PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Lachlan Foott

After what has been a reasonably quiet couple of weeks to start the term, Week Three has arrived with a bang. The School Sports Carnival today, Foundation Fun with Jesus Family Faith Night on Wednesday and Socktober Crazy Hair Day and Mass on Thursday. Plenty happening.

St Agnes’ School Events

Even before I joined St Agnes’ School, there was talk about the strength of this community and the hardworking parents who contribute to make it a great place for their children. From the afternoon icy poles, to the organisation of uniform and even the school disco, it has been plain to see in the last couple of weeks. The disco was held on Friday night and was very well attended by the students. I expect our Foundation, Year One and Year Two students would have certainly slept well afterwards, as they were kept very busy by the DJ. The senior students had an equally enjoyable time, however they were a little less enthusiastic on the D-Floor. A massive thanks to all the parents who volunteered to make the evening a success, with a special mention to Fleur Luke and Christie Jones for their efforts in leading the organisation.

There has been a team of parents working hard on getting the St Agnes’ School Fete organised, which is a massive undertaking. Over the next few weeks, there will be calls for donations and calls for assistance in the newsletter and via Skoolbag. Please ensure you get involved and support those people who have put their hand up to lead the organisation of this event. Things like the Fete are so critical to our school, not only for financial reasons, but because the culture of the school is defined by them. Money raised at the Fete will be used to purchase and install new interactive whiteboards and projectors in a number of the classrooms.

Uniform

By now, some of you may have heard on the grapevine that there has been some discussions at school around uniform and my expectations for students regarding this. Our school’s uniform is more than just a blue shirt or checkered dress. It is more than just a garment to keep us warm. It represents our school and gives the students who wear it a sense of belonging. It must therefore be worn correctly and with pride. School uniform sets the tone for everything else that goes on in a school and in my view, if high standards are not maintained, it can lead to a lack of accountability around student learning. It is extremely important the Senior School students set the standard and role model good behaviour for the younger students in this area. It may seem like a small thing, but it starts with the correct socks and shoes. There will be days when Sports Uniform should be worn for Physical Education or Class Sport, but there must not be blurring of the lines and interchanging of School/Sport uniform. Students have until after Melbourne Cup weekend to wear either full Summer or Winter Uniform, but after this it is expected that everyone will be in full Summer Uniform, which includes a school hat.

Last Friday, the Year Four and Five students voted on the garment to be worn by Year Six students moving forward. There were three options; a Varsity Jacket, zip-up fleecy Rugby Jumper and a Rugby Jersey. The Rugby Jersey was the winner by three votes, which I was extremely pleased about because it was no secret that it was my favourite. This option will look very smart with both our Summer and Winter uniforms, and I look forward to seeing it being worn with pride by future Year Six students.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Lachie Foott