The Principal's Desk

Dear parents, students, families and friends,

I hope this newsletter finds you in good health and high spirits. As we move through the month of August, this week we celebrated a significant event in the Christian calendar – the Feast of the Assumption.

What is the Feast of the Assumption?

The Feast of the Assumption, also known as the Assumption of Mary, is a special day for Christians around the world. It commemorates the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken up to Heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life. This day is a time to honor Mary's devotion, faith, and her role in the story of Jesus Christ.

Why is it Celebrated?

The Assumption of Mary holds great importance as it signifies her unique place in Christian theology. It highlights her close connection to her son, Jesus, and her extraordinary journey from her earthly life to an eternal one with God. The Feast of the Assumption is a day of celebration, gratitude, and reflection on Mary's virtues of love, humility, and obedience.

In a modern context Mary is the ultimate role model for women - strong, courageous, calm, gentle, wise and understanding, with an unwaivering faith in God.

Staffroom Kitchen Refurb

Last year I received a very generous donation from an anonymous doner with specific instructions on what the money could be used for. After much brainstorming, I decided that the most effective, impactful and long lasting use would be to refurbish the staffroom kitchen area. The current kitchen dates back to the 1980s. I have engaged Kinsman to design and install the new kitchen that will include a new 900mm upright cooker and two new microwaves, as well as a new island bench. The existing tiles will be replaced with a vinyl wrap wood look floor by Western Distributors Flooring.

The kitchen install will happen during the first week of the September (Spring) school holidays.

MACSSIS

Very shortly all families will receive a link to complete the annual MACSSIS survey from Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools. I encourage all families to complete this survey. We highly value your feedback and use this data as part of our continual school improvement cycle, which is documented in our School Improvement Plan and Annual Action Plan. The more families that complete the survey, the more accurate and effective the data becomes.

Uniform Refresh & BYOD Program Surveys

Thank you to all families who have already completed the two surveys for the School Uniform Refresh and the Buy Your Own Device program. Your feedback is very important for us and will assist us in making the best possible, informed decisions.

Father John Farewell

Father John's final day in our Parish will be Tuesday 5th September. As a school community we will gather together on Thursday 31st August at 10.30am in the hall to farewell Fr John. An Operoo notification will be sent out next week to families asking for you to indicate if you will be attending to help us with catering.

Prep 2024

We are pushing towards 28 Preps for 2024, which means we are getting close to our capacity for total Prep enrolments. If there are any families yet to enroll a child for next year, please do so as soon as possible. If you know of anyone who is considering enrolling their child in Prep 2024 and haven't yet done so, please let them know that places are nearly full and to submit their enrolments as soon as possible.

Following on from this, there have recently been a few stories in the media about small Catholic schools closing. This is not the case for St. Augustine's. I have been assured by MACS that we are not in danger of closing. We have not been in any converstations about schools that could possible close. There are smaller schools than St. Augustine's in the Western suburbs and these schools have not been considered for closure. We have had two solid Prep intakes and will see our total enrolments grow next year. So rest assured that we will continue to remain open and operating as normal.

Until the next newsletter,

Go the Blue Baggers!!

Kind regards,

Matthew Stead