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Dear Parents,
It has been an excellent start to the term with the students quickly settling into a solid working routine. Over the last few weeks our Year 6 and 4 students have been attending swimming. It was wonderful to receive the following email over the weekend from Peter Smith, Director of Aquastar Swim Schools. I thank the students and all of the staff for the wonderful way they represented St Catherine’s.
Dear Simon (Principal) & Anna (Vice Principal)
By way of introduction, my name is Peter Smith, Director of Aquastar Swim Schools.
We had the pleasure of teaching your student swimming lessons over the past two weeks, and I personally was on the pool deck throughout this whole period.
I just wanted to drop you a quick email and inform you of how well behaved and mannered all of your students were whilst swimming at Aquastar Berwick throughout the intensive Aquatic Program.
In this day and age, It is very rare that someone takes the time to write a positive email, however, I think it is well merited in this instance.
Your Staff and Students alike are fantastic. Well Mannered, Courteous & Polite.
The student engagement and their willing to learn, definitely showed in their swimming development. Some amazing achievements.
Your school is definitely doing things right.
Regards
Peter
Year 6 Camp
Yesterday our Year 6 students departed for Grantville Lodge Camp. The students are having a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoying all of the adventure activities. The weather has been very kind so far. A huge thanks to the staff attending the camp, Gavin Balzary, Rebecca Callanan, Victoria Donlan, Sam Smith, Jessica Ornsby, Cameron Witt, Rian Prestwich, Vikki Lewis, Michelle Ewan and Patrick Pawlukowski . It is a huge effort for them to leave their own families for the week, their sacrifice is very much appreciated as it allows us to provide this opportunity for the students.
First Communion
Congratulations to all of the children who are celebrating the Sacrament of First Communion. We wish then them all the very best during this special time in their lives. Thanks to Fr Jeff, Tara Bau and Nerida Byrden for their organisation. They have been lovely ceremonies.
New Specialist Next Year – The Arts
Parents may be aware from watching the news that there is a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Sale. This agreement gives parody with the Government Schools and it is essentially around managing workload for teachers. As part of the agreement the teaching staff face to face contact hours have reduced from 22.5 hours to 21.5 for 2023. To accommodate this the students will get the opportunity to enjoy an extra specialist lesson next year – The Arts. Therefore the 2023 Specialist lessons will be; Japanese, STEM, Performing Arts, Physical Education and The Arts.
End of Year for Students
The students will conclude school on Thursday the 15th of December. Grade 6 Graduation will also be on the afternoon/evening of the 15th. Details of the Graduation will be forwarded to parents over the coming weeks.
New Playground / Parents and Friends Funding
Planning is underway to create an extra playground for our children to enjoy. A huge thanks to the Parents and Friends Committee who will be donating money raised from their fundraisers to assist with the purchase. We expect that this should be constructed some time into the New Year.
Summer Uniform / Hats
A reminder that now we are in Term Four the students need to be wearing their summer uniform and hats.
Uniform Shop
A reminder that Noone in Beaconsfield is now operating as our uniform shop. We thank Noone for their willingness to come on board and we look forward to working with them. Further information is contained within this newsletter.
2023 Planning
Over the next week the students will be given the opportunity to select five friends/learning partners that they would like in their class next year. Throughout the large task of creating the grades the students will be guaranteed one of their selections.
Leaving Families
To assist with our 2023 planning we ask that if you know that your circumstances are changing and you are leaving the school that you please inform us asap by emailing enrolment@stcberwick.catholic.edu.au or alternatively call the school office on 97021466. We have a waiting list for several areas of the school and your spot can be offered to someone else.
Prep Enrolments
We still have a very limited amount of Prep spots available for 2023. If you are an existing family and have not yet completed your 2023 enrolment form please do so asap in order to confirm a place. If you know of anyone wanting to enrol at St Catherine’s please encourage them to contact the Office and book a tour.
Important 2023 Prep Enrolment Dates for Your Diary,
| 3 Prep Orientation Sessions |
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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.
Important Dates
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Monday 31 October |
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Thursday 15 December |
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Friday 16 December |
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Monday 19 December |
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Tuesday 20 December |
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| 2022 - October 18 - 21 | Year 6 Camp |
| 2023 - February 6 - 9 | Year 6 Camp |
| 2023 - May 1 - 2 | Year 4 Camp |
Kind Regards,
Simon
YEAR 6 HAPPY CAMPERS
We have one more First Holy Communion weekend to complete which will see our Parish Sacramental Program conclude for another year. I would like to thank everyone who has supported the program, especially the teachers who have volunteered their time to either attend a workshop or ceremony throughout the year.
Mission Sunday is this weekend, it is an opportunity for us to focus our attention on people in need throughout the world. This year we will be learning about Ethiopia and how Catholic Mission is supporting and empowering them to be self-sufficient. Next Friday the 28th October the teachers and students will be learning about the work of Catholic Mission and how they are helping in Ethiopia. Pope Francis says that we need ‘to be a witness of love in the world’ as we walk hand-in-hand with the people of Ethiopia.
