Dear Families

This past fortnight has a been a collection of celebrations - both nationally and locally.  As a nation we acknowledged National Reconciliation Week and locally we recognised everything special in our schools as we collectively celebrated Catholic Education Week.  During Catholic Education Week at St. Vincent's we also presented Service Awards to Teresa Calafiore and Kathy Monacella, please see the following article about these two special people in our school community.

This week we conducted our Term 2 Parent-Teacher Interviews.  Thank you for the contributions of both staff and parents to these important opportunities.  I hope that increasing the frequency of these meetings helps build stronger connections between classrooms and homes.

Today we had a burst of sunshine which allowed Tyson Webb (Harry's Dad) complete the finishing touches to our GaGa Pit.  This addition to the yard is a great cardio workout for the students as well as a perfect opportunity for them to be challenged to uphold our school wide expectations of Respect-Responsible-Resilience-Safe.  I hope the kids show some generosity to me if I'm ever brave to join in the fun!  Thanks Tyson for volunteering to build this for us ... the workmanship is first class and your generosity of time to do this for our children is very much appreciated.

Across last week I was shocked by the footage of the devastation caused by the flooding in New South Wales.  Watching young families stand helplessly outside homes, and community leaders describing destroyed community infrastructure was heartbreaking.  Without tempting fate, I have added some insights about Emergency Management to this newsletter and how we might be called on to respond to a local disaster.

In closing, we have a few exciting big picture things happening in the background and I would like to utilise the function of a School Advisory Board.  I would love to have a diverse mix of parents involved.  If you are interested in finding out about this role please call by for a chat or complete the attached Expression of Interest.

Yours,

Dave

We would like to offer our best wishes to our Confirmation candidates for next Friday night when they will celebrate this important sacramental milestone.  We congratulate them on their active participation in the preparation for this special event and thank their parents and our staff for supporting these children.

We extend an invitation to all families across to the school to attend the Confirmation Mass on Friday 5.00pm at Sacred Heart Church.

May these children welcome the Holy Spirit and have their lives enriched by the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Courage, Right Judgement, Understanding, Reverence, Knowledge and Wonder & Awe. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Faithfulness and Self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Congratulations Ryder Azzopardi, Lucas Blair, Dawson Dunn, Cooper Harris, Jedd Kirkup, Asiah Maddaluno, Talia Minnelli, Lani Norder, Jason Pierisge Fernando and Savannah Webb.

Award Presentation Speech:

It is with both pleasure and gratitude that we gather today to acknowledge two truly remarkable individuals, Teresa and Kathy, as we present their 25 Year Service Awards to Catholic Education. Twenty-five years is a significant milestone, representing a quarter of a century dedicated to shaping young minds and nurturing spirits within our Catholic school system. As a diocese, as we celebrate Catholic Education Week, we gather as the St Vincent’s family in our Church to give thanks to these two staff members.

For Teresa and Kathy, teaching has clearly been more than just a profession; it has been a profound vocation. It's a calling that demands not only knowledge and skill but also an extraordinary amount of patience, empathy, and an unwavering belief in the potential of every child. Their commitment to this vocation shines through in every lesson taught, every challenge overcome, and every student they have guided. They have consistently demonstrated a deep understanding that education extends beyond the classroom, fostering values and character alongside academic growth.

We are particularly fortunate that a significant part of their incredible journey has been shared with us here at St. Vincent's. Their dedication to our school community is evident in countless ways – from their tireless efforts in the classroom to their involvement in extracurricular activities. They have been familiar faces for generations of St. Vincent's children and their families. Their unwavering commitment has helped build the very fabric of our school.

Teresa and Kathy, on behalf of the entire St. Vincent's community, we extend our deepest thanks. Thank you for your passion, your perseverance, and your profound impact. You have truly lived out the essence of Catholic Education. Congratulations on this wonderful achievement.

Stay tuned for more photos of the beautiful pots created in Visual Art classes with our guest artists earlier in the year.

On Tuesday 3rd June we have our School Photos.  We look forward to working with a new company 'The School Photographer' after the retirement of John and Rosemary Ansell.  The School Photographer team were the creators of the Graduation banner had had made at the end of 2024 for the Year 6 graduates.

Order forms have been distributed for each individual student with sibling forms available for collection from the office.

The chosen uniform of the day will be the Summer Uniform - which is either the Summer Dress or White Polo and grey pants/shorts.  The students will not wear a jumper/jacket for the photos but can wear them on the day.  Some classes would regularly wear sport uniform on the day so please don't forget.

We ask for your support in ensuring students wear the black school shoes and white socks (with the school dress) or grey socks (with shorts).

Just a continued reminder about the need for everyone to be safe and vigilant when in the carpark.  We all have a shared responsibility to ensure all our children and families are safe.  The first few minutes at start and end of the day are very busy times, and as the weather turns wet and cold we have more cars accessing closer positions to the school.  Please take your time and not rush.

Cars are not permitted in the Kiss & Go Zone in the afternoon.  This allows for the increased space for students to be collected, eliminating the congestion at the bottom of the ramp.

Across the school year we are likely to be faced with some kind of emergency.  Over my time here we have had plumbers hit underground power at 8.45am on a school day, and then the devastating storms that hit Mirboo North which also impacted the power and water supply to St Vincent's.  In both cases we needed to make a decision to cancel school due to the site not being operational.

If an emergency takes place the primary way of communicating with families will be via Schoolzine.  This online system can be used by staff at school as well as remotely, with DOSCEL also able to access this communication tool if the school staff are impacted.  If possible we will then attempt to replicate the message on the school website and via Facebook.  In widespread circumstances, the media and the Victorian Department of Education are likely to have bulk messages around school closures and school bus information.  Typically our school site is more likely to be impacted by lack of services or potentially a lack of staff .... I think our windy position on the top of a hill protects us from floods!

If by chance an emergency happens during the day and we need to close the site we have a few management plans that can be executed.  In Morwell this is likely to be caused by a storm, flood or fire.  We would ask for your calm and orderly support if we needed to conduct an early dismissal.  Protocols would include only taking your own children (or with confirmed permission like at a sports day) with signing out potentially taking place in bulk from the student entry foyer rather than overfilling the office foyer.

Fingers crossed we never get to implement any of our Emergency Plans!