ARTS SHOWCASE

Thank You to Sandra for leading a fabulous showcase last Tuesday. Families and students were so engaged. There was a wonderful sense of community on the night and lots of smiles from families, students and staff. Our Arts Leaders Daania & Jacob  had a chance to shine and I’m so grateful that they had the opportunity supported by our wonderful staff. Thank you to many staff members who gave up their time during the 2 weekends leading up to the event and stayed back late to support Sandra in setting it all up during school days as well. Thank you to Maree and Phillip Hills for your support with the sound systems/equipment etc. They also gave up time over the weekend to set up and test equipment. These events cannot take place without all the extra staff volunteering and working beyond their dedicated working hours. The commitment and dedication of St Catherine's staff is duly noted and appreciated. Thank you also to Srebrenka Casaceli for organising the private music lesson students to showcase their talents in the Learning Hub. As we like to say at St Catherine's- ’Above & Beyond’.

CHRISTMAS EVE FAMILY MASS NATIVITY- 6pm ST CATHERINE’S

This year I’m assisting Sheelagh in the Parish to organise a Nativity at the 6pm Christmas Eve Children’s Mass at St Catherine's Church. Families that were involved last year really enjoyed the experience.

• If you would like your child/children to be involved please look out for an Operoo that will come out later in the week.
• You will need to come to a rehearsal at St Catherine’s Church at 4.30pm on Monday, 18th December. At this rehearsal we will allocate roles & organise costumes  (These will be provided for all the children) This rehearsal should take about an hour and we ask parents to stay for the whole time. Children involved need to be school age.
• We will have a dress rehearsal at 4.30pm on Friday, 22nd December.
• You will need to bring your child/children to church at 5.15pm on Saturday, 24th December to have a final rehearsal and get fitted into their costumes.

Please let me know if you are able to help at either the rehearsals and on Christmas Eve.

Please contact me if you have any questions or need clarification.

FOUNDATION 2024 ORIENTATION SESSIONS & PARENT INFORMATION EVENING

It was a pleasure to meet our 2024 students and families over the last few weeks. Thank you to Maree Hills, our 2024 Foundation teacher for organising the Foundation Information evening  on Wednesday, 15th November. The families came together to continue to get to know each other, learn about the curriculum, expectations about starting  school and general organisational information. Thank you to Abbey Walters for speaking to the 2024 Foundation families about how they can get involved and contribute to our wonderful St Catherine’s community. We are looking forward to seeing our current and new families at the Christmas Carols event on Thursday, 7th December.

SCHOOL HATS  & UNIFORM - 2024 Requirements                                                                            

As of Term 1, 2024 all students from Foundation- Year 6 will be required to wear the new uniform. This includes the official St Catherine's school hat. No maroon coloured hats will be accepted next year. The 2 year transition to the new uniform ends this term. Please see the PDF outlining the requirements which are available from PSW, the official school uniform provider.

All uniform requirements are available at

PSW Pty. Ltd. 1 Age St. Cheltenham  

Ph: 9768 0332

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL 2023

The School Advisory Council held its final meeting for 2023 on Monday, 13th November.

I thanked all the members of the 2023 SAC. Their input, guidance and support is greatly valued and gives the school leadership a parent voice. 

Thank you to the following members who will finish their term at the end of 2023:

• Peter  Brook
• Karen Glancy
• Toby Sloan (Current Chairperson)

Thank you to the following members who will continue for another 3 year term:

• Julia Runci (Stepping down as P&F Representative but will stay on SAC in 2024)
• Abbey Walters
• Carlo Piccolo

Thank you to Toby Sloan for competently taking on the role of SAC Chairperson and for being a SAC member for the past 7  years. We have valued your insights, guidance and contributions.

Congratulations to Carlo Piccolo for being elected the new SAC Chairperson in 2024. We know he will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role.

At the meeting the members were advised of 2024 school fee increases.

2024 School Fees

Each year the school receives Commonwealth and State Government grants which support some of the educational and running costs of the school. As these grants do not cover the full operation of the school, we rely on a fee contribution to help cover education costs for each student. The local contribution collected from families assists in paying for the maintenance, utilities, insurances, cleaning etc. We have carefully balanced the need to continue school improvement and learning experiences to ensure the best learning outcomes for the children, while assessing the increased cost of services and remaining focused on engaging the most competitive suppliers. We have managed to keep our school fee increase to less than current inflation. In 2024 the school fee and levy structure will increase by 5%.

