Dear Families,

I hope everyone had a great break from the routine of school over the past two weeks.  The slower starts to the day, especially in the lame second week, were much appreciated.  The weather to start this term has not been that appealing and I've been tempted to keep my Vinnies beanie on all day!

Can I take a moment to share my funny start to the week.  On Monday our faithful postie dropped in the mail and to my horror was not one, but two, notices for Planned Power Outages.  I felt sick to the stomach only to discover they were for last week, thank goodness!

This term started for staff on Monday when they all attended a staff development day.  These start of term days have proven to be highly successful as it gives us a clear opportunity to revisit our school improvement plans.  I continue to be so appreciative of the combined efforts of the staff to look for ways to develop their skills and impact on the learning experiences of our children.  What I have found really interesting is the momentum we have been able to gain simultaneously in both the academic and well-being areas of the curriculum.  

On the holidays I managed to have the opportunity to go to the cinema to watch Inside Out 2.  I have a well-deserved reputation of falling asleep watching movies (Oppenheimer was a two hour Poppy-nap) but I was very impressed with this sequel.  I can highly recommend the film for parents of tween-agers and older as it goes about illustrating the emotional nightmare of being a human.  Both the original and sequel are well worth the time investment to watch ..... your kids might like them as well!

The term ahead looks busy which is really exciting so I encourage everyone to make sure they are taking note of the details in this newsletter.  If you know someone who doesn't always read our newsletters maybe send them the link.  A few dress-up days are ahead so please don't get caught out with not knowing the theme or colour.  I personally love a good dress-up day and always love seeing how creative some families are in just turning a simple idea into something special.

Wishing everyone a terrific Semester 2.  I look forward to catchup with everyone across these first few days.... although the cold weather will mean everyone will be quickly heading to their cars each afternoon.  With the wet weather we will probably have more cars in the carpark so please remember to exercise caution and care.

Keep warm!

Dave

This term we have a few new faces, although most are familiar faces after working casually at the school or have been here of placement.

Amy Cranston has been both a pre-service teacher and Tutor since 2022.  Amy is now qualified and will be covering Mrs.Calafiore's long-service leave.

Charlotte Dorl has also completed a placement in 1/2SJ and will take up a Tutoring position for the rest of the year.  She will be working across all year levels.

We are also grateful to have the following Education Support Staff joining us on a more regular basis - Ella Buckley, Jacob Cheney, Harry Cooper, Mikayla Couling and Callum Stewart.

Please feel free to introduce yourself to them.

If there are any parents that would be interested in refereeing the Morwell District basketball competition on Thursday 1st August could you please contact the 5/6 team or the office. We have a boys and a girls team entered and must provide referees on the day to compete. 

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

We continue to have the black Lost Property tubs situated across the school.  For the last few days of Term 2 we moved all three hubs to the student entry foyer as they were getting quite full.  We have left the tubs there to encourage students and parents to notice and check for any lost items.  We regular check the tubs for items with names on them so they can be returned.  We encourage all families to label uniform, lunch-boxes and drink bottles etc. so we can efficiently return items to the children.

Any items not collected in the next week will be moved to the second hand shop for re-sale.

NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.

As students progress through their school years, it’s important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy.

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It doesn’t replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

We expect the 2024 Student Reports to be delivered to the school in the next couple of weeks.  Parents will received a paper copy of the report and we encourage you to place it someone safe as most secondary school request a copy when you enrol for Year 7.

Please take the time to read the following information sheet:

We look forward to engaging with our 2025 Foundation students and their families across the year as they make the exciting transition to Primary School.  If you have a child joining us next year or know of a family member or friend attending St. Vincent's, please reach out.

Our transition programs run across Terms 3 and 4.  Our transition program is a wonderful opportunity and offers our incoming students an extensive introduction to school.  We encourage all families to take advantage of these opportunities while also inviting new families to feel welcome to come along to see all we have to offer.

Further information can be found on our website