Parent Information Evening

Last night we held our parent information evening. It started in the hall where all staff were introduced to the parent community, this included the school leadership team and their portfolios as well as our specialist teachers. The second half of the evening was back in the classrooms where the classroom teachers spoke to the parents about expectations and procedures for this year. Year level newsletters, which were given out at these meetings, can be found on our school website under the heading News and Events. I would like to publicly acknowledge the work achieved by the St. Finbar’s staff not only from last night’s meeting but over the first two weeks of this term. It has been a truly excellent start to the year.

Sibling Enrolments for 2019

I would ask that parents who have a child commencing in Prep 2019 to please enrol their child by Friday 23rd February so we can see how many places will be available to new families for 2019. Enrolment forms can be downloaded from the following link:

St Finbar's Enrolment Form

Sibling enrolment interviews will happen THIS term.

Open Days

Our school Open Days for 2019 enrolments will be held on Friday 2nd March 9:15am – 11:00am (Presentation at 10am) and Tuesday 6th March 12:00pm – 1:30pm (Presentation at 12:45pm). This is an excellent opportunity for interested families to see St. Finbar’s students and staff in action. School tours will be conducted by our Year 6 student leaders.

Traffic on Wallen Street

I would like to take this opportunity to remind all parents that cars are not to perform a 'U' turn anywhere along Wallen St. Parents are to wait in the que until they can safely drive to the end of the street. There is a turning circle at the end of the street for cars and then proceed back down Wallen St and exit safely. Courtesy and care is needed from all of our families to ensure that our children exit the school property safely. Please also remember that there is no right hand turn when entering onto Center Rd from the school grounds during the times of:

Condolences

On behalf of the St. Finbar's community I wish to pass on our condolences to the DeVincentis family on the passing of Anthony on Monday morning. Please keep Sue, Ebony and Bryce in your prayers as they travel this difficult time with their family and friends.

P & F Meeting

Our first P & F meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday 13th of February. The meeting will be held in the staff workroom from 7pm. I am looking forward to seeing you all there. Special thanks to Christina Ryan who is our new President and James Davies who is our Vice-President.

Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Next Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday, this is the day we traditionally use up all of the ‘luxury items’ in our cupboards before the 40 days of preparation before Easter - Lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. The P & F will have tables set up on the Thomas Sherry playground before school from 8:00am where the children will have access to pancakes. Each Class will have their own table to eat from.

On Ash Wednesday all classes will be attending the 9:15am mass with the St. Finbar’s parishioners in the church. I would like to extend an invitation to all parents who are available to attend with us.

Start of Year Mass

This Friday - 9th of February is our start of year mass. The mass will begin at 9:15am. It would be great to see our parents at this important celebration that marks the beginning of our 2018 endeavours.

Prep First Day of School

What a wonderful day it was on Tuesday with our Preps for 2018 having their first day of school. It was amazing to see so many parents at the morning tea which was hosted by our Year 1 families.

School Advisory Board Meeting

On Tuesday evening we had our first School Advisory Board Meeting. I would like to thank all of our Board Members for their time and expertise that will be put to good use this year.

Board Members:

Fr. Ian Ranson - Parish Priest (Ex-Officio)

Pat Berlingeri - Principal (Ex-Officio)

Nigel Rodrigues - Deputy Principal (Staff Representative)

Cathy Ferrari - Religious Education Leader (Staff Representative)

Christina Ryan (P & F President)

Frank Russo (2016-2018) - Chairperson

Karen Revill (2016-2018) - Deputy Chairperson

Charlotte Forster (2017 - 2018)

Kylie Hitchiner (2018)

Nat Bell (2017 - 2019)

Nat Preston (2017 - 2019)

Kate McKenzie (2018 - 2020)

Chris McKinnon (2018 - 2020)

Meet the Teacher chats

As noted on the 2018 calendar, ‘Meet the Teacher chats’ will be in February and Parent/Teacher/Student interviews in June. The ‘chats’ on Tuesday 13th or Thursday 15th February will be an opportunity for YOU, as parents, to tell us about your child’s strengths, passions, social competencies and areas to be worked on. Parents should have already received an email over the holidays with how to book online. The interviews in June will take the same format as in the past, that is, the teacher reporting on the child’s progress. Written reports will be provided prior to the June interviews and at the end of the year.

SCHOOL INTERVIEWS ONLINE BOOKINGS: How to book your Parent/Teacher interviews: ALL appointments are now to be booked online. Please go to the website: http://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/home Simply enter the school code zq84x and press "Go". You will then be guided through three simple steps, and a few moments later you will get an email confirming your interviews. Parents without internet access can come to the office and an interview will be made for you. BOOKINGS CLOSE TOMORROW, FRIDAY 9th FEBRUARY.

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