Where everyone is Known and Nurtured!

Calendar Dates- What's on.

FEBRUARY

20th  Tennis Clinic ( Please note change of date)

21st   Shrove Tuesday

22nd  Ash Wednesday 9.00am Mass

28th   Artist in School

MARCH

1st      Preps at School Full Time

1st      District Swimming

8th     Yr 3-4 Summer Sports Gala Day

13th   Labour Day Public Holiday

23rd   Yr 5-6 Summer Sports Gala Day

PLEASE NOTE:  SUPERVISION OF STUDENTS IS BETWEEN 8.40AM TO 3.45PM ON SCHOOL DAYS.

PRAYER

The fruit of silence is prayer,

the fruit of prayer is faith,

the fruit of faith is love,

the fruit of love is service,

the fruit of service is peace.

                           … Mother Teresa

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Friends,

It was the perfect setting for our family picnic last Thursday. We were certainly blessed with beautiful weather, great company and an opportunity to forge new friendships. Thank you to our Parents and Friends for supporting this night and special thanks to Simone Bell for organising the car park raffle.

Update on Parent Access Module (PAM)

As previously advised, we have moved to a new communication platform. We are in the latter stages of setting up the parent portal, PAM, which will become our platform for all forms of communication between the school and the home. I will keep you updated of the progress.

Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Next week marks a special time in our liturgical calendar as we begin our Lenten journey. On Tuesday we will recognise Shrove Tuesday. Thank you to the many parents who have offered to come and support our students in making pancakes on this day. This is a time to gather as a community as we prepare for the commencement of Lent, a time for abstinence, almsgiving and fasting. All students and staff will attend the parish Mass at 9.00am on Ash Wednesday. 

Provisional Psychologist from Australian Catholic University (ACU)

We are pleased to welcome Ms Megan Fielding to St Philip’s. Megan is a provisional psychologist undertaking her Masters in Educational and Developmental Psychology at ACU, and is currently on placement with us until the end of Term Two. Megan will be onsite every Tuesday and Wednesday. 

During her placement, Megan will assist the staff and students. Where appropriate she is able to support with developing social connections, emotion regulation, challenging behaviours, psychoeducation for staff and parents, and to assist with navigating challenges that may arise in the playground or in the classroom. Megan will be running both individual and group sessions to assist in the development of social skills if required. Additionally, Megan is able to administer academic and cognitive tests to assess for learning difficulties and challenges, and screen for other neurodivergent diagnoses where appropriate. 

Megan will work closely with the staff at St Philips and be guided by both parents and teachers on each child’s needs. 

Assembly

This year our school assemblies will be held on Fridays at 9.00am. Everyone is welcome to attend and welcome to stay for coffee afterwards. 

Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time with any question, concerns or queries. 

Best wishes always.

Michelle Worcester

Principal

HATS

As part of the school’s SunSmart policy students are required to wear a school hat in Term 1 and Term 4 when they are outside. Hats can be purchased at our school Uniform Supplier Beleza or department stores such as K-Mart, Target, Best & Less or Big W.

CSEF

The Victorian Government are once again offering the Camp, Swimming, Excursion Fund to families who qualify. An information Flyer is attached to this newsletter. If you hold a Centrelink Health Care Card please come to the office to obtain an application form. Please Note: An Eligible Health Care Card would also provide eligibility for the School Fees Concession Program. Please see the office for further information.

YR 3/4 TEAMWORK

Our students in 3/4T working together.

Parents & Friends

Week 3- Updates

Can't believe it's week 3 already! It was so wonderful to see so many of you at the Family Picnic last week! Congratulations to our VIP carpark winner, the Chendiawan family! 

A huge thank you to Steve Bell and the Bunnings BBQ team for running a successful fundraising event. We all really appreciate your valuable time and effort running this important fundraiser for our school!

Ashley Mitcham and Veronika McLindon 

pandf@stphilipbbn.catholic.edu.au

See below for important P&F notices:

Shrove Tuesday 

Every Shrove Tuesday the P&F hosts a pancake making class for all the students. From 9.30am till 11.30am, Tuesday 21st February.  

We need volunteers to make this happen! We need approximately 8 helpers per class to support the students in mixing and flipping their very own pancakes!

Students (and helpers) will have their fill of pancakes afterwards! 

See the sign up sheet here - https://forms.gle/1ko6sh8eptW7xJzG7 

**Please also indicate on the form any allergies for your child, so we can provide alternatives for them. 

Class Reps

We are still looking for Parent Reps for classes 1/2, 3/4, and 5/6! Tasks include; sharing P&F communication with other classroom parents via a whatsapp group and end of year thank you gift for classroom teacher/s. The role can be shared between two parents to help lighten the load. Please consider volunteering for this vital role!See the sign up sheet here - https://volunteersignup.org/QK4B8   

Cake Raffle 

Every week we hold a cake raffle - parents donate baked goods to be raffled off during assembly. This is a highlight for the students in the week and brings a lot of joy to the winners! Tickets are 20c each, and kids (and parents) can purchase tickets at the weekly assembly. 

So we can hold this tasty raffle; we require bakers (or shoppers!)

See the sign up sheet here - https://volunteersignup.org/BKTTK 

Cakes need to be delivered to the school office on Friday morning.

Please include your family name and ingredients.

TuckShop

Thank you to Nicole and the tuckshop team for a fantastic first run of tuckshop! The students really love buying their lunch and really look forward to it each time. Our canteen only exists thanks to the efforts of our tuckshop volunteers! Looking to get involved?

 Please contact: Nicole George - 0409 253 863 

Entertainment books are another piece to our fundraising puzzle. When you sign up you receive 12 months of discounts and offers - and our school benefits - 20% of every membership purchased goes to support our school! 

https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/9a27151

Community

Online Safety

Dear Parents and Guardians,

New research has uncovered the top five platforms young people feel the most unsafe whilst using. Click on the link below to access the article from INEQE Safeguarding Group, a company who believe in empowering people to stay safer through education and the use of innovative technology.

Pupils most commonly feel unsafe whilst using:

• Roblox (15%)
• Snapchat (12%)
• Instagram (7%)
• TikTok (6%)
• Fortnite (4%)

The Pupil Safeguarding Review of Top 5 Platforms 

Gabe Kinsman

Student Wellbeing Leader

Our Lady Of Sion College

OPEN DAY 

Tuesday 21 March, 2.30–6.30 pm 

See how your child will embrace life at Sion

Australian Youth Choir.