"There's Mr Keenan" is what I heard as the first child saw me on Monday. It was lovely seeing the children after being away during Term Two. It was not scripted when the children welcomed me back as I went out for morning supervision. Thank you to Tony and the staff for guiding the children's learning while I was away.

The first six weeks took me to Sydney a few times, Melbourne, Daylesford and Nagambie.

I also spent time working on a new school website platform. School visits mostly but the convent in Daylesford and St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney were highlights. My few days at St John XIII K-12 in Stanhope Gardens Sydney was another highlight. I engaged in discussions around developing connectivity with and among students with a 'Learning Lab' type of structure. Developing this culture before collecting authentic data which shows student growth. Another meeting arranged for my visit was with the school's marketing team. Obviously, a different budget as the school is close to 2000 students, but many ideas for me to consider in the future.

My month in the UK was a great experience. I stopped in Amsterdam for three nights (Pembridge School, Anne Frank, Jewish Museum and Portugese Synagogue).

Some experiences in the UK included visits to private/state/Catholic schools including Clifton College, Marlborough (Princess Kate's school), Sevenoaks, Wellington College, Millfield, King’s Bruton, St Anne's. Budgets very different from St Luke's but still a pleasure to experience.

I visited two Mercy Convents with a Principal from Mildura. Our experience in Birmingham was very special as Jenny (Archivist) led us around the convent and Sr Brendan (93 years old) joined us. Catherine McAuley was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1778. In 1824 she used her inheritance from an Irish couple she had served for twenty years to build a large House of Mercy where she and other lay women would shelter homeless women, reach out to the sick and dying and educate poor girls. The House on Baggot Street opened in 1827. To give these efforts greater stability, Catherine and her co-workers founded a new religious congregation. On 12 December 1831, she and two others professed their vows as the first Sisters of Mercy. Before her death on 11 November 1841, Catherine founded convents and works of mercy throughout Ireland and England.

I was able to catch up with five past students of mine from my first years of teaching. As an educator these reunions are very special and I felt very proud of them.

Great to be home and back at St Luke's.

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week is an Australian observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday. The acronym NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines' and Islanders' Day Observance Committee. NAIDOC Week has its roots in the 1938 Day of Mourning, becoming a week-long event in 1975. I shared with staff the importance of NAIDOC week and ongoing acknowledgement of country. It is not just about this week, but the other 51 weeks of the year. Everyone has a responsibility. We experience teachable moments daily whether at school or in the community.

3 Way Conferences (Teacher, Student, Parent/Carer)

The online booking form went live on Wednesday. Please complete this asap. This will close on Friday 21st July.

New Drop Off Routine

To support the new guidelines for teachers, students will not be unpacking bags as they arrive to school. Children are to bring their bags into the classroom, put them behind their chair or place in their locker (depending on individual class instruction). Please do not unpack your child's bag. The child will head outside unless we have called wet weather from 8:30am. Teachers are not supervising at this time. At all times there will be a staff member inside encouraging children to head out side and a staff member outside. A shift in routine will be more successful with your support. If you walk your child in, please support this process, say goodbye and send your child outside. A reminder, school supervision does not begin until 8:30am. We have early bus people arrive before this and we have a designated waiting area.

Pupil Free Day this Term

There will be a Pupil Free Day on Friday 25th August.

School Tours and Enrolments for 2024

Tours will be offered every Wednesday at 12:00pm for possible enrolments. If you know anyone outside our community please let them know. Some people may have missed our Open Day in May or they may be new to Shepparton.

World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon, Portugal

Miss Levesque and Mrs Small will represent St Luke's at World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 in Lisbon. They will join other staff members from the Diocese of Sandhurst. Eight nights in Lisbon for WYD and three nights in Avila for a post WYD retreat. Fr Jackson is leading the pilgrimage so our parish is well represented. Bre and Sarah will be away from Saturday 29th July - Sunday 13th August. We will share updates as their journey begins.

Exiting the school

Every school must exercise caution when driving around schools. Our school is no different. We experience high traffic at certain times every day. Please be patient. We are still fortunate to have a carpark, but please be careful. There will be no immediate changes or works for a second exit etc. It is part of our master plan for the next 10 years. We will explore a traffic audit as we review the master plan.

As we enter the second part of the year, please keep an eye on the calendar section. For those planning holidays adjacent to the last day of school, Friday 15th December may be the last day. If not, Monday will have no major student events if you need to book travel or accommodation.

Have a great weekend.

David Keenan - Principal

Religious Education

St Brendan's Parish Bulletin - 16 July 2023