DISA Survey
Thank you, thank you and thank you to the 122 parents, 85 students and 35 staff who took the time to complete the DISA Survey. (Diagnostic Inventory of School Alignment), If you have not completed the survey there is a window of time as the survey will close on Friday 14th September.
I look forward to sharing the results of the survey with you once the University of Southern Queensland has collated the responses and written a full report. The time and effort taken to complete the survey is appreciated.
Child Protection Week
Last week across Australia was National Child Protection Week and culminated in Child Protection Sunday. National Child Protection Week is an opportunity for government, business church and community to come together to promote the safety and wellbeing of children. The enduring message of National Child Protection Week is that ‘Protecting children is everyone’s business’ and urges all Australians to ‘Play Your Part’. A key message of the week is ‘Stronger Communities, Safer Children’. Research tells us that a strong community is important for children and helps them to thrive and be safe. We all have a role to play in protecting children from harm. The little things we do every day can help to create safer environments for children. For instance:
If you wish to know more about National Child Protection Week please visit www.napcan.org.au
Once again I remind parents and grandparents that if you intend to be a regular volunteer at the school, listening to reading, going on excursions, helping with swimming lessons or working in the school garden etc, you must have a Police Clearance and completed your RAN (responding to abuse and neglect) and Volunteer Induction Pack. Please contact Paula Ogilvie at the Front Office if you have any queries.
Class Placements 2019
Each year we give parents some opportunity for input regarding the placement of students for the following year. This exercise is about considering your child’s educational needs. It is not an exercise in selecting your child’s teacher. It is my belief the class teacher is the person in the best position to make judgments about the educational needs of your child and hopefully, all matters of concern about your child’s needs should have been expressed to the teacher early in the school year. The school is consultative in this matter; however, the final decision rests with the class teachers. It is my responsibility as Principal to support the judgment of teachers that I entrust with this decision.
It seems that each year there is increasing anxiety about this process. Some requests are impractical, not in keeping with our school ethos and not about teaching children the skills of resilience, persistence and getting along. Experience indicates that once the year gets underway, the students adjust to their new teacher and they get on with life in their new class. Change is inevitable during this process and I would encourage all parents to support their child in embracing change, rather than shielding them from new opportunities for learning. Throughout a child’s education, they will encounter a range of teachers and each teacher brings a set of gifts that they share with each child. Diversity enriches the learning of each student.
Teachers will begin the process of class placements in the next few weeks with the hope of having them finalized early in Term 4. This process takes many hours of work to ensure classes have a balance of gender, and learning and social needs. If you think there is some aspect of your child’s learning that requires further consideration, please put your issues in writing on the Class Placement form available from the Front Office, or you can download a form from the school’s website www.star.catholic.edu au Please return the forms to Vivian DePalma. Forms stating the names of teachers that you do or do not want will be returned and not considered. The class placement forms need to be submitted by Friday 28 September 2018.
Returning to Star of the Sea
Planning for enrolments and staffing for 2019 is now underway. A form was sent home recently with your child to let us know if she/he will be returning to Star of the Sea in 2019. If you haven’t returned this form please send it back to the class teacher by Wednesday 19 September. It is important that we know if your child is returning next year so we can appropriately plan programmes and resources to meet your child’s learning and wellbeing needs. This information is also timely as one term’s notice is required if you intend to conclude your child’s enrolment.
School Ball – Bright Nights, City Lights
The Parents and Friends Ball Committee have been working very hard in the background to ensure the bi-annual school ball ‘Bright Nights, City Lights' is shaping up to be a wonderful community event and fundraiser. This year’s Ball is being held at the Pullman Hotel in the City on Saturday 3rd November. Your support of this event will be greatly appreciated and is the major fund raiser for the school this year. All money raised will go toward the replacement of student exercise equipment around the school oval. You can support this event in a number of ways:
By donating or asking someone to donate an item for the auction? Items can be big or small. If you have promised to donate an auction item, can you please get your item in to school by Friday 19 October so we can include a description of the items into the Auction Booklet. There have been some great items donated and we are very grateful, however more items for the silent auction would be appreciated.
You can support the ‘Bright Nights, City Lights’ Ball by coming along and by inviting family and friends. Tickets are on sale at the front office for $110 which includes food, a drink package, great music, dancing and entertainment. Please purchase your tickets now! We don’t want anyone to miss out on what will be a fantastic night
Enjoy a wonderful weekend ahead
Joe De Tullio