Principal's Report
Welcome
Dear members of the St Raphael's school community,
I hope you have all had a relaxing Easter break with your children, families and friends. We look forward to a busy Term 2 with the consolidation of learning from first term and the academic progress that the children will achieve at the conclusion of Semester One.
I hope, too, that your Easter celebrations were full of joy. While we are bombarded in the media with images and stories of suffering and death, of malice and evil, Easter reminds us to hope. Christ is risen! This hope and joy continue as we celebrate the Easter season over the 50 days until Pentecost.
Yesterday on ANZAC Day, we remembered all of the brave men and women who have served for our country and have enabled the freedom we enjoy.
A warm welcome back to Lorraine Uzunovski from extended sick leave and Clare Spillane from personal leave. It is great to have both Lorraine and Clare back and the children were certainly excited to welcome them both back last week.
A big thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers who organised the Children's Disco Night on the last Friday of Term One. It was a great success and the children thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The event raised $1 125 which will go directly towards the redevelopment of the playground/ outdoor learning areas.
Speaking of the outdoor areas, a big thank you to Andrew Mennillo who has volunteered his time to cut asphalt and assist in the redevelopment of the Breen Street entrance. Andrew has been working closely with the volunteer parents on our recently-formed Playground Redevelopment Committee and we thank him for his efforts to date.
Traffic Concerns
It has been brought to our attention that a number of parents are ignoring the road rules and compromising the safety of the children in our school with their driving habits. Please be aware of the road rules and signage, particularly on Breen Street and around the Children's Crossing on Cooper Street. Our aim is to ensure that all children are kept safe when travelling to and from school and that you are aware of other drivers.
Playground Redevelopment Committee Meeting
A reminder that the Playground Redevelopment Committee meeting will be held this Thursday 27th April at 7 pm in the staffroom area. All new members are welcome to join us.
School Fees
A reminder that there is a significant discount for all school fees paid by 30th June. We ask you to pay your 2017 school fees as soon as possible. There are a number of payment options available. Please ring Lynette Gamble on 9478 8374 to discuss.
If you are currently experiencing financial difficulties please contact Lynette in the office to make an appointment to meet with me to discuss payment options.
A Budding Busker!
Last week I was sent a fantastic email from one of our students, Maya Valenzuela who wrote:
Dear Mr Howard,
Since you are also a musician I would like to share something with you that I did on the school holidays.
I busked with my violin in the city for 1 and a half hours. I was a little nervous but so many people stopped to listen and watch and I felt very joyful when people stopped. I can't believe I made $144.30!! I would like to donate $50 to the school and the other $50 will go to Caritas. With the remainder I am going to treat myself ! Please see the attached photo below. I plan to continue busking and will be donating some of my busking money to the school.
Sincerely,
Maya Valenzuela
The money Maya raised will go towards new musical equipment for the school band. Well done Maya!