Principal's Report
Year 2 Prayers in Pyjamas
Thank you to Mrs Ferrari, Mrs Kelly and Miss Kay for the wonderful Prayers in Pyjamas evening on Wednesday night. It was so nice to see all of the children there with their parents enjoying each others company. See you all at the special Year 2 Family mass this Sunday at 5pm at St. Finbar's Church.
Family Maths Night
Congratulations to Miss Hill for an amazing Family Maths evening on Tuesday night. The turnout of parents and children was incredible! There were many interesting and challenging maths activities prepared for everyone and because they were differentiated there was something for everyone.
Annual Parent/Teacher/Student Insight SRC Surveys
It is that time of year again when we ask ALL of our St. Finbar's families to complete our annual Insight SRC Survey. The survey is vitally important for us, as an educational team, to set our goals and standards for the coming years. I urge all parents to complete the survey online with the confidential envelope supplied this week to assist us with our invaluable data collection. As per last year, when you have completed the survey please return your sheet with your family name written on it, and if you are drawn out as the lucky winner your family will receive a $100 discount from your 2019 school fees! All school staff will complete the survey in the coming weeks as well as all students in Years 3-6. The closing date for the survey for all stakeholders is Wednesday 29th of August.
School Closure Day
Please note that next Friday 17th August is a school closure day. The staff will be receiving Professional Development in the area of writing. More information on 'VCOP' and 'Big Write' can be found HERE. Thanks to our Literacy Leaders - Mrs D'Rozario and Mrs Greenway for organising this for our staff.
Sexuality/Puberty Education Program
I am very pleased to announce the appointment of new presenters to provide our Sexuality / Puberty Education Program - Cath McCallig and Kelly Nash. The date for these sessions is Thursday 13th September and will be held in the school Hall.
Session 1: Families, Bodies and Babies - 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Session 2: Puberty, Growing and Changing - 7:15pm - 8:15pm
The cost for families is $15 each individual session or you can attend both sessions for $20. Bookings and payment are to be made online with CDFpay online (link below). Once you log into your account you will see a tab on the left hand side of the screen called, Sexuality Puberty Education Program.
Bookings close on Tuesday 11th September at 4pm. Thank you.
Bio Info on Presenters:
Cath McCallig and Kelly Nash are delighted to bring their Family Program to St Finbar's. Both Cath and Kelly have worked in schools as teachers, theatre in education presenters, and more recently, as sexuality educators with Family Life Victoria. They are now branching out on their own and offering both Family Evenings and School Programs. With six children between them, Cath and Kelly understand and fully support the role families have in the sexuality education of children.
Upcoming Special Events
Please don't forget to mark on your calendar the St. Finbars Art Show - Wednesday 29th August and Italian Day - Friday 14th September. Our Parent main event for the year is also scheduled for Saturday 1st September.
Principal's Times Tables Challenge
Term 3 is the time for the annual Principal's Times Tables challenge. As usual I will begin in the Year 6 classes and work my way down the year levels as I am available. Time to get revising! My aim is to get through Years 4 - 6 and some students in Year 2 - 3 if time permits. My congratulations to the many Year 5 students who have achieved their award in the past week. They will recieve their awards in assembly next week.
Long Service Leave
I would like to wish Mrs Jo Howell well as she takes Long Service Leave during the second half of Term 3. She and her husband Stephen will be travelling Europe and taking some much deserved R & R. Ms Shelley Adair will be in Year 6H during Mrs Howell's absence.
I would also like to wish Mrs Jacqui Prosser a relaxing time on LSL also. She and her husband Geoff will be travelling to Fiji for 3 weeks commencing next week.
St. Finbar's Parish Fashion Fundraiser
Can I please bring to the attention of all St. Finbar's families a Fashion Fundraiser that the Parish will be hosting on Sunday 14th October. All funds from this fundraiser will go towards the refurbishment of key areas of the church. More details can be found on the Parish Section of this newsletter.
God Bless,
Pat Berlingeri
Principal