Dear Parents,

Unfortunately, like many other workplaces, we currently have a significant amount of our staff unwell and unable to attend work due to isolation.  As mentioned in previous newsletters closing the school is our last resort, however, parents need to understand that their children will have different teachers at times to help us accommodate the staffing shortages.  I thank you for your cooperation as we continue to negotiate this unprecedented landscape.

Welcome Back Parents 

As restrictions ease we are looking for opportunities to welcome parents back into the school after so long away due to COVID.  Please keep the following dates free;

Please note that we will require any parents that are wanting to come into the school to sign in at the Office. We will have extra sign in opportunities available to ensure that this does not take too long.

Uniform Shop

I mentioned in the last newsletter that Jan Kennewell will not be continuing to operate the uniform shop beyond September as she has resigned from the position.  I would like to make a correction for the last newsletter where it stated she was retiring.

After stepping through a long process, with the assistance of the Catholic Education Office, we will be moving to Noone Beaconsfield.  The accessibility of Noone will be handy for parents as they operate a shop on Old Princes Hwy Beaconsfield. 

We will inform parents once the official handover has occurred, however, in the meantime please keep ordering through Jan here at school.

Absences due to Covid

Please advise the office on 97021466  as soon as possible if your child tests positive to Covid.

Swimming

Our swimming program commences for Prep and Year 2 on Monday the 8^th of August. 

Safety Around the School Grounds

The following rules are in place for the safety of all students in the school.  We ask that parents please respect the following rules;

• Children should not be arriving at school before 8.25am as they are not supervised. The gates will be locked until 8.25am.  Parents requiring supervision prior to this time need to contact after school care.
• All cars leaving the roadway must turn left into Ridgemont Drive.
• Students waiting for siblings from SFX must wait inside the school grounds near the entrance gate. They are not to wait out the front of SFX.

Use of the Oval

As a school we would like the students to have use of the oval every day of the school year, however, in the middle of a wet winter it is not possible on some days due to how muddy it can be.

Football Posts

Over the holidays we had our football posts installed for the children to enjoy.  Can you please talk to your children about the fact that whilst we want the students to enjoy the use of the posts we do not have full football matches at school.  The children can enjoy games but there is no tackling.

Family Learning Conversations - FLC’s

Thanks to all families who attended the FLC’s last week, as a school we highly value having strong parent/school relationships. 

For Grades 2M9 - Miss Cha, 3S1 - Mrs Cramp, 4S4 - Miss Thorne, 4S3 - Thea Woodhead, 6LA6 - Miss Williams (3 August only), Japanese - Ms Ichikawa (2nd August only) and STEM - Mrs Jennings, your FLC’s have been rescheduled to next week, the 2^nd and 3^rd of August.  Bookings are open. To make your apppointment click on your App, click Home then you will see Parent Teacher Interviews, click there to enter your preferred time.

Staffing News

Mrs Vindy Gunasekera has resigned from her position at St Catherine’s effective as of Friday the 14^th of August.  On behalf of St Catherine’s, I thank Vindy for her efforts over the years and wish her all the very best in the future.

It is with great pleasure that I can announce that Jisha George-Mampillil, who is currently teaching the class whilst Vindy is on Long Service Leave, will be remaining as teacher of the grade until the end of the year.  This is a wonderful result for the students as Jisha is already familiar to the children and doing an excellent job.  Jisha is very excited about continuing as 3S5’s teacher and I am sure that she will be made to feel welcome by all.

School Closure Dates

Listed below are the 2022 School Closure Dates for your diary;

Simon