Term 2 Week 6
This week is ‘Laudato Si’ week. It is a week for us to be reminded of the beauty of our planet and taking some time to step outside into nature – particularly important within the unique environment at St Augustines. Latin for “Praised Be,” Laudato Si’ is the name of Pope Francis’ encyclical on caring for our common home – planet earth. The letter is addressed to “every person living on this planet” and calls for a global dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet through our daily actions and decisions. With this encyclical, Francis calls the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join with him in embarking on a new path. Mrs Anne, our Sustainability and Environment Leader put together some information for the teachers including a kid friendly animation on the message of Laudato Si. Watch the ‘Laudato Si’ animation for children’ by CAFOD (Caritas England and Wales)
Our Mothers Day breakfast occurred the day after the last newsletter was published. Many thanks to the MOSA group who organised this event for all our mums, grandmothers and significant females. It was wonderful to see so many take the opportunity to grab a coffee and croissant and mingle with each other.
Two weeks ago we sent a survey to all families to gauge your thoughts on ways to deliver parent teacher conversations. Face to Face parent teacher conversations were held in Term 1. Many families appreciated the chance to meet face to face with teachers, however many other families also expressed that online was more suitable for their family situation. Over one hundred families responded! Some families also commented: ‘Online is much more convenient for our family’, ‘I love having a face to face early on. The mid year one could be done online, as it is great to have our child with us so they can hear the feedback.’, As I work as a teacher myself, I can’t do school hours it must be after school, so online is easier for me.’ 48 respondents preferred face to face while 63 respondents either preferred online or a hybrid of both. Mid year Parent Teacher interviews will be held on 25th June starting at 12.30pm. We will be offering the hybrid of face to face then online in the evening block. Details on how to register for a time will be in the next newsletter.
A reminder that if a child brings a toy, item or footy cards to school then it is the child’s responsibility to look after the item. The children know not to trade or give away their footy cards as this has caused confusion and upset when the child realises that ‘trading’ means not getting them back.
All children should now be in their winter uniform. A reminder that it is the tunic for girls and long pants for boys. Please ensure you send the woolen jumper with your child even if they choose not to wear it. The days are getting colder and transitioning from a warm classroom to the yard at playtime can be a shock for many ‘jumperless’ children. Please also ensure that earrings are only sleepers or plain studs, brown school shoes except for sports day, no nail polish and hair longer than shoulders to be tied back.
Many children have Smart Watches. As we continue to keep your children safe, 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. Some children also have a phone that they bring to school. There have been occasions where children have been taking photos, scrolling and sending messages while waiting to be picked up. There is no reason for a child to have a phone at school except in certain circumstances (Please see the policy). If you need to contact your child about a change to picking up arrangements then please call the school and we can relay this information to the child. The children are in our care until they are picked up and the school needs to be the first contact point with changes, messages etc.. devices will be confiscated if a child is in breach of the ‘Student Mobile Phone and Portable Digital Communication Usage Policy’ and returned to them at the end of the school day.
We have had a number of children absent with gastro or after throwing up at school. In some classes up to eight children have been absent. The Victorian Department of Health requires children to remain home until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped. Gastro is very infectious and predominantly spread via the faecal–oral route. It is important that a sick child is kept home to prevent further infections.
A reminder that as we drop off or pick up children at the front of the school it is essential we keep everyone safe. Please ensure your child alights or enters the car from the curb side not the road side. Alighting or entering from the road side is dangerous with the potential for serious accidents as cars move past you.
Every year catholic schools complete an Annual Report to The school Community that details the achievements of the previous year. I am pleased to present the 2023 Annual Report to the Community.
