Principal's Report

Principal's Message

Dear Families,

Last week we had professional photos taken of the school for our school website and for promotional material.  I would like to thank Mrs. Nicki Connolly who was our photographer (and Parent at St. Finbar's school) for her skill and expertise.  Here is a sample of some of the photos taken:

This week's Gospel is from Luke 6:27-38, whereJesus teaches his disciples to be merciful as God is merciful. It teaches us to "go the extra mile". I encourage families to engage in discussion together about how they can support each other in busy times. As we approach the second half of the school term, many of us become tired and frustrated and often this can be taken out on the people closest to us. God is calling us to acknowledge that this is normal, though we have the opportunity to forgive and grow and be there for one another in good times and in bad. Please head over to the RE page of this newsletter for more guidance on this Gospel. 

My thanks to all community members for your participation in the 'Meet the Teacher' sessions that concludes today.  It was a very valuable activity where parents were able to speak with their child's class teacher and provide insights about their child's learning.  This will enable the teacher's to have a better understanding of how to teach your child.

Thank you to the School Advisory Council members who met with me on Tuesday evening.  It was a very worthwhile session to discuss the upcoming projects for the school:

• Elevator
• Disabled access - front of school 
• Outdoor Classroom 
• New Screen/T.V. for the Hall 
• Resilience Project
• Art Project at Bike Shed
• School Signage - way finding 
• School Hardship Policy

Morning Drop off

Please note that whilst the school gates are open early in the morning, children are not to be left unsupervised on the playground before 8:35am.  Yard duty does not begin before this time.  It is all parents responsibility to ensure their children are properly supervised before 8:35am.  Out of hours care is available in the mornings for families and must be used if you are unable to supervise your children.  My thanks for your assistance with this important matter.

School Uniform

Now that we are back to full time classroom teaching onsite, it is all parents' responsibility to ensure your children are in correct school uniform each day.  We do understand that occasionally there will be times when children will be in incorrect items for a day or two, but it is very important that we take pride in our appearance and wear our uniform correctly.  This includes correct plain white socks with the sports uniform (no sports logos) and the correct footwear when wearing the summer uniform (no runners).  I will be conducting uniform inspections in the coming weeks.

Rapid Antigen Testing

Earlier today, the Victorian Government announced that existing COVIDSafe measures in schools and early childhood settings would continue until the end of Term 1.

Rapid antigen surveillance testing will continue until the end of Term 1. We are expecting that the delivery of rapid antigen tests (RATs) for weeks five and six will arrive soon with additional RATs to be delivered in the coming weeks.

The testing settings will remain the same, with all primary and secondary school students and staff, early childhood education and care staff, and children aged 3–5 recommended to test at home twice a week. 

RATs have proved an important COVIDSafe tool to help reduce the number of COVID-19 cases and ensure our schools are as safe as possible. Their use will remain voluntary for staff and students, but it is strongly encouraged.

School Calendar

Please find linked HERE the school calendar for your convenience.  All school events are listed on this calendar and are updated regularly.

Social Media - Facebook and Instagram

St. Finbar's has a Social media presence on the platforms of Facebook and Instagram.  We use these platforms to communicate to the wider community all of the wonderful things that we do on a daily/weekly basis.  It is particularly useful in sharing activities whilst on School camps and excursions.

We are easily identifiable by our school logo and the username for both sites is @stfinbarsbrightoneast.  Please join our sites and enjoy the photos and movies that we put up.  Feel free to like posts, but please refrain from identifying our children in any comments you may make.  Any comments that identify students will be removed.  Repeat offenders may be banned from accessing our sites.  We also invite Grandparents and extended family to join us online and celebrate the amazing thing we get up to at St. Finbar's.  

We are currently in the process of removing the comment sections from both platforms as advised by Melbourne Archdioceses Catholic Schools (MACS).

Tag On System

Our Tag on System is up and running with the Tag On 'Kiosk' updated and ready for use.  Today, all new students received a Tag On token (in their house colour) which has been attached to their bags.  The tag can be used each morning to register how each student has travelled to school (Walk, Ride, Car or Public Transport).  This will assist us with our data collection for the Ride on Program which we have been a part of for 10+ years.  The device will also send an email to parents saying that their child has arrived safely at school.  This is a great initiative for children who regularly walk or ride to school to let their parents know when they have arrived.  The system is not compulsory for students to use but it is there to use if families choose to do so.  Next term, all children who use the tag on system will gain points for their house for a special reward at the end of the term.

Prep Sibling Enrolments 2023

I would ask that parents who have a child commencing in Prep 2023 to please enrol their child by Friday 25th February so we can see how many places will be available to new families for 2023.   All sibling's are a guaranteed enrolment at St. Finbar's, however we do require completed paperwork to make it official. We have had considerable interest shown by the wider community already, and I expect to have 2 classes of 26 filled quite quickly.  Enrolment forms can be downloaded from the following link: 

St Finbar's Enrolment Information 

Sibling enrolment interviews will happen this term via appointment.

Open Days

Our school Open Days for 2023 enrolments will be held on

Thursday 3rd March,

Wednesday 9th March,

Wednesday 30th March

(Or by appointment)

All sessions will be from 9:00am – 11:00am 

This is an excellent opportunity for interested families to see St. Finbar’s students and staff in action.  School tours will be conducted by myself, Ms Hill, Mr  Anderson and our Year 6 student leaders.

P&F Helpers

My thanks to our P&F Committee for their dedication and support of the school.  I have had many messages of support and volunteers in the past week from parents ready to commit to a big 2022 year.  I believe we have enough helpers across most year levels for the 2022 year.

My particular thanks goes to our main committee members:

P&F President - Kate Blake

P&F Vice President & Dad's events - Alan Contreras

P&F Secretary - Tiffany Clark

P&F Treasurer - TBC

Our first P&F meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 22nd February at 7pm in the Staff room.  All parent reps are invited to attend.

2022 School Fees

2022 School fees have been generated by Mrs Libby Thomas our school office manager. Please check your emails for invoices which were sent out at the end of last week.

Condolences

We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Diamond family, who lost a treasured member of their family this week. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.

God Bless,

Pat Berlingeri

Principal