Family Fee $2025

Capital Levy $394

Foundation Levy $618

Year 1 Levy $618

Year 2 Levy $618

Year 3 Levy $618

Year 4 Levy $618

Year 5 Levy $1013

Year 6 Levy $1013

* Camp cost will be billed separately to reflect a more accurate cost each year

* This is a directive from the MACS finance advisor and is now a common practice in schools due to rising camp costs & the new EBA (Enterprise Bargaining Agreement for Education Staff- Time in Lieu)

At the meeting the members were advised of the class structures for 2024. 

2024 Class Structures

Principals are required to work through a consultative process with staff representatives  when planning around the following areas:

• class sizes
• scheduled class time
• total workloads for teachers including meetings, Parent/Teacher meetings and extra/co-curricular duties
• Positions of Leadership

After a comprehensive consultation process with staff representatives over the last 5 weeks, the class structures for 2024 have been determined. There will be 6 classes.

• Foundation
• Year 1/2
• Year 3/4 (x2)
• Year 5
• Year 6

2024 Staffing

Staffing will be finalised and announced in the Week 10 newsletter. 

Students will get the opportunity to meet their classmates and teachers during a ‘Meet & Greet’ orientation session on Wednesday, 13th December.

SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL 2024

We are now seeking 3 new members for our School Advisory Council for 2024

The following are some examples of ways the School Advisory Council may support the school and the Principal:

• articulating and enacting the school’s vision and mission
• promoting the school’s Catholic ethos and culture
• promoting faith formation and development
• supporting school policies as required
• giving advice to the principal on issues such as school improvement plans and enrolment trends
• engaging in discussion with the principal about the annual school budget and other financial matters
• giving advice to the principal about the school master plan
• providing capital resource planning and maintenance support to the principal.

As an advisory body, the school advisory council develops processes of consultation that are an important expression of the educational relationship that exists between parents, schools, parishes and the wider parish community to support all students in the enhancement of their outcomes.

Please download and complete the application form and email it to:  principal@scmoorabbin.catholic.edu.au

STUDENT VOICE/P&F MURAL COLLABORATION

Our Student Voice Group has been working with Sandra Renehan to improve our school playground. They are working on developing the garden area on the oval. The group will also work with the Wall Mural Student Consultation to begin this exciting project.

The P&F are leading a mural project for our school. The codesign mural will be led by a First Nations artist that represents the changing faces of the community and the Moorabbin community more generally. This includes friendship, family and community groups as well as ongoing connections of the traditional owners to the land on which the school resides. The mural will reflect the increased cultural diversity of our community. 

The first workshop for our mural project commenced on Friday 17th of November between 11.30 and 1.30 pm in the Learning Hub. We are lucky to have secured a renowned First Nations artist and an expert in codesign to help the students explore 'the many faces of belonging'. Artist, Vandal (Trica Van Der-Kuyp) and codesign expert Jo Szczepanska, led the workshop.  Timelines for delivery of the mural have been extended until the end of June, 2024 to allow us to hear about the outcome of our creative arts grant application. This is due in early December and will hopefully give us an additional $10 000 to increase the impact of the project.

15 Students will participate in leading the project and will work with the Student Voice Group to keep everybody updated on the themes and next steps. 

F/1/2 SWIMMING & 5/6 BEACH PROGRAM

Operoos have been emailed to parents with information regarding the F-4  Swimming Program &  the 5/6 Beach Program. The Beach Program will take place this Wednesday 22nd November and Thursday, 23rd November. 

Please note that these programs are compulsory components of the PE Curriculum. 

Please contact me if you need to discuss any aspects of the programs.

‘DR SEUSS’S - CAT IN THE HAT’ FREE TICKETS (Showcase Entertainment Group)    

The school has been gifted with 2 free tickets to see the stage show ‘Dr Seuss’s Cat in the Hat’  at 6pm on Wednesday, 24th January at Hamer Hall (Arts Centre- Melbourne). The first family to email me the correct answers to the following questions will be emailed the free tickets.  Good luck!

