Principal News
School Theme: LIGHT of HOPE
St Raphael's School
Dear Members of the St Raphael's School Community,
Last Wednesday we celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass. This was the first time we had all gathered together this year and it was wonderful to share this together as a whole school community. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten Season and is an important moment in the liturgical calendar. It is a time of almsgiving and to think of others less fortunate.
May we think of the people of Ukraine at this time of Lent and extend our thoughts and prayers for peace in the region and throughout the world.
School Review 2022
During yesterday's whole school closure day our staff worked on finalising the upcoming school review requirements and documentation. We had begun work on this review process in the fourth term last year and feel very prepared for the upcoming school review with the external reviewer, Judi Hanke, which will be held on Tuesday 29th and Thursday 31st March. We will keep you updated throughout this process.
Serata Insieme - An evening together
To celebrate the easing of restrictions we are holding our first whole school community event "Serata Insieme" which in Italian means an evening together. The event will be held on Thursday 7th April from 4 pm - 7 pm.
We hope to have a fantastic night with all children, parents and grandparents as we celebrate our wonderful school community and all things Italian. More details can be found on the Community News page of this newsletter.
Parent Induction Session
With the easing of restrictions, we are cautiously inviting parents to assist with various programs throughout the school.
We will be holding our parent induction session for any parent who would like to assist as a volunteer this year either in the learning spaces or on excursions/ camps. This is compulsory if you wish to volunteer.
If you attended last year's sessions (and still have your certificate) you are not required to attend.
All new parents are encouraged to come along and learn about the roles and responsibilities as well as the expected behaviours of all parent volunteers who work with children in our school.
To attend these sessions you must be vaccinated before entering the school and show proof of vaccination on entry. We ask that you wear a mask whilst on site.
We will be conducting these sessions on Tuesday 15 March at 9 am and 2:30 pm and again on Monday 21st March at 9 am and 2:30 pm. Entry will be via the front office.
School Uniform
As mentioned in the last newsletter, all children must now be wearing their full school uniform. The Uniform Shop is open on Thursday 10th March (8.45 am - 9.15 am) and is taking orders via the school tub.
As a condition of the ongoing enrolment of your child at St Raphael's, all parents have signed their commitment to support and abide by the school's Uniform Policy. Therefore, we ask for your cooperation by ensuring your child is wearing the correct school uniform at all times. If your child cannot wear their correct school uniform, please email or write a note to your child's homeroom teacher informing them of the exceptional circumstances.
School Fees
A reminder that all 2022 school fees and levies will receive a $200 discount if paid in full by 4 pm on Friday 29th April. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, you are encouraged to contact the school to make an appointment to discuss alternative payment arrangements.