Dear Parents,

We have had a fairly settled start to the year, with just a couple of hiccups. On Wednesday last week we suffered a few issues as a result of the storms resulting in an unexpected odour which was discovered on the arrival of staff on Wednesday morning. This triggered our emergency management procedures, to ensure the area was safe.  We thank you all for your assistance in what was relatively short notice.  We were able to investigate with the assistance of emergency services and the building has been cleared of any risk. I can not tell you how blessed St Catherine’s is to have the staff we have. The way they all handled Wednesday’s situation in a calm and professional manner is a testament to this.  

Our new staff and students have settled into their new school well. 

Auslan for Grades Prep – 3 

This language will be run as "the Teacher as a Co-Learner program" meaning that the teachers run the program learning alongside the students. 

Our staff have been receiving Professional learning to assist with the implementation of Auslan, this has started this week. Our students will be undergoing deaf awareness training alongside this program … Watch this space for more developments. 

Inform and Empower

A parent webinar is offered tomorrow ( Thursday night ) at 7.30pm. This is online and a great opportunity to see what the children are learning about in this space. 

Family Learning Conversations.

Information regarding Family Learning Conversations will be sent out this week . You will be able to book these via PAM. These will take place in week 6.

Some families will receive notification for an extended meeting time running on the Monday. This is to eliminate the doubling up of FLC’s and PSG’s, it will become just one meeting which will be extended. More information will follow regarding this. 

Prep Gate

In the past few weeks Preps have been entering from the Prep gate.  As of next week the Prep gate will be closed, so Preps will need to enter as normal with all other students through the front gate or with parents via the Kiss and Go.

Student attendance 

Just a reminder that our classes start at 8.50am, students are expected to be at school and ready to start instruction at 8.50am. 

Any students coming after the bell are impacted as they can miss vital instruction and the beginning of Specialist subjects. Students on scheduled out of classroom intervention programs may also miss their session, as many of these start as soon as the bell goes in the morning.

Any student arriving late must be signed in by a parent or carer via the office. This is a legal requirement and we have noticed many more students arriving after 8.50am.  As a part of our continual review of our processes and procedures, we will be following up with parents and carers.  

Classroom doors open at 8.30am.

Regular late arrivals will trigger our attendance/absence processes which means parents and carers will be contacted by classroom teachers at first but may be escalated to other governing bodies. 

Whole School Positive Behaviour Approach 

Over the past couple of years, we have been reviewing the model that was in place- SHINE. This program as with all programs needs to be reviewed and updated constantly to reflect our current context. We have introduced our 3 school values and have simplified the wording . 

At St Catherine’s we are  safe.

At St Catherine’s we show respect. 

At St Catherine’s we are resilient.

The students have started to unpack with teachers how this is looking and how these statements  reflect our actions in all settings and in all areas of the school. As this is developed with students and staff ,information will be shared with the community via our usual communication platforms.

Car Parking 

Due to the restricted car parks, we have had to close off the very end of the driveway to all cars except our contractors, admin and DOSCEL staff. We have regular visits from these people and need to be able to give access to them and if necessary emergency services. 

To allow this to happen and to keep our children safe, we have put bollards out to restrict access to allow the crossing near the chapel to be a safe zone for children to cross the driveway. 

These Bollards will be moved each morning at 8.30am and each afternoon at 3.00pm to allow traffic through when the chapel gates are open. 

Beginning  and end of the day parent communication.

Parents are welcome to come into classrooms at the beginning of the day to settle their children. We ask that if you wish to meet to discuss matters regarding your children that you schedule a time through the office. Teachers have scheduled staff meetings and planning sessions and after school duties which require their attendance. 

Before school, staff are required to be supervising students and use this time to assist students with getting organised for the day. If you have a concern, please send an email to your child’s classroom teacher to schedule a time to meet or request a phone call to ensure they can give all matters their full attention. 

Preferred communication with staff is via email throughout the school day, However, URGENT communication and communication about end of day arrangements need to go through the office to ensure the message is passed on. Our staff do not generally access emails during teaching time unless they are on a break or planning time. 

Student access and child safety 

We request all students accessing the administration Office and who may be coming in late do so via the SFX driveway. Students are to walk down the St Francis Xavier side of the driveway on the footpath and cross at the Chapel crossing behind the bollards. 

We remind parents that the driveways are limited to 5 kilometres an hour for the safety of our students. Staff are on hand to assist until just after the bell. All students who are late should be walked into the office by an adult and be signed in for legal reasons. 

We also ask that parents and students use the designated crossings when crossing Ridgemont Drive and Meadowlands Way. 

Hats and Uniform 

Hats are needing to be worn at all break times in term 1 and must be worn properly by our students to ensure that we are remaining a sun smart school. 

Summer uniform is to be worn for Term 1 with sports uniform being worn on PE lesson days and SPECIAL sports days as notified by the office. 

2025 Enrolments

We are currently taking 2025 Enrolments. If you are an existing family please get your forms in asap to guarantee you a spot. If you know of anyone considering St Catherine’s for their child please ask them to contact the Office for a tour.

School fees

Fee statements were emailed to families on Monday 19 February. If any families have an eligible Health Care Card please contact the Office if you have not already. If any families require a discussion regarding fees please contact Margaret Lonergan at the School Office.

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund provides payments for eligible students to attend school camps, excursions, and sports and outdoor education programs.

Please follow the link to get more information and download the application form.

CAMP AUSTRALIA

Please follow the link to find out about our before and after school care program!  Bookings are now Open!

Warm regards 

Anna