Friendship Tree Update

Over the Holiday period we removed the Friendship Tree due to it being unsuitable/unsafe for the area in which it was originally planted. Student safety is always first and foremost in all decisions that are made at St. Finbar's School. We are letting the garden bed settle for a few weeks and we have ordered a new Friendship Tree to be replanted. The tree is an Australian native - Flindersia Australis which will be planted in Week 4 of this term. We will also be planting 12 Ornamental Pears (Same as the trees in the front of the school) in the garden bed adjacent to the friendship tree to provide some shade and greenery to the area. Thanks to Miss McCurdy our Sustainability leader and the Student Sustainability Leaders for assisting with this.

Sibling Enrolments for Prep 2020

I would ask that parents who have a child commencing in Prep 2020 to please enrol their child by Friday 1st March so we can see how many places will be available to new families for 2020. Enrolment forms can be downloaded from the following link:

St Finbar's Enrolment Information

Sibling enrolment interviews will happen THIS term.

Open Days

Our school Open Days for 2020 enrolments will be held on Friday 1st March, Thursday 14th March, Thursday 4th April and Monday 29th April. All sessions will be from 9:15am – 11:00am. This is an excellent opportunity for interested families to see St. Finbar’s students and staff in action. School tours will be conducted by our Year 6 student leaders.

Parent Information Evening

Thank you to all of the parents who attended the Information evening last night. It was well attended and I would like to acknowledge the Staff for their dedication and hard work for our school and students. Last night I spoke to the parents about 2 key areas:

1. School communication (email)

We are all very busy people and sometimes emailing at the end of a day/evening is the best time to get correspondence done. This is perfectly fine. Please note that all school staff have been instructed to only reply to emails between the weekday hours of 8am and 6pm. We also endeavour to respond to all emails within a 48 hour time period (not including weekends). Please note that emails are not to be used for discussion regarding concerns that you may have. We request that parents have a face to face meeting with class teachers for this purpose.

2. Our traffic obligations around the school and school grounds.

WALLEN STREET: There is “NO PARKING” on the school side of Wallen Street as this is a “drop off” zone only. Parking is permitted opposite the school. Parents are asked to drive as far as possible down Wallen St, adjacent to the hall building, to ensure that a bank up of cars does not occur at Ward Street. This area is strictly a “Kiss & Drop” zone. This is a ‘kiss and Drop off’ area and parents are asked NOT TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. Students should have their bags accessible to collect (not in the boot). Please do not overtake cars whilst waiting in line. There is a turning point at the end of Wallen Street and parents are reminded NEVER to do a U turn in Wallen Street or to block residents driveways.

DRIVE THROUGH: Cars are to enter via the staff car park and through the double gates and veer towards the hall and around to the grassed steps where children can be dropped off or picked up. We aim to have 3 cars picking up or dropping off at a time. This is also strictly a “Kiss & Drop” zone. Parents are asked NOT TO GET OUT OF THE CAR and students should have their bags accessible to collect (not in the boot). The exit is via the double gates through the staff car park and front of the church. There is NO RIGHT HAND TURN out of the driveway during school hours. Please note that there is no pedestrian traffic through the drive through gates in the morning and afternoon and it is never acceptable to use your car horn in or around the school grounds.

Prep - 2 Literacy Evening

Wednesday 13th February 6.30pm

Come along to our P-2 Literacy Evening and have fun taking part in phonic, reading and writing activities.

These are all activities which the P-2 students take part in during our daily Literacy sessions.

Hopefully this will assist you in supporting your child’s Literacy development, and also ensure a consistent approach between school and home.

Please come along and join us, it will be a fun and informative night.

More information to follow in next week’s newsletter.

Meet the Teacher Chats

As noted on the 2019 calendar, ‘Meet the Teacher chats’ will be in February and Parent / Teacher interviews in June. The ‘chats’ on Tuesday 19th or Thursday 21st February will be an opportunity for YOU, as parents, to tell us about your child’s strengths, passions, social competencies and areas to be worked on. The interviews in June will take the same format as in the past, that is, the teacher reporting on the child’s progress. Written reports will be provided prior to the June interviews and at the end of the year.

SCHOOL INTERVIEWS ONLINE BOOKINGS: How to book your Parent/Teacher interviews: ALL appointments are now to be booked online. Please go to the website: http://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/home Simply enter the school code b89m4 and press "Go". You will then be guided through three simple steps, and a few moments later you will get an email confirming your interviews. Parents without internet access can come to the office and an interview will be made for you. BOOKINGS CLOSE FRIDAY 15th FEBRUARY. Thank you.

This year the children will be dismissed from school at 3:30pm on both days from the hall. This will alleviate the need for parents to book additional aftercare hours.

Taekwondo Lessons

We are seeking interest from families in the use of Taekwondo sessions at St. Finbar's School. More information can be found in the link below. If you have any queries please contact Sophia on 0419 876 187.

Year 6 Canberra Camp

Next week the Year 6 students will be attending Camp in Canberra. I would like to thank: Mrs Peggy McDonald, Mr Matt Callery, Mrs Jo Fraser, Miss Michelle Hill and Mrs Cathy Ferrari who will be with the children during this time. I will also be attending this camp, Mrs Irene Greenway and Mrs Margy D'Rozario will manage the school in my absence. Please check our School Facebook site for many exciting Canberra updates next week.

God Bless,

Pat Berlingeri

Principal

P-2 Literacy Information Night