Welcome back to 2021. We have had a wonderful week so far, with the students enjoying their new classrooms and hopefully making some new friends. It is an exciting time, but also a time of uncertainty for many. It has been nice to see teachers and staff taking the time to meet students as they come into the school and help them settle, regardless of the class they are in. I hope that you have all heard some good stories from your children at the end of the day.

A highlight has been sending the classes off on Monday morning into the completed classrooms! After 12 months of construction, and more than 3 years of planning, the building project is almost at full completion. With only some external works on the MacArthur Ave side of the school still being undertaken, it is timely to thank Arron Binutti and Daniel our site foreman, and all the workers from Binutti Constructions and their contractors, for the incredible job done on the new school building and internal renovations. It really is an impressive result of which we can all be very proud. Thank you also to the many parents that have been involved at the School Board level to plan for and support the construction project. Later in the year there will be a formal opening ceremony, but in the meantime, I hope you all find a chance in the coming weeks to pop in and see the end result.

Foundation to Year 6 Parent Information Session and Open Classrooms

In light of the ongoing COVID requirements, it is important that we find ways to come together and to build community. Therefore, next Wednesday 10 February at 5.30pm there will be a Parent Information Session hosted on Zoom by myself and the Leadership Team. The purpose of this session is to share with the wider community the plans for the year, revisit some of the day to day information that is important at the start of the year and to make ourselves available for questions. All parents are encouraged to access the information session via the link - https://cgcatholic.zoom.us/j/96022057619 .

It is also important for parents to come in and meet their child’s teacher, so on Monday 15 February between 5.00 – 6.00pm, all parents are invited to come into the school and visit the classrooms. This is a chance to meet the teacher, gather some brief information about the year ahead and to ask any questions. Parents can come at any time during the open classroom session, but are asked to not spend the entire hour in the school – we are still needing to limit the number of visitors in the school at the one time. Full details and COIVD related requirements will be sent out prior to the open classrooms.

The ELC will undertake their own information sessions in Week 3. Details to be confirmed.

Updated Information

This week, each family will receive a number of forms copied on green paper. These family details forms must be returned to school by Friday 19 February, even if there are no changes. Of importance is the completion of the Permissions for Photos to be used in school publications section. If you indicate that you allow photographs of your child to be used for publications, this now includes use on our school Facebook page. Please note that in most instances, images used on Facebook are quite general rather than individual students and names are only included after permission is granted. Also important is to ensure all medical requirements are updated. Current students on asthma and/or alergy or anaphylaxis plans will be provided an additional form to update our records.

Please provide all required medication for those students currently on medical plans - PRIOR TO MONDAY 8 FEBRUARY (SWIMMING CARNIVAL).  

A reminder of our note system – GET IT BACK GREEEN. Any note that is sent home that needs to be returned, will be copied on green paper making it easier to recognise that action is needed.

Swimming Carnival

Next Monday 8 February is our swimming carnival at Dickson Aquatic Centre. Due to COVID requirements, all attendees on the day not staff or students must be registered as 'helpers'. This is because the venue is closed to the public for the duration of the carnival. If you would like attend the carnival on the day, please contact Koby Allan via email koby.allan@cg.catholic.edu.au to be added to the list of 'helpers'.

Newsletter 2021

At the end of 2020, we requested some feedback in regards to our weekly newsletter. Thank you to those who provided valuable feedback. As we continue to look at the best ways to communictae with the school community, we have opened the survey for another week and a half. If you would like to provide comment, please complete the survery at the link below. 

https://sjpsoconnor.schoolzineplus.com/survey/12

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is running free parent webinars as part of Safer Internet Day 2021 next Tuesday - a global campaign, supported by millions of people in 170 countries across the world.

Sign up for the Safer Internet Day webinars for parents and carers, eSafety’s guide to cyberbullying and online drama via their website - www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars.

The eSafety Commissioner's site also has a great section specifically for parents or children of all ages about everything from teaching good online habits, to understanding privacy settings, to dealing with online bullying and image-based abuse - https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents.

Have a great end to the week.

Yours in Christ,

Cameron Tarrant

Principal