Dear Parents/Carers,

On the gate yesterday morning, I found myself saying good morning to many happy parents and children as they came bounding into the school playground, ready for another busy week of learning at our wonderful school. This made me smile and reflect, as it was about this time last year that things were extremely uncertain with Covid-19 outbreaks across Melbourne and Sydney. 2020 was terribly difficult for many reasons, but we have been quite lucky to enjoy a wonderful Summer and beginning of Autumn. This Friday night from 5pm-8pm, we are able to gather together for our Whole School Welcome Picnic. The weather forecast is looking good and we have secured some performers for live music to add to the atmosphere. We encourage all families to come along to spend some time with other St Agnes families and remind ourselves what it is like to belong to this great community. See the flyer on the P&F page of this newsletter.

Staffing Changes

At the end of this term, our Visual Arts teacher Mrs Kate Sorensen will be moving to Coff Harbour with her family. One of Kate’s extended family members is unwell, so Kate, her husband Blake and their children will be moving to be closer to family. Kate has been a staff member at St Agnes’ since the beginning of 2019 and her vibrancy will be missed around the place. Also at the end of this term, Ms Julie Grace will reduce her working hours from three days a week, back to two days per week. This change will impact the Year 5 students as Julie will no longer be teaching this class on a Wednesday. Mrs Lauren Cummins has been appointed to fill both the Year 5 classroom role and the Visual Arts specialist role. Lauren was a staff member at St Agnes’ in 2019 and we look forward to welcoming her back to our school at the beginning of Term Two.

We have also recently appointed a teacher to our Year 1 Classroom. Mr Jake McMahon joined our school on Tuesday 9th March and has assumed full responsibility for the Year 1 cohort. As a young teacher, Jake brings enthusiasm and contemporary knowledge to our school setting. Please make Jake feel welcome by saying hello if you see him around.

Parents and Friends Committee Meeting - Wednesday 17th March, 7.30pm

This Wednesday 17th March at 7.30pm, we have the first Parents and Friends Committee meeting for 2021. This is an open meeting and all parents are welcome to attend. I ask that our Class Reps make a special effort to be in attendance please. The meeting will be held onsite, in the staffroom.

Sacrament of Reconciliation - Thursday 18th March

This Thursday we are looking forward to celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation with our Year 3 and 4 students and families. We have close to 30 children receiving the sacrament or a special blessing, so the evening will be in two liturgies. The Year 3 Paraliturgy and Celebration will be at 6.30pm and the Year 4 Paraliturgy and Celebration will be at 7.30pm.

Homework

At the beginning of this school year, we made an adjustment to the types of tasks our Year 3 to 6 students would be receiving for homework. Homework is one of the most polarising issues in primary schools and divides opinion like no other. As school and staff, we believe that homework forms an integral part of the development of independent, resilient and confident learners. Recent educational research indicates that the benefits for our students undertaking and completing homework are more about the organisational benefits, rather than the academic benefits. With this in mind, the recent homework tasks have been selected because they provide predictability for the students and also for the parents. The students now know that they will receive these tasks on a Monday and they are due on a Friday. They know what their homework will look like each week and are able to organise their time accordingly. They know that if it is not completed without valid reason, that they will be expected to complete it during recess or lunch. There is variation in the ‘levels’ of English and Mathematics tasks in each year level, which allows teachers to differentiate the work being sent home so that it is able to be completed independently by your child. The aim is to provide your child with the right opportunities to develop the skills to be successful with managing their time to complete homework and other study tasks in the future. We know that when young people go off to secondary school, homework demands increase significantly, so it is important we prepare the students well at Primary level. If you are having to spend significant time with your child to complete the work, it is too difficult and I would encourage your child to let their teacher know.

See below the timeline for review of our Homework Policy:

Week Beginning 19th July 2021

Consultation with parents through School Advisory Council

Consultation with students from Year 5/6

Consultation with staff

Week Beginning 2nd August 2021

Leadership Team to begin updating Homework Policy

Week Beginning 17th August 2021

Present draft policy to School Advisory Council

Present draft policy to school staff

Week Beginning 6th September 2021

Distribution of ratified policy to community through the newsletter

Open Days

On Wednesday 24th March, the school will be holding the second of our three Open Days. Please encourage people you know who are looking to choose a school for their family to come along for a tour, led by our Year Six Leaders. The visitors will also have the opportunity to meet with me to ask any questions. The final Open Day will be held on Wednesday 21st April.

School Photos

School Photos have been rescheduled for Wednesday 31st March. Students will need to be wearing their full Summer school uniform on this day and if they have Class Sport, they will need to pack runners in their bag.

Last Day of Term One - Thursday 1st April - 1.30pm finish

On the final day of Term One, we will be getting back to some well known traditions at St Agnes’ and starting one new tradition. First thing on the morning of our final day will be the famous Easter Bonnet parade, followed by the Easter Raffle draw. After this, we will gather together to celebrate an Easter Liturgy, where we will learn about the events of Holy Week and pray together. After recess, our students will participate in a student led activity day focused on friendship and strengthening relationships across the student community. More information about these activities will be communicated shortly. It will be a casual dress day and we ask students to bring a gold coin donation for the casual dress - This will go to Project Compassion, Cartis Australia’s yearly Lenten fundraising effort to address social injustice and poverty. See below, a link to the Project Compassion website for more information:

https://lent.caritas.org.au/week-6.

Assembly

Assembly will take place at 2.40pm on a Wednesday afternoon in the Hall. At assembly, there will be presentations from classes, student awards, birthday acknowledgements and special announcements. Parents are welcome to attend.

Wed 17th March - Year 1

Wed 24th March - Prep

Wed 31st March - Year 4

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Kind regards,

Lachie

DATES TO REMEMBER