The Principal's Desk

Dear parents, families and friends,

Three weeks into term and already a lockdown!! Thank you to all the staff in their very rapid response to put together learning materials for the three days of lockdown. I have asked a lot of the staff over the past 12 months and they have responded over and above what has been asked of them. What drives the staff here at St. Augustine's is the wellbeing of each and every student. We are not far away from the rollout of the vaccine and therefore safer and more normal (COVID normal) times for all of us. 

Throughout all of last year I have been fully supportive of Daniel Andrews. It is not easy being a leader, making the hard decisions that are not favourable but are the right decisions to be made. We as Victorians have been through a lot; lockdowns, loss of jobs, loss of freedoms, loss of loved ones and loss of time. As a school community we lost so many important events and activities throughout last year. We accepted this knowing it will be worth it in the end, we made the sacrifices thinking that by doing this we can get back to some kind of normal in the near future. We wear masks, we sanitise, we maintain social distance, we register for COVID tracking and we avoid large gatherings whenever and wherever possible. I thank all families for fully supporting the school by adhering to all restrictions and procedures put in place. We are nearly there, the end is insight. With the rollout of the vaccine and increased personal health practices, we will be able to put COVID 19 behind us.

It was Ash Wednesday this week. Unfortunately we missed out on celebrating Ash Wednesday Mass together as a school community. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the season of Lent, which lasts for 40 days or 6 weeks. Don't pay attention to what you see in catalogues or shop displays, it's not Easter yet. Easter doesn't begin until Easter Sunday. During this time of Lent we are supposed to prepare ourselves; mind, body and spirit to be more like Jesus. There is a focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Prayer builds our communication and relationship with God. Fasting builds character and our understanding of ourselves. Almsgiving builds compassion and our relationship with others. As we progress through the season of Lent, let us look for opportunities to be better people by controlling ourselves, helping others and spending time in prayer.

Last week I detailed the teaching staff for 2021. This week I will detail the admin and LSO staff as well as staff holding a leadership role in the school.

As things slowly begin to return to normal, a number of lunchtime and recess activities will begin recommencing.

LEGO CLUB will be held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the courtyard of the junior yard and the undercroft area of the senior yard. This will start next week.

POKEMON CLUB - Thursday  (Pokemon cards are only allowed at school on Thursdays)

BRING YOUR OWN TOY/GAME (no electronics)  - Friday

BOOK CLUB - Once a week TUES or WED (TBA)

FUN & FITNESS FRIDAYS - All students to wear their sport uniform.

Letter From the Archbishop of Melbourne

School Library

Just before Christmas the new shelving units for the library were delivered. Over the past few weeks the LSO team has been reorganising the library to the point that it is just about ready for student use again. We want the library the be a welcoming, organised and quiet space in the school. We want students to discover the joy of reading and the magic of books in this space. The theme at the moment is Harry Potter. Below are some photos of the library, including the new shelves. We are looking for a couple of volunteers to assist in the task of maintaining the library including cataloguing books and keeping the shelves stocked and organised.

Please ensure you view each page of the newsletter. 

Quote of the Week:

"If you don't know what you're doing, then maybe don't do it!!" - Jonah Yr 5/6 D

Kind regards,

Matthew Stead

Principal