Email- principal@scmoorabbin.catholic.edu.au                                                                                 

1: What is the name of the girl in ‘The Cat in the Hat’?                                                                      

2: Who was in the red wooden box that the Cat in the hat brings into the house?

3: What does the boy use to catch Thing 1 & Thing 2?                                                                 

The winner will be announced in the Week 10 newsletter.

Remembrance Day Prayer Service 10th November 2023

On Friday the 10th November the whole school gathered in the hall for our prayer service for Remembrance Day. Our service was led by our Student Voice team. We began by bringing symbols forward as a focus for our sacred space. A cross to remind us of all soldiers and civilians, who like Jesus, gave their lives unselfishly for others. Our three flags remind us that this is a national day of prayer for peace and we pray for those who have died or were injured at war. A candle that reminds us of the members of armed forces, who showed courage to defend our country, on the land, the sea and the sky. A wreath of poppies was laid down to remind us that these flowers began to grow on the battlefields during and after the war. It allows us to pay our respect for those who have fallen. The reverence and respect shown throughout the service was outstanding and a privilege to witness. 

ADVENT

The Moorabbin conference for the St Vincent de Paul Society works to support those in our local community that are vulnerable throughout the year providing assistance. They continue to visit people in their homes or within Assistance Centres to provide support, friendship and material assistance. This year for the Christmas Appeal the St Vinnie’s team are asking for donations of Woolworth and Coles gift cards. If you would like to support the appeal please send along your donations to the office by Friday 8th December.

Wellbeing

Throughout this term our survey results from our Wellbeing health checks with our Year 3 -6 students has indicated that many of our students have found sleep an area of concern. As we head towards the end of the busy year and preparing for the new school year in 2024 the following articles may be of interest to you from the https://raisingchildren.net.au/ website. Waking up refreshed is the perfect start to everyday. When children can concentrate, remember things and behave in positive ways, they’re likely to learn well.

Better sleep tips for kids

Assisting sleep

Balancing screen time

Scholastic Book Fair 

Our last Scholastic Book Fair is being held this week in the Learning Hub.

The Fair is open before school Monday till Thursday, and after school on Monday till Wednesday.

Please note the Fair is not open on Thursday afternoon.

Please feel free to visit to see the great range of books. We are able to accept both card and cash payments.

Thank you for all your interest and support with the Fairs this year, money raised helps buy more books for the Library.

Many thanks

Kath Barca

Bunning Barbecue

The P&F held our final major fundraising event for the year yesterday, a Bunnings Barbecue at the Moorabbin store. We want to extend a HUGE thank you to Kate and Geoff Boxer, and Suzanne Currie for organising the event, both in the lead up to it and coordinating it on the day! A big thank you as well to all the families who volunteered their time on a precious Sunday to come and spend a few hours cooking snags, selling raffle tickets, and serving drinks and sausages to the hungry crowds. We also could not have done it without the generous donations from our school community - thank you for all the drinks, bottles of sauce, napkins, and every other item that was kindly donated so this day could be a success. And what a success it was! We are thrilled to announce we raised $2,576 in funds, which will go a long way in supporting a range of end of year events and our exciting school mural project. Thank you again to everyone who helped, donated, and of course, came down to buy a sausage in bread in support of our amazing school!

End of year Christmas Raffle!

Tickets are now on sale for the End of Year Christmas Raffle!
Thanks to those who have already returned their sold raffle tickets and money, we appreciate it so much! Eftpos payments are available every afternoon at school pick up this week if you prefer - please bring your sold tickets and card to purchase! Look out for P&F members in the quadrangle!
There are some amazing prizes up for grabs so don’t miss out on your chance to win - drawn at our Christmas Carol night Thursday, December 7.

If you haven't received your raffle tickets yet you can obtain some from the office, or purchase them this week in the schoolyard after school each day.
This year, we will be offering EFTPOS sales for one week only from Monday-Friday 20-24 November, in the school courtyard from 3.15-3.30pm. Please look out for Nat or a P&F Committee member with the machine and check out the prizes!

