ~ 5A

Ali S ~ 5H, Sophia J ~ 5H and Imogen J-S ~ 5H

They, and their families have been invited to Mr Tim Wilson's Office on Thursday 17th May for a special presentation. Well Done!

School Advisory Board Meeting

Thanks to our School Board members for an informative meeting held last Tuesday. Many topics were discussed including our biennial parent survey and the content of this survey, staffing and enrolments, as well as future projects to prioritise. The parent survey will be made available early in Term 2 in May.

School Review

On Monday 30th April and Friday 4th of May we will be undergoing the school review process. This event happens every 4 years in all Victorian schools and is a legal requirement. The purpose of School review is to ascertain all of our governance paperwork is in order as well as to identify our many successes and lay out a road map for future directions. If you would like to be a part of the parent reference group which will meet with our school reviewer on Monday 30th April at 9am for approximately 40 minutes can you please contact me directly via email or phone.

2019 Prep Enrolments

It has been my absolute pleasure to meet with our 2019 Prep sibling families late last term to chat with parents and students about the upcoming year. I have also meet many new families this term and we are currently in the process of finalising our offers for class placements. We currently have offered 19 sibling positions and 23 new family positions. We have our final Open Day next week where we will look to close the enrolment process for 2019. If there are still any outstanding enrolments out there in the community please get them in ASAP as demand for places has been very strong this year. We are currently looking at 2 Prep classes of approximately 25 students.

Walkathon

Well done to our P & F for an outstanding Walkathon held on the last day of Term 1. It was wonderful to see the whole school in action completing as many laps as possible.

Long Service Leave

I would like to wish Mrs Christine Kelly well as she takes Long Service Leave for Term 2 and I would like to officially welcome Ms Juliette Foenander who will work with the families and students in 2K. Ms Foenander has worked at St. Finbar's over the past 2 years as an emergency teacher and will be a valuable asset to our teaching staff. I would also like to welcome Mrs Zelda Chun to our school. Zelda will be working as a Learning Support Officer (LSO) across many year levels and will be with us 5 days per week.

Changeover to Winter Uniform

The school winter or summer uniform can be worn from the first week of Term 2 which begins on Monday 16th of April. Full winter uniform MUST be worn from Monday 30th of April - Week 3 Term 2. If the weather is unseasonally hot then we will look to adjust this date.

Upcoming Event for Term 2

Please keep an eye on our school calendar as there are many events coming up:

- NAPLAN testing for Year 3 & 5

- Year 3 Camp

- Year 4 Bike Ed Camp and Training

- Year 5 Camp

- Inter-school Sports

- Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 Swimming Lessons

- School Review

- Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews

- School Photos

- Inter-school Sports

- Inter-school Cross Country event

Looks like it is going to be a great term!

God Bless,

Pat Berlingeri

Principal

Local Interests

St Finbar's Netball Club

St Mary's Pre-School Open Day

Hurlingham Preschool