Principal's Report
Mother's Day Breakfast and Stall Thanks!
I would like to say a big thank you to the many P & F helpers who assisted with the Mother's Day breakfast last Friday as well as the Mother's Day Stall. I am sure everyone had a very special day on Sunday with loved ones. It was wonderful to see Mums and children sharing a special moment at school during breakfast.
Mothers Day Lunch
Thanks also to our amazing P & F for organising the Annual Mother's Day Lunch. We had 76 Mums attending the lunch which was incredible!
Car Safety
Fr Ian has asked me to remind all parents that car safety on the school grounds must be observed by every adult. We still have a number of drivers who perform an illegal right hand turn when leaving the school property. Please note the following times when a right hand turn is illegal 8:30am - 9:00am & 3:30pm - 4:00pm. I have contacted the Bayside council and Local Police to assist us with this matter. If you do receive an infringement notice, perhaps this is a timely reminder to be safer around our school children?
Parent Survey
All parents who's email addresses are on file at school will receive a link to our Biennial parent survey today. This survey, which happens every 2 years, covers a range of topics that is specifically related to St. Finbar's School. The survey has been developed by the School Leadership Team and the Advisory School Board. Sections of the results will be shared with the community later this year.
The purpose of this survey is for us to gather as much information as possible about how we are travelling as an educational community. We can then celebrate the things we do well as well as identify areas for improvement. I ask that all parents complete the survey ASAP. The survey will open on Thursday 17th May and will close on Thursday 31st May. Once the survey has closed - no more responses will be accepted. This is your opportunity to have your say! All survey information collected is collated and non-identifiable to individuals.
Year 1 Prayers in Pajamas
Special thanks to Miss Liels, Miss Menz, Mrs Greenway and Mr Rodrigues who ran the Prayers in Pajamas evening on Wednesday. It is always a very special evening where parents and children can stop and spend time together. It is also good preparation for the weekend class mass on Sunday at 5pm in the Parish Church.
Graduation Congratulations!
Congratulations to our two bright shining stars Miss Trees Menz and Miss Laura Zeeng who attended their Australian Catholic University Graduation on Wednesday. This is a very important acknowledgment of their 4 years of study to become teachers. We are very blessed to have such inspiring, dedicated young educators at St. Finbar's School.
Arts Festival
We are currently seeking assistance from parents for our Arts Festival which will be held in Week 7 of Term 3. This initiative will involve not only Visual Arts but also Performing Arts activities. Please contact Mrs Poulter our Visual Arts Teacher via email:
lpoulter@sfbrightoneast.catholic.edu.au if you are able to assist with this important project.
NAPLAN
Our Year 3 and Year 5 students have completed the NAPLAN testing this week. Special thanks to Mr. Rodrigues for coordinating the implementation of the tests and thanks to Miss Ireland, Mrs D'Rozario, Mrs Ferrari, Mr. Anderson, Mrs. Fraser and Miss Hill for preparing and supervising the children during this important testing procedure. Whole school data will once again be made available to the school community later this year when the results are published.
Inter School Cross Country
Good Luck to our 82 students who are representing St. Finbar's School at the Dendy District Cross Country Championships tomorrow. Everyone has performed extremely well to qualify for this event!
Walk to School Day
This Friday is the annual walk or ride to school day. If you are able to, can I please recommend that all families participate in this important event. We have just been awarded the 'Gold Standard' for the Walk and Ride to school award which recognises the great work we have been doing in this area over the past 18 months.
Year 4 Bike Ed Training
Today saw the first session for our Bike Ed Training for Year 4 students. This important preparation is for their upcoming camp in a few weeks time in Maldon where they will experience real 'on road' riding sessions (with a Police escort). Check out our Facebook site for more photos!
Happy Birthday!
A big Happy Birthday to Mrs Yvette Porter who celebrated a special milestone birthday this week.
Baby Congratulations
It was just over a week ago we farewelled Mrs Peggy McDonald on Maternity leave and it is with great delight we congratulate Peggy, Kevin and Sophie on the safe arrival of a baby boy, Koby Antony - 9lbs 1oz on Tuesday 15th May. Mummy and baby doing very well and big sister is besotted with her little brother.
ANZAC Day Poetry Competition
Congratulations to our Six Year 5 students who received awards at Tim Wilson's office (Federal Member for Goldstein) for their excellent poetry writing skills. It was a very exciting morning as all children received a certificate and got to meet Mr Wilson at his Bentleigh office with their families.
Reading the Newsletter
If you have read this far into the newsletter can I congratulate you! Unfortunately not all of us get this far. Please encourage your St. Finbar's friends to read the newsletter and discuss the many items that are in it. The better informed we all are the easier life gets!
God Bless,
Pat Berlingeri
Principal