Important Announcements

'Dream, Believe, Achieve in 2021'

Virtual school Experience

Please see our story of us here

Payment of School Fees

Please ensure that your fees are up to date. We ask that everyone contributes. It is compulsory for Catholic Schools to supplement Commonwealth and State Grants as part of the General Recurrent cost incurred in the running of the school. Hence it is necessary to have school fees and student fees as well as fund-raising efforts to raise money on the local level.

 

It is important to mention that no student will be excluded because of an inability to pay fees. In these cases a suitable fee structure will be negotiated with the Principal. However, it is the expectation that all families make every effort to meet their financial commitments. It is a matter of justice to all students and families that the financial burden is equally distributed. Paying secondary school fees whilst trying to pay back primary school fees at the same time would be a difficult task and one I wouldn't wish on any family.

 

FAMILY FEE ASSISTANCE SCHEME

The Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools (MACS), offers a Family Fee Assistance Scheme through funding to assist families to send their children to Catholic primary schools. The scheme is available to families/students with an eligible means tested Health Care Card, Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card or Veteran Affairs Pensioner Card. This scheme reduces the cost of the Family Fee significantly. The Student Levy, Swimming Levy and Outdoor Education (camp) costs are then added to this to give a total fee amount for the year.

 

Catholic schools have always welcomed families of all financial means. We hope that this scheme will make sending your child to a Catholic school even more affordable. 

 

Fee statements are issued each term. For those who prefer to pay in installments fees can be paid in a number of ways either each week, fortnight, month, term or half-yearly. Fees may be paid in cash, by cheque, Eftpos or through Direct Debit. Every year the costs of running a school increase, power, water, gas and maintenance, staff salaries and the cost of living increase every year, therefore our fees need to increase every year. School fees are set in accordance with the Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools (MACS) Policy.

We are open for Enrolments for 2022

If you are a current family and have a Kinder aged child ready to start school in 2022 who turns 5 by April 30 2022, please collect an enrolment pack from the office or online via the link below and submit your enrolment form and paperwork as soon as possible. If you know of any families who you are interested in coming to tour our school please encourage them to contact the office to book a time. Please see our Virtual Experience on our website or right  here             Link to Enrolment Form

A new look Lego Lab is here!!

Every Monday & Friday the Lego lab is happening during lunchtime activities play with Ms. Booker. There is lots to build together so come along and share your Lego passion! Student led and initiated! We also look forward to our student leaders running other lunchtime activities during the week.

New logo

You will soon see our new logo on our uniform and all over the place. We are in the process of updating the uniform so that over time, all pieces will have the new logo.  This doesn't mean that you need to buy new uniform. A process like this takes time and we will transition gradually over the next couple of years.

New School Signage and Child Safe signs

We are also in the process of updating all exterior school and Church signage to include our bright new colours, logo and child safe statements. You will soon see a new promotional board up outside 39+ with a beautiful bright picture of our students welcoming enrolments for 2022. Thank you to the power of community and Flynn and Co Real Estate for supplying us with the real estate board on Eastbourne road. Our commitment to child safety extends to ensuring that all of our main gates are locked every morning at 9.00am and reopened at 3.15pm. We ask you to enter via the side gate, outside the office, during school hours.

MACS - Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools 

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) began its governance responsibilities for parish and diocesan schools in the Archdiocese on 1 January 2021 when 290 schools transferred to MACS.

Factors leading to the change

A number of factors have led to the change in governance arrangements. These include recommendations that have been made from a Royal Commission and a Parliamentary Inquiry. Just as importantly, the new governance arrangements safeguard and strengthen the catholicity of our schools into the future.

With legislative and compliance requirements rapidly becoming more complex for our schools, an unincorporated governance model based on one person was no longer viable. The new governance model seeks both to ease the administrative burden on our schools and parishes, and to allow the parish priest to focus on the mission of education in the parish.

While the governance model will change administrative and legal aspects of the relationship between parish and school, they continue to be partners in the faith development of students. The connection between parish and school enables our young people to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments: the ‘source and summit’ of our Christian lives. Life-giving relationships between parishes and their schools lie at the heart of an educational experience that is truly Catholic.

Following an extensive consultation process and recommendations from the School Governance Steering Committee formed to look into education governance, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli established MACS to assume the governance and operation of Catholic schools, and appointed Gerard Dalbosco as the inaugural Chair of the company.

What this means for Fatima? We will need to introduce a suite of new policies by July 31st and we will also introduce a brand new School Advisory Council. Fr John Paul and I attended information sessions last week and we are in the process of adapting the 'Terms of Reference' document ready to open up opportunities for parents to serve on the School Advisory Council.

You can find all the information you need and see the draft policies that will govern our schools here.

Headlice Alert

Please be advised that there have been reports of headlice in the school. This was one thing we didn't need to worry too much about during COVID. Please be vigilant and check your children's hair tonight and treat if needed before they return to school. This is also a reminder that it is our schools policy that hair longer that shoulder length needs to be tied up for both female and male students.

 

Padua Year 7 2023 Enrolments

Close tomorrow. If you are a parent of a year 5 student and you want to send your child to Padua in 2023 you will need to fill in an application asap.  link:  https://enrol.padua.vic.edu.au/applications/enrolment-form 

 If you require any help with this process (digital reports etc.) please contact Sue Millar in our school office. 59 500 400

Kids Helpline - Anytime, anywhere

Please click here to access Kids Helpline