Newsroom

Dear Parents and Friends,

Greetings and welcome back to the start of a new school year! It has been great to see everyone return refreshed from the summer holidays. I trust your break from school was pleasant and revitalising. It is amazing what a change of scenery and time away can do for the soul. The children have returned with renewed vigor and some have grown taller and others lost teeth. Overall they all appear happy to be able to catch up on holiday news with their friends. The teachers and staff have also returned with restored energy and exciting plans for their classrooms and I am sure that the year will be filled with many learning opportunities and fun times.

We welcome to Star of the Sea, all new students and their families. We have a number of new families in Reception and others in various year levels. If you know of a new family, please make them feel a part of our community by introducing yourself and offering your support.

As we head into the new school year we are very mindful of the bushfires that have destroyed large parts of our country and in particular we have experienced the devastating Adelaide Hill fires and Kangaroo Island fires. As a school community we pray for the loss of human lives, for homes, animals, plants, trees and the scaring of the earth. We pray for the healing of the land and the healing of lives and communities. The children are very aware of the fires and in many classrooms it is a topic for discussion. In the weeks ahead the 2020 SRC group will no doubt be organising some fundraising so we can contribute to the healing efforts as a school community.

Holiday Works

The holiday break delivered some very hot weather and as a result the capital building works lost several days of work. However, we remain on track for the work to be completed for the start of Term 2. During the holidays the second floor of the MacKillop Building received a lot of attention and will be ready for the Year 4s at the start of next week.

Once again I apologise for the disruption to access around the school. I appreciate it is a long walk to some classrooms. It will all be worth it in the end as we watch the remainder of the build progress.

Staff News

During the holidays there were several changes to staffing.

• Janine McCormick who has been a teacher at Star of the Sea for nearly 20 years moved with her family to Cairns. We are very thrilled to welcome Daniella Barilla to Year 2BR. Daniella has been teaching in the public system and we are blessed to have her at Star of the Sea.
• We are very pleased to welcome back Tammy Reardon who is sharing the Year 2BR class with Daniella. Tammy returns from parenting leave and mum duties with little Oliver.
• We welcome Shelby Lee to the role as Science Teacher this year. Shelby is replacing Peter Hoskin who is on leave for the year. Shelby is a familiar face around the school as a relief teacher and an old scholar. Shelby will be sharing Science with Michelle Fulton.
• I am delighted to welcome back Eva Lake. Eva is teaching Year 4 this year and returns after having 2019 off to work as a nanny in Spain. It is wonderful to have Eva back and I am sure her experiences of a year in Spain will be shared with her class.
• At the end of last year our Canteen Manager Dee Taggart became very ill and was admitted to hospital for treatment of a very rare blood disorder. Dee is still recovering and will be away for the start of the year. We welcome Ada Tippins who has kindly agreed to take on the Canteen while Dee is away. Ada is a past parent and experienced Canteen volunteer.
• Also during the holidays Helen Nicholaou resigned from her role as an ESO and will be working at Charles Campbell High School. Replacing Helen in the ESO role, we welcome Leanne Stokes. Leanne has been working as an ESO at Sacred Heart College for a number of years.

On a final note I remind parents that as we start the new school year it is important that students wear the correct school uniform. A copy of the uniform policy is available on the school’s web site. Next week I will be sending home reminder notices to students who are wearing the incorrect uniform, shoes or those who forgot to have a haircut during the holidays. I would appreciate your support in this matter.

Thank you to all of the parents who supported the Champagne and Tissues morning on Tuesday. We had a wonderful response and I am pleased to report that there weren't too many tears. Thank you to the Star Outreach group for organising the morning; it was a very special way to start the school year.

Enjoy the weekend ahead
Joe De Tullio