NEWS & ADMINISTRATION

Dear Parents,

Last week we had a visit from Father John O'Connor.  Father John O'Connor will be the Parish Priest of Holy Name and Our Lady of the Way, beginning in September.  We talked all things Holy Name from the history of the school and buildings to our wonderful students and community.  We did also find out his love for good coffee.  It was lovely to meet our new Priest and we look forward to formally welcoming him in September. 

Father John is not new to me as we were working at the same parish 14 years ago (now I am showing my age!).  Understandably, there will be some changes and adjustments that will need to be made as he transitions across to the two parishes.

Today, I also need to write to you to explain some significant changes which have occurred in the world of teaching.  I have been involved in Catholic Education since the late 80's, however recently there have been some significant changes which are required to be put in place.

Recently, catholic school teachers voted on an EBA agreement which was already two years overdue.  In this agreement, teachers are only permitted to have 5 hours face to face (scheduled class time) per day.  The way our current day runs, staff at Holy Name do 5 hours and 20 min per day (Please see Table A below).  While we have come to an agreement with how to compensate for 10 minutes extra each day, we can't for the other 10. 

Therefore, we need to change our finish time on a daily basis.  Starting from Term 4, our day will now finish at 3:20pm each day (Please see table B below). 

Please note:   Gates will be locked at the end of the day at 3:35 pm. Children not collected by this time will be sent to the office. 

Along with the reduction in scheduled class time, another aspect of the agreement is Time in Lieu for any activity that is outside of their normal working day.  Time in Lieu for Holy Name staff for attendance at Camps, Parent/Teacher interviews, Father's Day BBQ, Sacraments, Sacrament nights, meetings and anything else will be given back to staff at the end of the year.  Therefore, this year children will finish school on Friday 15th December at 1:00pm.

If you have any questions regarding the new EBA agreement, please do not hesitate to speak with Derryn or myself.

Graduation (Year 6)

Year 6 Graduation will be held on Thursday 14th December (to be confirmed with new Parish Priest).   On this night, the children will have their graduation mass and disco. They are expected at school on Friday 15th  where they will take part in the end of the year Mass (still to be confirmed) and will take part in their guard of honour.

Father's Day Afternoon

Please check out Operoo for the RSVP notice.

Father's Day Stall Helpers

On Tuesday 29th August, we are holding our Stall.  We are seeking a small number of helpers from 9 - 11am.  If you can help and you have a current WWC registered at the school office, please email  office@hnpe.catholic.edu.au

Mums Night Out

Mums... this is your opportunity to grab a couple of your Holy Name friends and get out for the evening.  Make sure you include the following date in your diary!! 

National Day Against Bullying and Violence

August 18th is National Day against Bullying and Violence. 

Book Week

Book Week at Holy Name will be taking place from Monday 21st August. The theme for this year's is Read, Grow, Inspire. This open theme can see the children dress up in either their favourite book character, a book that has helped them grow somehow or a book/character which has inspired them. The Book Week parade will be held on Wednesday 23rd August from 9am-10am. Toddlers are also encouraged to dress up and come and join in our parade.  We will have a special visit from some of the children from Oakhill Kindergarten as well. 

School Disco

I hope that you have purchased your tickets for the Holy Name Disco on Friday 25th August.  Today is the last day to get your child a ticket to this event. This is a wonderful opportunity for children in any level to come back to school from 5:00-7:00 pm and have a bit of fun.  

Excursions

There are numerous incursions and excursions happening this term for various grade levels.  Please check Operoo and ensure you have signed the relevant permission notes. 

DISTRICT ATHLETICS - Selected students from Grade 4-6 - 22nd August 

CERES - Grade 1/2 - 29th August 

FATHER'S DAY AFTERNOON GAMES AND SAUSAGE SIZZLE - 31st August 

DAREBIN PARKLANDS - Grade 3/4 - 8th September 

PREP - 2 SWIMMING PROGRAM - 4th September - 15th September 

CHOIR VISIT TO VASEY RSL - 12th September 

Children's Absence from School

A reminder that if your child is absent from school for any reason, a phone call to the office or email to the teacher (please cc the office) is a requirement.

If your family is going on holiday during the school term, please email the Principal.

Updated Policies

Please note the updated school uniform policy

Before and After School Pick Up and Drop Off

Thank you to the many wonderful families for doing the right thing and keeping our children safe in the mornings and afternoons.

There have been an increasing number of parents stopping their cars to pick up and drop off their students near the crossing at Robb Street. This becomes very dangerous for our students and crossing supervisor, especially during the peak times. This area is a no standing area.  Please do not use this area to pick up or drop off your child and instead use the church kiss and drop.

MACSIS Family School Improvement Survey

Each year, a number of school families are asked to participate in an online survey and your response is anonymous.  It is really important that if you receive a survey invitation (via email) on Friday next week, that you do complete it, as it allows us to make important decisions for our school, based on your feedback.   Your emailed letter contains all the details needed to participate and the survey will open on Monday 28 August.  

If you have any queries about the survey, please ask either myself or Derryn.

Lost Property Basket

The basket is overflowing with expensive uniform items, mainly woollen jumpers, windcheaters (& even jackets) with no names or names of children long gone from the school.  We return as many items to their owners as we can, but if parents don't name or rename the pieces, there's nothing we can do. 

If your child has lost a uniform item, please come and look through the basket in the office corridor, take your item and don't forget to name it. 

Assembly Roster

We welcome all parents and friends to join us each Monday from 2:30 for our assembly. Each week a different grade level will share and present their learnings.