From the Principal

Dear Families

As we come to a close of Term Two I would like to congratulate our children on having a very successful first half of the year.  Our children have been engaged in their learning, enjoying playing with their friends and meeting our expectations in the yard and classrooms.  They deserve their two week break!  Thanks to our dedicated staff who have our children at the centre of all they do.  Our staff deserve their break and wish them a safe two weeks where they can relax and recharge their batteries for the second half of the year. 

Susie Dundas our Year 3-6 PE teacher is leaving to work with ACHPER (Australian Council of Health, PE and Recreation) in the Bendigo Region.  We thank Susie for the work she has done and accessing many sporting bodies to facilitate sessions with our children. We wish her all the best.  Sean Morris will be replacing Susie. 

Our children have worked hard this half of the year as you have hopefully realised reading your child’s report.  Our Parent Child and Teacher Interviews are scheduled for this afternoon and tomorrow.  The following hints may help you to get the most out of your time meeting your child’s teacher

• Think about any questions you may have regarding your child’s progress, strengths and challenges
• Give your child’s teacher the opportunity to share their assessment of your child’s progress. At times interviews never get off the ground as enthusiastic parents can take over
•  Make sure you clarify anything you do not understand
• Be prepared to give an assessment of how you think your child is performing
• Ask how you can help your child in the areas that need to be strengthened 
• If there are any unresolved issues or you wish to discuss your child’s difficulties in greater detail, consider asking for another interview

After the interview, discuss with your child areas that need to be improved in positive terms. Discuss your child’s strengths first before discussing areas needing more work. Try and involve your child in making plans for improvement. By involving your child, and taking notice of their ideas the plans are likely to be more successful.

Congratulations

Last week we had several children compete at the Regional Cross Country event Congratulations to Ebony M from Year 6 who qualified for the State Championships which will be held next term.

We wish her all the best.  Congratulations to our other children Leo W, Myles K, William R, and Matthew H, who tried their best and made it to the top 30 of their age group. 

Our Year 6 children competed in the Sunbury Primary Schools Winter Sport Competition last Friday.  Our T-ball and netball teams tried their best and had mixed success.  Our Girls Soccer team lost in the grand final against OLMC.  Our Soccer and football teams won their grand finals and will now go on and compete in the district competition next term. 

The New Enterprise Bargaining Agreement for Staff of Catholic Schools 

A new enterprise agreement covering teachers across most of the Catholic schools in

Victoria, including ours, has been approved and is in effect.

The new agreement delivers several positive changes for both our dedicated staff and the

overall functioning of our school, including improved pay and employment conditions. One key aspect of this agreement is the inclusion of new time-in-lieu provisions, which will

enable our teachers and support staff to accumulate additional time off when they are

required to work more than their regular 38 hours per week which might include overnight

camps and supervision at evening and weekend activities.

This change is a recognition of the considerable extra work our teachers are asked to do and will enhance their work-life balance and well-being.

However, implementing these changes will mean that students will finish up a couple of

days earlier than usual, on Friday 15 December.  This will limit any disruption to students

throughout the year and enable our staff to avail themselves of their earned time off during the holiday season, rejuvenating themselves for the upcoming year.

I am letting you know now as I wanted to give you ample time of the new finishing up date

to accommodate any changes to your schedules or arrangements at what is a busy time of the year.  By prioritising the well-being and work-life balance of our dedicated staff, we are fostering an environment that promotes excellence in teaching and learning.

If you have any questions or concerns about the new enterprise agreement or the revised

finishing up date, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we strive to provide an outstanding education for our students.

God Bless

Ms Noelene Hussey