Term 1 Week 2
Welcome back to the 2024 school year! We are excited to embark on this journey filled with endless possibilities. We welcome our new families especially our prep families as you begin this adventure with your child. As we embark on this new year together, let’s embrace the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead. Let’s continue to support one another, learn from each other, and make a positive impact in our community and beyond. This year our theme centres around St Mary MacKillop of the Cross who is our first and only Australian Saint. St Mary MacKillop had a saying: ‘See a need and do something about it’. As we look to be spirit filled people and responsible global citizens we have taken her saying as part of our 2024 motto. The children and staff will talk about this in their class and most importantly discuss what this looks like in everyday life.
Over the holidays and in recent weeks, we’ve been busy enhancing our school facilities. Some of the updates include a new snakes and ladders line marking, kitchen upgrades in Cooinda for Before School Care, the handover of the new staff room, revamping some of the garden areas (still in progress) and the deckings open for student use. The building project undertaken in 2022 is near completion with the builders completing final adjustments and attending to defects.
There is a prep information evening scheduled for 21st February starting at 5.30pm in the Multipurpose room for prep parents to attend. Parents will be informed about daily schedules, learning in prep and have the opportunity to engage with their child’s teacher. More information to come through the prep seesaw app.
Child Safety-As part of our commitment to ensuring a safe online environment for our students, we have sent home cybersafety agreements for you to read, talk about and sign with your child. Additionally, we will be hosting a cybersafety online meeting for all parents on the 22nd of February, which ask everyone to attend. A link will be sent home shortly.
I am delighted to introduce our 2024 School Advisory Council members: Existing members-Michelle Calderone (Chair), Tom Norton (Secretary), Draga Baljak, and newcomers – Monica Buttigieg, Chris Long, and Chris Zammit. We extend our gratitude to them for volunteering their time and expertise to support our school’s development.
Next Wednesday, we will be conducting an Ash Wednesday Liturgy. Families are invited to join us starting at 12:20pm in Cooinda. Our school leaders will be attending the Ash Wednesday mass at St Christopher’s church, receiving the ashes then bringing them back to school for us to use at the liturgy.
We will be celebrating the beginning of year with a mass in Cooinda on the 27th February. We are thrilled to have Bishop Curtin co celebrate with Fr Peter as this is also the day that Bishop Curtin will visit our Confirmation candidates. Families are welcome to attend.
As we kick off the year, I’d like to share a few reminders:
Many children have Smart Watches. Please ensure these are set to school mode, as children should not be receiving or sending messages, emails, or photos during school hours. Kindly review the attached policy for further guidance.
If you need to speak to a teacher, please email and schedule a convenient time. Teachers will be busy preparing for the day in their classrooms before school and may not be available for immediate discussions.
Medical Action Plans have been sent home for renewal. Please return these as soon as possible with all required information. If your child has a newly diagnosed condition where the school needs to administer medication or specific care, you will need to contact the office to be advised on what is required from you and from the school.
School photos are coming up. Please refer to the ‘Notice Board’ section of the newsletter for more detail.
Our first Parent Auxiliary meeting is Friday 16th February at 9.15am in Cooinda. New members are welcome and encouraged! The MOSA (Men Of St Augustine’s) group have their first get together on Friday 23rd February. Refer to the ‘Parent Page’ for more information.
Here’s to a year filled with growth, connection, and success!
Cathy Steere