We will be having a Crazy Sock Day where the students will be able to wear different types of socks to school for a gold coin donation, which will go directly to Catholic Mission to support the vital work that they do.
Father Jeff will be visiting St Catherine’s on Thursday where he will be talking to the Year One students about what he does in the parish. He will then pop in to all the classes to say a quick hello followed by meeting the staff at recess.
Just a reminder that October is the month of the Rosary, many of the classes have been learning about the rosary. I have had the privilege of participating in Class Prayer with classes over the past few weeks and it is wonderful to see the students praying and using rosary beads.
Below is the link to the Catholic Mission website if you would like more information about it.
https://www.catholicmission.org.au/
Yours in Faith
Nerida Byrden
Catholic Identity and Religious Education Leader
TERM 3!
St Catherine's Sports Day will be on Friday 25 November on St Francis' Oval.
SOUTHERN METROPOLITAN DIVISION
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
Today 8 students from year 4-6 competed at the Southern Metropolitan Region Athletics championships at Casey Fields. In perfect conditions the St Catherine’s students performed brilliantly and represented the school with pride!
The following students competed on the day
| Portia 4S4 | Hudson 4S7 |
| Zavier 4S7 | Romeo 4S8 |
| Spencer 4S8 | Charlie 5LA1 |
| Oscar 6LA7 | Jayden 6LA7 |
Congratulations to everyone for making it this far! You should all be proud!
A massive congratulations to Oscar Ellis in 6LA7 who finished 1st in the 12/13 boys 200m and 2nd in the shot put and has qualified for the State carnival on Wednesday 2 November at Lakeside Stadium! What an achievement!!
A special mention to our year 4 relay team who came 3rd in their race in the 9/10 boys relay.
The runners were Hudson, Zavier, Romeo and Spencer .
Also to Portia in 4S4 who came 4th in the 200m and Charlie in 5LA1 who came 4th in the 9/10 boys shot put.
Well done St Catherines!
In Term 4 all students at St Catherine's will have the opportunity to participate in a personal safety session run by Kids ROAR. These sessions are designed to provide tools and strategies that empower children to help reduce their vulnerability to abuse, neglect and unsafe situations. A parent session will be run on Zoom to allow parents to be informed about the program and ask any questions that they may have. Please see the attached flyer for details.
CHILD SAFETY WEEK
Our canteen operates on Thursday's only
- Orders are online only.
- Orders are via CDFPay.
- Orders must be complete by 8:45am on the day.
- Orders can be placed in advance.
Please see the link below. Create a CDFPay account and then simply place your order.
Cancelling Orders
If your child is sick or will not be attending school and you have placed your order you need to:
- Contact the School Office to advise that you wish to cancel the order.
- Your CDFPay account will be credited.
- No refunds are possible.
| Keerat K | Mia G | Sara N |
| Zara D | Sebastian G | Eleesa M |
| Harrison H | Emmanuella N | Dominik B |
| Isabella B | Seya D | Levi G |
| Finn W | Hannah B | Brianna J |
| Kenara L | Freddie O | Vihanna P |
| Zara V | Grace G | Kasiana O |
| Aum Z | Summer S | Alanna D |
| Bianca E | Nethmi F | Matias B |
| Ethan D | Mithra M | Kundai M |
| Neil R | Flynn S | Annabelle V |
| Inara D | Skye S | Karl D |
| Ameerah R | Sara G | Helena V |
| Reid P |
Bunnings Fundraiser
Sunday 23 October
Vision Portraits Fundraiser
Sunday 4 December
Vacant positions available for 2022/2023
Secretary, Meal Bank Co ordinator, Book Club Co ordinator - for position details or to nominate yourself please emailjoanne_riley@bigpond.com
| Wednesday 2nd November | 7.00pm |
| Wednesday 7th December | 9.30am |
BOOKCLUB ISSUE 7 IS OPEN FOR ORDERS
Remembrance Day Appeal - Remembrance day 11th November
The remembrance day Appeal raises funds to support former and serving members of the australian Defence Forces and dependants when in need. We have Poppies, key rings and wrist bands for sale in the school office. Below are the prices for these items.
| POPPIES | $2, $3 AND $5 |
| KEY RING | $4 |
| WRIST BAND | $3 |
School swimming for grade 4's and 6's has just concluded, congratulations to all who participated! Everyone improved a lot!
This week the grade 6’s are going to the Granville Lodge Campsite, we will be gone for 4 days, Tuesday-Friday.
Remember as it is term 4 all students MUST wear a hat when outside, if they don’t bring a hat, they will have to go undercover in the ‘no hat, no play’(COLA) area until they bring a hat.
Parents remember to tell your child/ren that phones are not allowed in school, and must be kept in their bags until they are out of the gates.
Thank you from
Alicia, Adain, Luke, Sienna, Mia and Oscar
