Last Friday evening and Saturday morning our Year 4 students celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation with Fr Phillip Marshal and Fr Krish. Both celebrations were memorable occasions and reflected the great deal of work that went into preparing the children. Thank you Stella Foley, Barb Conlon, Marian Izzo, and Mim Laurendi for preparing the children so well and for making sure the celebrations were well organised. Thank you also to the choir students and Cathie Turner for the music and singing at both events.
First Communions are now being celebrated and bringing our Year 4 students to the conclusion of their initiation into the Church. Well done to all involved.
Class Placements for 2020
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. I have always held the belief that 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 apprehension about this process. Some requests are unworkable and 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 and during this process 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 weeks ahead with the hope of having them finalised 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 5 October 2019.
Returning to Star of the Sea
Planning for enrolments and staffing for 2020 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 2020. If you haven’t returned this form please send it back to the class teacher by Friday 27 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.