Principal News

Dear Members of the St Raphael's school community,

Welcome back to Term Two. 

This term promises to have some challenges as we enter the colder months and the likely spread of Covid infections throughout our school community. The staff have planned a number of possible scenarios and solutions to ensure that the children are adequately supervised whilst on-site and can continue to attend school. 

Our greatest concern is that staff may be significantly impacted by potential outbreaks and will be forced to isolate themselves. We are struggling to find suitable casual relief teachers at the moment as there is a current shortage in the sector. We will continue to communicate with you as the term unfolds.

Our school reviewer, Judi Hanke, concluded her final visit to our school last week. We thank all of the staff, students and parents who met with Judi throughout the week. Judi will now prepare a report which will detail affirmations and recommendations for our school for the next four years. These recommendations will form the basis of our School Improvement Plan (SIP) and each year our Annual Action Plan will follow this strategic plan.

On the last Thursday of the last term, we celebrated as a community with our Serata Insieme. What a fabulous night! It was so good to welcome our community back into our school and to see so many smiling faces. We look forward to many more special community events and thank all of our wonderful parent volunteers and staff for making the night such a special occasion. Particular thanks to Rose Darazic, Maria Menillo, Giuseppe and Sonia Colosimo and all of the parents who assisted at the various food stalls.

Finally, Happy Mother's Day this Sunday 8th May to all of the mothers in our school community. It is such a special time to give thanks for our mothers and what they do for us. To those whose mothers are no longer with us, we remember and celebrate their love and care. I hope that it is a special day for you all and you get spoilt on Sunday!

We will be holding our Mother's Day celebrations this Friday 6th May from 2 pm - 3:30 pm.

Due to Covid restrictions, this will be held outdoors commencing with a simple BYO picnic from 2 pm - 2:30 pm. Please bring a picnic rug and food to share with your children. This will be followed by outdoor activities with the children from 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm.

Unfortunately, at this stage, the forecast is for heavy rain on Friday. If this rain eventuates we will be forced to postpone the event as we can not hold large gatherings indoors. We will notify all parents on Friday morning if we are forced to reschedule.

We hope that the rain holds off and we can enjoy an afternoon of fun as we celebrate the gift of motherhood.