Principal's Report

Principal's Message

Dear Families,

It was so good to see all of our students on Monday with our return to school.  Whilst we have had some issues with Covid-19 infections in our community, everything seems to be stable at the moment.  That being said, it is really important that all families are extra vigilant over the coming weeks.  

All students in Years 3-6 must wear face masks each day inside at school.  Prep to Year 2 students can wear masks if they wish, but it is not compulsory.  Everyone should consider their child’s health before they attend school and ensure that their child is free from coronavirus symptoms and has not had contact with a person confirmed to have coronavirus or a person suspected to have coronavirus. 

The symptoms to watch out for are: 

• loss or change in sense of smell or taste 
• fever 
• chills or sweats 
• cough 
• sore throat 
• shortness of breath 
• runny nose 

Some people may also experience headache, muscle soreness, stuffy nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. 

Students experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should get tested and stay home until they receive a negative test result. 

If a child presents at school with COVID symptoms as listed above, their class teacher will send them to office. In consultation with me, we will contact the family of the child to determine their health status. If you are contacted please be assured we are just being very cautious. 

If your child tests POSITIVE to coronavirus you must let me know immediately via email. There are many steps I must take in response to a positive case and the earlier I know, the better are our chances of containing possible infections across the school.

Unfortunately, due to the high risk to our community in social gathering settings at the moment, we are minimising our external contact for the remainder of the year.  This means we will not be holding our annual Christmas Carols evening, instead we will be producing a movie for the community to enjoy as per last year.  We also ask that parents maintain our current arrangements for before and after school drop off and pick up. 

The hall will also be closed to all external providers (Basketball, Taekwondo and Skipz) for the remainder of the year.  I understand this is contrary to restrictions easing in the wider community, however, keeping the school open for the remainder of the year is my number one priority.

Out of Hours Care will reopen on Monday 29th November for regular service.

Wedding Congratulations

Congratulations to Miss Jemima Burkinshaw who is getting married next weekend.  We wish her all the best as she starts the next chapter of her life.  She will be on Long Service Leave for the next 2 weeks. 

Year 4 Camp

It's still on at this stage.....  say a prayer for us we desperately want to get the Year 4's across the line this year!  The dates for Year 4 camp are Monday 6th December - Wednesday 8th December.

School Sacramental Program

Year 6 Confirmation has been rescheduled to next week.  My sincere thanks to Mr Anderson, Mrs D'Rozario and Miss Kay for their support and patience as we finalise this important Sacrament of Initiation.

Year 4 First Eucharist has been postponed to Term 1 next year.

Prep 2022 Orientation and whole school Up Day

The final orientation day is Friday 10th December which is our 'Up Day,' this is when all 2022 students will move to their new classrooms and meet their new classmates and teachers.  I can confirm that our 2022 Prep teachers are Miss Sigrid Happell and Mrs Fiona Byrne.

Parents & Friends  AGM

On Tuesday of this week we held our AGM for the Parents and Friends Association.  My sincere thanks to  all P & F members but in particular I would like to acknowledge the following parents: Tiffany Clark (P&F President), James Davies (P&F Vice President), Narelle Malone (P&F Secretary) and Mary-Ann Stravato (P&F Treasurer) who have all served the community so well during the past 2+ years.  

All positions are open for nomination as Tiffany, James, Narelle and Mary-Ann are all stepping down after many years of dedicated service to the school.  Can I please urge all community members to assist with the P & F association.  Without this connection to our community we are at risk of not being able to run the special events that make our school so great.

If you are interested in taking on any of these roles, please contact Tiffany Clark on email: t.clark@gtsmacau.com or mobile: 0400547985 for further details on what is required.

Year 6 Graduation

The Year 6 Graduation ceremony is proceeding as planned for Thursday 9th December. The evening will begin in the church with Graduation Mass & Speeches at 5pm and then we will move to the hall for dinner and celebrations.  More detailed information has been emailed directly to Year 6 families earlier this week.

2022 School Fees and 2021 Rebates/Refunds

On Tuesday of this week I emailed the community in regards to rebates/refunds for school fees for events we were unable to provide due to covid lockdowns.  

Families who are remaining at St. Finbar's will be credited their rebate amounts to their 2022 school fees.  

Families who will be leaving us at the end of the year were sent a google form asking for banking information for refunds.

My sincere thanks to the many families who have asked to donate their rebates/refunds to our School Hardship fund to assist St. Finbar's families who are struggling due to the covid pandemic. 

Please find attached below our 2022 school fee schedule.

2022 Year 6 Canberra Camp

In Week 3 of Term 1 2022, Year 6 Students from our school will  be undertaking an educational tour of the national capital. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.  The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $45 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.  This discount has been factored into the 2022 Year 6 camp fees.

God Bless,

Pat Berlingeri

Principal