Dear Parents,

Welcome back to our final term for 2024. 

I hope and trust the holidays were restful and gave everyone the chance to reinvigorate themselves for Term 4. 

It is always lovely to come back and see the students after a couple of weeks break. 

We have a very full term and the work and teaching will continue right up until the end of the year. The last full  week of the term will be a graduation celebration week  culminating in the Graduation ceremony on Monday 16 December. More details will come out soon regarding these activities , once details are finalised and confirmed. 

We would like to congratulate Jisha George on the safe arrival of her baby girl Elora. Mum and bub are both doing well. 

As we move to the end of 2024, all of our school advisory committee members are coming to the end of their tenure. 

We will be having our Annual General Meeting on Monday 28 October at 7.00pm which runs via Google meet. If you are interested in joining the committee or would like to come to the meeting, you can contact the office to receive the link. 

See also below for a nomination form and some statements from our current members who have written a little about their experiences as being a committee member and what the commitment entails.

I would like to mention that being on the school advisory committee gives me an opportunity for dialogue with my fellow members where I listen and exchange ideas and understand more of the school values and future directions.

Allison Deering

Hi, my name is Allison Deering and I have a son in grade five and a daughter in year 8 at SFX. I am a Midwife Manager working at Warragul Hospital.
I have been on the advisory board for a few years now and really enjoy my involvement with the leadership team. As a member of the board we are consulted with new and up coming activities for the school, we are asked our opinions and thoughts and are able to provide feedback on behalf of the parents. I have found it great to build relationships and have my opinion considered. I would recommend it to anyone.

Friday 25 October we celebrate World Teachers Day. The week leading up provides an opportunity to celebrate teachers and all school staff across the Diocese for the work they do in educating, inspiring and supporting our children and young people.

Kind Regards

Anna Viney

CRAZY SOCK DAY!

On Friday we will have crazy sock day which will support the Caritas event of Socktober. Children are to wear their full uniform with their crazy socks- It is NOT a free dress day. 

All proceeds will be donated to Caritas. Please do not feel it is necessary to go and buy special socks, let the students get creative and decorate a normal pair of socks as they did with our crazy hat day. This is often part of the fun. 

GRADE 5 & 6'S

Grade 5 students have started the preparatory work for applying for school leadership positions which will happen later in the term. 

We are looking forward to a busy but productive term with all of our students but will be supporting our Grade 6 students in a smooth transition to the start of the secondary school journey.

GRANDPARENTS MORNING - FRIDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2024

Our grand parents annual morning is coming up on Friday 8 November and is dedicated to Grandparents and special others who play a similar role to our students.  
Unfortunately, we will have to restrict this morning to 2 grandparents or special people per family for this year due to our limited spaces.
We will start the morning with classroom prayer, followed by activities that the students can do with their grandparents or special people. The morning will finish up with coffee and cake for our visitors.

There will also be student work on display for our visitors to look at.
Please make these special people aware so they can save the date for this year and other years. We will be sending a survey out on Monday requesting RSVPs for catering purposes, this survey will close on Friday 25 October at 3pm.

SCHOOL FEES 2024

The final school fee statements for 2024 were emailed to families on Friday 10 October 2024.

Please check your emails and contact the office as soon as possible if you have not received your copy. 

Annual accounts should be settled prior to Friday 29 November 2024, unless a payment plan is in place.

If you wish to commence a direct debit, implement a plan and/or wish to have a confidential discussion regarding your account please contact Margaret Lonergan via email: accounts@stcberwick.catholic.edu.au or phone 9702 1466

SCHOOL FEES 2025

Information regarding fees for 2025 was sent to parents via SIMON on Friday 10 October 2024. Please check your emails and contact the office as soon as possible if you have not received your copy. 

HATS AND UNIFORM 

We are noticing a large number of students who are not wearing the correct uniform and we will be addressing this with the students and after repeated warnings , parents will be contacted.

Jewellery , makeup and fake nails are NOT part of our uniform and students will be requested to remove these. A necklace with a crucifix on it is allowed to be worn but be tucked into the uniform for safety reasons. Small sleepers and studs are the only earrings permitted and smartwatches can only be worn if they are set to school mode. Many of these rules are for safety reasons so that injuries do not happen during playtime and P.E.lessons. All other jewellery is to be kept safely at home as the school will not be responsible for loss or breakages. 

Full school uniform should be worn at all times but if for some reason it cannot, parents are to provide a note or communicate this with staff prior to the start of day. 

Hats are now mandatory and are to be worn (not just carried around). Any student without a hat will be sent to a designated shaded area for play times.

HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR ADDRESS?

Please advise the school office if you have changed your address as soon as possible. We have had quite a few letters returning to us as it was not the right address.  You can send an email to info@stcberwick.catholic.edu.au or alternatively call 9702 1466.

OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS CARE PROGRAM

Contact Camp Australia if you’re interested in your child participating Out of Hours School care or in the Holiday program offered.

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. Our Prep numbers are getting quite high  so if you know of anyone considering St Catherine’s for their child please ask them to contact the Office for a tour.

PREP ORIENTATION SESSIONS

PLEASE REFER TO YOUR SIMON CALENDAR FOR UPCOMING DATES FOR THIS TERM!

A Big congratulation to Hudson B in 6LA6 who finished 1st in the Casey South Division hurdles last Monday! This event was postponed over the holidays after it was too windy on the previous day. Hudson will join our other competitors and the Southern Metro Athletics Carnival next Monday at Casey Fields.

Our Canteen runs from Wednesday - Friday. To register please follow the following link Quickcliq registration,  then once registered you can login to Quickcliq.  When registering if your child is in Prep you will need to click foundation.  Your UID (student ID) number can be found on the home page of your Simon App. For further information please see the attached flyer.  Ordering cut off times will be the day before at 8pm, to receive your child's order the very Our next day, any orders placed after 8pm will automatically be placed with orders placed the following day, this allows for time to purchase any extra items needed on the day.  Please email amandamich@live.com if you need to cancel orders and this must be done before 9am on the day of your order.  For those children with dietary requirements there will be a folder placed in the school office outlining ingredients of certain items. Please see the attached Menu, which will also be available when ordering through Quickcliq. 

Dear City of Casey Primary Schools,

Casey Youth Services is proud to host the ‘Parent/Carer Grade 6 Transition Information Forum’, with keynote speaker, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.

This event is for parents/carers of Grade 6 students transitioning into secondary school in 2025. Parents/carers will learn essential tips and strategies to support their child during this pivotal transition period. Attendees will hear from Australia’s highest profile psychologist and mental health advocate, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, who has over 35 years’ experience in the field of child psychology.

Date: Wednesday 23 October

Venue: Bunjil Place, Function Centre,

2 Patrick Northeast Drive,

Narre Warren, 3805

Time: 7:00pm sharp to 8:30pm Light refreshments will be provided

RSVP: Please register via https://tickets.bunjilplace.com.au/9954 by 5pm Wednesday 16 October

This is a free event, but registrations are essential.

Please share the attached flyer with the parents/carers of your Grade 6 students and encourage them to attend. There will be a short Q&A section at the end of the presentation. Limited tickets available so register now!

Please reach out if you require further information.

Warm regards,

Kim