From the Principal's Desk
Tiger Turf Re-Surfacing
Over the holiday period, we will commence the re-surfacing of the entire central courtyard area which has become uneven and very tired looking.
While this is very exciting it will cause some disruption for the first 2-3 weeks of term as work is completed.
Access to and within the school will be adjusted so we ask that you refer to the diagram below for a full visual.
The area marked in red will be inaccessible during the work of the program. Access to and from the school at the front of the school will be via the double gates at the western end of the car park and around the outside of the Year 3/4 Community. Parents may use the garden area as the gathering point.
Access to and from the school at the rear of the school will be through the Ormond Road gates and via the pathway behind the Year Prep Community. Parents may gather in the Ormond Road playground as usual.
Access to the school Office will be as normal.
Additional staff will be on duty in the mornings and afternoons yet we ask all families to be extra careful around pick-up and drop-off, walk slowly and adhere to directions from staff.
With the reduction of 'playspace' in the mornings we ask that children do not arrive before 8:45 am unless absolutely necessary.
Let's hope everything runs smoothly!
Student Reports & Portfolios
Reports and Portfolios will be distributed at the end of this week. Please take the time to read through these and celebrate your child's successes. We ask that the Portfolios are returned the first week back of Term 3 so that we can continue to compile samples of your child's work.
First Communion
Congratulations to our children who made their First Communion on Sunday. We were blessed with blue skies and our children were presented beautifully!
Thank you to all families who celebrated the Eucharist with us and thank you to Miss Jane Wilkinson for her co-ordination of the sacrament and to Ms Katrina Scolaro, Mr Rhys O'Loughlin and Mr Dan Palanca for preparing the children in class.
It's a Girl
Congratulations to Ms Aphrodite Loizou and her partner Brian on the safe arrival of baby Alina born last Friday afternoon.
Aphrodite is the second of our staff members to give birth in the same week so there have been many messages to and from waiting for the good news.
With little Alina having her first bath she was picture-perfect and happy to pose for our Newsletter. She certainly has her mother's fashion sense!
We are going to have a special 'show and tell' next term when both Aphrodite and Chantel bring their little treasures to school.
Farewell
It is with sadness that I announce that Fr John has been appointed Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Way Kingsbury & Holy Name Preston East and will take this appointment up from 6th September this year.
Fr John has been a wonderful leader and friend to our school over the past 14 years and will be dearly missed. Our staff will miss our Friday morning catch-ups over coffee as we discuss all the important events of the week... namely another Carlton loss! Our children will also miss their class visits, the sharing of faith, and discussion as to what PC games are currently of interest.
I know Fr John is sad to be leaving yet another calling has arisen. We will keep you informed as to who our new parish priest will be once an announcement is made.
Please see below an excerpt from the recent Parish Bulletin.
Recess and Lunch Changes
Over the past 12 months or so one of the discussions which commonly arises during extended leadership meetings and student support meetings has been the length of our lunchtime break. Anecdotal and tracking data would suggest that many of the problems that arise do so in the last 15 minutes of lunch which can often take the rest of the day to resolve. For a lot of our children, the lunchtime break is simply too long.
As we transition into the new Catholic Education MultiEnterprise Agreement an opportunity presents itself to adjust our recess and lunch breaks so that the lunchtime break is shorter.
Therefore as of the commencement of Term 3, we will be trialing 2 x 45-minute breaks as follows-
1 x 45-minute Recess (11:00am-11:45am)
1 x 45-minute Lunch (1:15pm-2:00pm)
Learning blocks will not be affected as we still have a 2-hour block followed by 2 x 1.5-hour blocks so no timetable changes are required.
We hope that the shortened lunch break proves a successful preventative measure and provides for more harmonious play for our children.
Grand Final Results
Congratulations to our Year 5/6 Mixed Netball team who were runners-up in the Footscray District Grand Final last Friday. Up against strong opposition, our boys and girls fought valiantly, eventually going down by 7 points. We congratulate them on a great season!
Learning Expo
Don't forget our learning Expo this afternoon!
Our children are super excited and looking forward to seeing you all there at 3:30 pm sharp!
Operating between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm, you will be able to immerse yourself in a world of games and bugs as you explore each year level's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) projects.
We ask that children stay in their learning communities for the duration of the Expo as they will be given time to walk through the Expo on Thursday morning.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Sophie (Year 5/6) who competed in the Regional Cross Championships last week at Brimbank Park. Sophie persevered through the mud and slush to record a personal best finish. Well done Sophie... We are proud of you!
Have a wonderful holiday!
God bless
Anthony Hyde
(Principal)
