Dear Parents/Carers,

It has certainly been a short, sharp and dynamic Term Two at St Agnes’! We have managed to cram a lot into the 43 days available: from community building events like Mother’s Day Breakfast/Liturgy, the Biggest Morning Tea and P&F Disco to teaching/learning experiences including incursions and excursions, the introduction of Spelling Mastery and of course assessment and reporting. It’s been an outstanding nine weeks and so wonderful to enjoy some continuity with onsite learning.

Each year, Term Two is always a big one for our staff and this one was no exception. I would like to thank our staff for their dedication and hard work this term. We are continuing to work hard at further developing the capacity of our teaching and support staff. They have all been terrific in their growth mindset and desire to improve practices to facilitate the progress of the children in their care. One clear example of this has been the changes to the approach to teaching spelling and phonics in our school. The implementation of Spelling Mastery has been seamless and this was a significant change that affected five out of seven year levels. The roll of our MSL (multisensory structured language) next term in Prep and Year 1 will also be a significant change, but we know it will impact for the better. Finally, thank you to our parent community for your support of the school in many and varied ways through the term, for supporting your child’s learning and for turning up to things like parent/teacher interviews last night. I would like to wish all families a restful and enjoyable holiday period and we look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday 11th July.

Shine the Light Social Justice Day

Connected with our school motto ‘Light in Darkness’, on the final day of Term Two our students participate in activity day focused around social justice - Shine the Light Social Justice Day. Our Year Six Social Justice Captains and Mini Vinnies leaders from Prep to Year 5 have prepared a series of activities for all students to undertake. On this day we will be raising money for St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal. The funds raised will help provide emergency assistance to people at risk and experiencing homelessness in our local area. The children can wear casual clothes and bring a gold coin donation. Financial donations allow the flexibility to direct funds where they are most needed and can give those who need assistance, a sense of dignity and joy. Usually at this time of year St Vincent de Paul runs The Big Sleep Out, where people experience sleeping outside at night. At St Agnes’, our students will participate in activities that will allow them to give an experience of the feelings and impacts associated with homelessness in a safe, familiar environment. Through these activities, the children will be able to take action and become empathetic global and local citizens. We will start the day in the hall with a presentation and conclude the day with a reflective liturgy run by our Social Justice Captains and Mini Vinnies leaders. The Liturgy will take place in the Church after recess at 11:40am and parents are invited to join us.

A reminder that school finishes at 1.30pm this Friday and there is no Canteen that day

Capital Works - Classroom Refurbishment and Shade Sails

Yesterday I became aware that at least one of our families did not know about the refurbishment works we are about to embark on! That’s one family too many. We are currently in the final stages of planning our classroom refurbishment of all 7 ground level classrooms. Final approval has been granted by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools and we are just making one tweak to the plans before sending documentation to builders for competitive pricing (tender). As most of you would be aware, construction costs have increased significantly through the pandemic, so we are hopeful the pricing from prospective builders returns favourably to allow us to complete all planned aspects of the renovation. It has been costed by Quantity Surveyors at the various stages of project development and according to these costings, we are ‘on budget’ with our scope of works. Below are some images of the interior spaces that will be renovated.

Some of the features include:

overall modernisation of the classroom spaces
Improved disability access and improved natural light into classrooms
Designated ‘breakout spaces’ for small group instruction
Interior doors between classrooms for improved flexibility in ways of working
Outdoor access and decking on north facing classrooms
New lighting and modern audio-visual and teaching units

To open up the breakout spaces, there is significant structural work to be done, which is where the project scope/cost amplifies.

For those who have lived through a house renovation, you will understand that there will be some ‘short term pain’ while we renovate, but all for the ‘long term gain’. During the renovation, we will need to utilise all available spaces and,in some instances, combine classes in our larger spaces. For example, our Year 5/6 students may work together in the current and very large Year 6 classroom with their two teachers. We will also utilise the portable and the three discrete spaces in our hall. These renovations will drastically improve the learning spaces and therefore the experience for our children, staff and parents. We are aiming for a start prior to the end of this year and initial indications are that it will be a 6-9 month project timeline.

In addition to the refurbishment works, we are expecting the posts for our new shade structures will be installed in mid-July and the shade sails some time after this. We were lucky to secure funding for the umbrella structure and are grateful to the P&F for their fundraising efforts to allow us to build a structure over the adventure playground near Locinda Street. It is a very exciting time to be at St Agnes’!

Classroom Helpers are back!

Rosters have been put up outside Prep and Year 1 Classrooms today for those who can come in to help during the Literacy Block from the beginning of Term Three. The second offering of the Parent Helper Course was postponed today because Mrs Baker lost her voice last night during Parent/Teacher Interviews. For those who indicated attendance, the session will be rescheduled early next term. Details to follow.

Amanda Baker - Long Service Leave

Amanda Baker will be on Long Service Leave for the first week of Term Three. Simon Kost and Natalie Morgan will be teaching the children during this week. Mrs Baker and her family will be enjoying an extended break in sunny Queensland. After two years of teaching Prep during a pandemic, I think she’s well overdue for a few days of LSL!

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) on School Students With Disability

Each year, our school submits data about adjustments made to cater to all learners through the NCCD submission process. Attached is further information about the nature of the data, how it's used, and the role of parents.

Inform and Empower Free Online Webinar

Marty and Carley McGauran from Inform and Empower are offering a free 45 minute webinar for parents and carers on Wednesday 13th July, from 8pm. The session is focused on ‘Sorting out Screen Time’. Click the button below to register:

Marty delivered a parent webinar in our school back in 2019, so some of you may be familiar with their work. It would be a great supplementary session for those who either were unable to attend our Cybersafety Workshop, or would like further strategies for managing screen time in your household. Marty and Carley are widely known for being experts in the online education space and if you can get online for it, I recommend you do.

Save the Date - Parents and Friends Night - Friday 12th August

Please be aware that there is a social night being hosted by St Agnes’ Parents and Friends on Friday 12th August in the school hall from 7.30pm. See the P&F pages for some hints about what might be happening. Get a babysitter organised and come along for what will be a ripping night!

Important dates

The final day of Term Two is Friday 24th June. School concludes at 1.30pm on this day.
Term Three commences on Monday 11th July and concludes on Friday 16th September.
The school will be closed on Monday 22nd August for staff professional development.

See you all in Term Three!

Kind regards,

Lachie.

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