Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to another school year. I hope and trust that you and your families had a wonderful Christmas and New Year holiday and it was a time of renewal for you and your loved ones. Our children have had a very calm and settled beginning and we are all looking forward to another excellent year of learning.

Apart from our 66 new Kindergarten students, we also welcomed 24 new families from Grades 1 – 6 to the school. We also welcome a number of new staff members who you will get to meet at our PIN on Monday night:

• Annie McArthur (Assistant Principal)
• Kristy Everding (Inclusive Education Coordinator)
• Izzy Johnston (Yr 4)
• Olivia Mullens (Yr 2)
• Amanda Stevens (Yr 5)
• Barbara McHatten (Yr 3)
• Kelly Delaney (Yr 6)
• Karen Byrne (Classroom Support Assistant)

I trust you will join me in welcoming these new staff and families to our community and wish you a long and happy association with the school.

A part of our strategic plan, for the next 3 years, will be prioritising the rebuilding of our community, relationships and connecting parents with the school, after a period of absence due to Covid.

This year we will be looking to engage parents with the school in many ways, including parent workshops, community gatherings, sporting opportunities and the Community Council. Please keep an eye on the newsletter for opportunities to engage with the school throughout the year. A plethora of research links parental engagement in their children’s schooling to the likelihood of future academic success. Please get involved in whatever way you can.

All-Star Sports

We are proud to be offering an initiative in the school to connect parents with other members of the community, have fun with their children and learn some sporting skills in a safe and supportive environment. Attached is a flyer for All-Star Sports, who we have engaged to work with groups of parents and their children after school on the oval. Places are strictly limited to 30 and we will begin with our Kindergarten cohort in Weeks 4-6 on a Wednesday from 4-5 pm. See the link and flyer below for more information. This is a free initiative organised by the school. Please come along, have some fun, learn some new tricks/skills and meet other parents in the school. We will run similar sessions with our Yr 1/2, 3/4 and 5/6 cohorts in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on Compass to register your spot.

Community Council

The Community Council is one-way parents can become involved in the school. The Council is open to anyone, operates as an advisory body to the Principal, and serves as a committee to help organise events in the school. The best Council is a diverse council with members across genders, year levels, family arrangements and those with a range of specific/special skills suited to the smooth operation of a school. Nominations for the Community Council are open and you can become involved by emailing a request to me sean.rutledge@cg.catholic.edu.au, that outlines what you could bring to the Council.

PIN Information

On Monday, we will have our Parent Information Night (PIN) on the Hardtop from 5:30 pm. Please see Compass for more information and a link to a form to register your attendance for catering purposes.

Google Translate

Do you speak a language other than English at home? Did you know that our newsletter can translate into over a hundred languages at the click of a button? Simply look for Google Translate at the top of your newsletter and select your preferred language.

Building Update- Classrooms and ELC

I thank our teachers in Yrs 3 & 4 as well as our specialist teacher (Library, Music STEM) for their efforts to get learning spaces up and running in preparation for our renovation project beginning. These staff have not had to only set up for the school year but have had to redesign/reimagine their classrooms and learning spaces totally. They have done an incredible job and I am excited for the parent community to see their work at our PIN on Monday.

Gifted/High Potential Learners and English as a Second Language support

This year we have a new initiative being offered in the school by two of our teachers with specific skill sets who will be of great benefit to our community. Please see a piece below from Ms Hay describing the Gifted Project at SFA. Ms Jenvey will use her experience teaching in Introductory English schools to support our EaLD students in the school, bringing them up to speed with peers.

We look forward to seeing their work progress and benefit students this year.

Renovation and ELC Projects

Our 3/4 and Learning Support renovation will handover to the engaged contractor this Month.

I hope to be able to share some exciting news related to our Early Learning Centre BGA application, which was submitted in 2022, in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for this!

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.”
― St. Francis Of Assisi, The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi

The poignant words of our Patron Saint ring true today more than ever, especially in our schools. May the 2023 school year bring each student who illuminates our school an abundance of hope, joy, peace and learning.  

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can support you or your family in any way.

Blessings and best wishes

Sean Rutledge

Principal