PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents,

We have written an extra newsletter this week because of all the events which are happening in the school.

School production

This past week our students and staff have been busily getting ready for our school production of Cinderella and Rockerfella, to be held on Thursday 9th December in the school grounds. This is a ticketed event and tickets are only available for pre-purchase online until 12pm on Tuesday 7th December. Tickets will not be available on the night. Please follow this link to snap up tickets for your family:

Last Friday, the students all had the opportunity to get into their costumes and today in rehearsals, we saw the show in its entirety for the first time. Despite all of the time in lockdown, our students have persisted and adapted with the conditions to prepare themselves extremely well by learning their lines and songs in various rehearsal formats. Throughout Terms Two and Three, there were a number of online rehearsals with the main cast and our Performing Arts teacher Mrs Anna Guggluicello. The fact that we will be performing this show after a significantly interrupted lead-in, is a testament to the wonderful community that we have here at St Agnes’ and the resilience of staff and students. I would like to thank Anna Guggluicello and Amanda Baker in preparing the students so very well for the show. These staff have worked tirelessly in setting choreography, sourcing costumes, organising props, rehearsals, staging and audio to make the performance the best it can be. I would also like to thank all of our parents for supporting this show by getting base costumes organised and assisting with hair and makeup.

The stars of our performance are the children and they will be front and centre throughout the show. It is our intention to run a school production every two years, with the Year 5 and 6 students leading the show as the main cast, as is the case this year. Performing in front of a large audience takes many of our students out of their comfort zone and this is a really good thing for them to experience in primary school. It will be important for our main cast to have a reasonably quiet week in the lead up to the performance so they are feeling energised and healthy. 

After what has been a difficult couple of years, we are pleased to be able to bring our school community together for such an event. We are proud of the children for their efforts and I know that as parents you will be too. Below are all the details families need to be aware of for the production.

Arrival times for students on Thursday 9th December

5.00pm - Main cast (Year 5/6) to arrive

5.30pm - Prep - Year 4 to arrive to be dressed

6.00pm - Gates open to the audience

6.30pm sharp - Show commences

Upon arrival, the students will go to specific classrooms for changing into their main costume. Staff will be present to guide them to their rooms and assist with their costumes. After the show, our staff will ensure the children change out of their costume and connect with parents. Parents are not permitted in the change rooms during the evening.

Entrance

The only gates that will be open on the night will be via the Locinda Street entrance. All students being dropped off prior to the show will need to enter via these gates. This will also be the entrance for the audience.

Seating

This is a picnic style event, so all attendees are required to bring either a picnic rug or deck chair for the show. There will be an area to the front for those seated on the picnic rugs and an area to the rear for those on deck chairs. We have hired in raised staging, so the students will be visible from all aspects of the performance area.

Food and drinks

Parents/families are encouraged to bring picnic style snacks along for the evening, but we ask that the children have had a meal before they arrive for the performance.

Costumes

All costumes will be kept at school and the children will get changed, ready for the show upon arrival back at school. After the show, the students will again change out of their costumes before going home.

Length of the show

The show will run for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, so we expect it to conclude before 8pm.

School Advisory Council - Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting for the School Advisory Council will be held  tonight at school. All parents are invited to attend this meeting. We require a further two parent representatives to this parent body. If you are interested, please come along to tonight’s meeting, contact Anton Duddy (anton_duddy@hotmail.com) or myself.

Walkathon

This coming Friday, we have our school Walkathon at Peterson Street Reserve. The students will move down to the oval at the beginning of the day and commence walking/running laps by 9.15am. We encourage all students to be sourcing sponsorship for their efforts on Friday morning. There will be a prize for the individual who raises the most money, as well as the class. We do need some parent helpers for marking laps -  All helpers are required to be fully vaccinated. 

Please ensure you approve your child’s attendance on Operoo which is coming out today.

End of Year/Graduation Mass- Tuesday 14th December at 6pm

I am pleased to inform our school community that we will be gathering for a whole school End of Year/Graduation Liturgy at 6pm on Tuesday 14th December. It will be held in the church and it is expected that all students are in attendance. During this liturgy, we will celebrate the end of the school year and our Year Six graduating class of 2021. All parents, extended family members and eligible teenagers attending the End of Year/Graduation Liturgy are required to be fully vaccinated and evidence is required on arrival. Following the liturgy, Year Six students and their parents will move over to the hall for dinner, speeches and further celebrations.

Year Six Final Assembly

On Wednesday 8th December, we will celebrate the Year Six children at their final assembly in the hall. Year Six parents are welcome to attend this event, however all attendees must be fully vaccinated. Please come through the office to check in and show your vaccination certificate. Masks are also required.

Uniform Changes in 2022

In 2022, there will be some basic changes to our school uniform. See below: 

• The new navy v-neck school jumper is now available from our uniform supplier Noone Imagewear. This v-neck will be worn with our Summer and Winter school uniform. 
• The current navy bomber jacket will be worn only with the sports uniform.
• There will be a transition period of 1 year (2022) for families to adjust to this change.
• The maroon spray jacket is able to be worn over the top of our school and sports uniform, but not in place of the jumper or bomber jacket. It is an additional item for those really cold days.
• The tri-colour parachute jacket will no longer be an acceptable item of uniform in 2022. The period of transition has concluded for this item of uniform as it has been replaced by the maroon spray jacket.

2022 Orientation Morning

Students will spend the morning with the 2022 Class Teacher on Friday 10th December, from 9-11am.

Year Six Excursion to Luna Park - Monday 13th December

The Year Six students go to Luna Park for their end-of-year celebration with their peers and teachers. This will include a special lunch and is a great tradition of our school. More information will be sent via Operoo.

Conclusion to 2021 School Year

The 2021 school year will conclude on Tuesday 14th December at 3:30pm for the Year 6 children and on Wednesday 15th December at 1:30pm for the Prep-Year 5 children.

Commencement of 2022 School Year

The school year for students in years 1 to 6 commences on Monday 31st January at 8:45am and for Prep on Tuesday 1st February at 8:45am

Important Dates for 2022

Term Dates for 2022

Term One: Monday 31st January- Friday 8th April

Term Two: Tuesday 26th April- Friday 24th June

Term Three: Monday 11th July- Friday 16th September

Term Four: Monday 3rd October - Thursday 15th December

Important Dates for Term One

Parent Information Night: Tuesday 8th February

Parent Teacher Exchange Sessions: Tuesday 15th February

School Closure Day: Thursday 10th and Friday 11th March

Labour Day holiday: Monday 14th March

Additional Dates

St Agnes’ Visual Arts Show: Thursday 24th November

Graduation for Year 6 2021- Wednesday 14th December

Camp Dates

Year 3 Zoo Snooze - Monday 21st - Tuesday 22nd November

Year 4 Zoo Snooze - Tuesday 22nd - Wednesday 23rd November

Year 5/6 Arrabri Camp - Monday 5th - Wednesday 7th September

Sick Children

To keep our school community safe, we must make sure that children who are unwell do not attend school under any circumstances. Those children who become unwell during school time will be sent home as per our normal practice. It is advisable that if any student presents with any symptoms of Covid-19 they are tested immediately. Should a member of your family test positive I would ask you to contact me as soon as possible.

Assembly

Assemblies are now face-to-face on a Wednesday afternoon, with students and staff present. 

Wed 1st Dec - Year 4

Wed 8th Dec - Year 6 Final Assembly

Kind regards,

Lachie Foott