12 HAMPERS UP FOR GRABS:

MAJOR PRIZE - NINTENDO SWITCH

Runner up prizes include vouchers donated from local businesses:

Krav Maga, Verve Photography, MOPA, Moorabbin Mechanical, Aquastar, The Light Practice, Penny for Pound, My Little Tribe, Officeworks, Comma, The Custodian, Lollipops Bentleigh, Le Bar, Sonder, Two Brothers, Hudlow, Tradesman Café, Twisted Science, Hunky Dory, Tunnel Express, Arco Bar, Edge Gymnastics, and more!

Christmas Carols Event 

We're back! After an absence over the last couple of years, we are excited to return to the family picnic format for our end of year carols celebrations. Held on the school oval, families are invited to a Christmas concert performed by the children, followed by a BYO picnic and a chance to celebrate another fantastic year. The P&F will be holding a cake stall as well as selling drinks and ice creams on the night, and we also have a range of exciting activities planned including giant kids inflatables!

Each family should have received a notice to purchase wristbands which includes unlimited access to the activities for $10 per child (kids under 5 free). Please return these to the office ASAP to allow the wristbands to be sent home with students before the event. Now all we need is fine weather! We look forward to seeing you on the night!

When: Thursday 7 th December
Where: School Oval, 5.30pm to 8.30pm (5.30pm arrival, carols to commence at 6pm)
Cost: Optional wristbands to access activities ($10p/child, kids under 5 free)

Mural Update

The first workshop for our school mural was held last Friday 17th of November in the learning hub with renowned first nations artist Vandal. During this codesign session the students participated in a paper quilting activity where lots of unique, engaging artworks were produced - please visit the school office to see these amazing pieces! We look forward to bringing you more updates on our school mural projects in the new year as the codesign process progresses.

Graduation dinner

Grade 6 families - don't forget to return your Graduation ticket form and payment to the office if you haven't done so already!

Dad's Group Weekend Away

The Dad's group recently enjoyed a weekend away, traveling down to Phillip Island for a couple of days to rest and recharge before the end of year events fill up the calendar. The guys had a great time sharing meals, exploring the local sights, and taking to the track in an epic go-karting showdown!

 Pancake Parlour School Rewards Program

Pancake Parlour - thank you for your support by visiting Pancake Parlour and attributing your points to St Catherine’s! We are still in the lead and hope to win $1000 at the end of December! See a Pancake Parlour staff member when ordering to double check that your points will go to St Cath’s!

If we score the most points in our local area, we will win $1,000 cash! We are currently in first place at Southland! Parents - please familiarise yourself with the options to attribute the points to St Catherine's tally - becoming a member (free) via their app, in-store when ordering or via their website: https://bit.ly/447hLSs Thanks to those families who have dined already and added to our tally! Competition runs until the end of December, 2023.

Reflections on our fabulous volunteers

As we come to the end of the year and all the activities that go with it, it’s good to reflect on the contribution of all the families and friends that volunteer to provide a great experience for the children of St Catherine’s. Whether supporting a school excursion, running an event, being a class rep or part of the school board, volunteers are essential to ensuring we can do all the ‘extra’s that make school experiences memorable, and fundraise for things that fall outside the usual school budgets.

This year our fundraising went towards the purchase of a new sound system/ speaker for school events, a mural to be completed in 2024 and extensive garden works. Our fun activities included the school disco and our end of year family picnic. About 10% to 15% of our seventy families regularly volunteer in some way to support the work of the P&F. This is great and we are punching well above our weight when compared with other schools which can average about 5% - BUT, as a small school, this sometimes means we can struggle to get all the people we need to do the things we want to do.

If you haven’t thought about getting involved, please put your hand up and give it a go. We need new voices and ideas! Not only do you help your child and the school, but there are added benefits for you including getting to know your fellow parents, influencing where money is spent, and working with our teachers in new ways. Did you know that there are also health benefits to volunteering including:

 Physical and mental health benefits

 Learning new skills and having a sense of accomplishment

 Nurturing new and existing relationships

Current vacancies

 Class reps for all years 2024 (nominated in January when school returns)

 Parents and Friends Committee (member and chair positions)

 School Board

 School canteen roster

Reflections from some of our current volunteers

Angelina (Juliette & Matteo’s Mum)

“I like that I get to give back to the school that gives so

much to my kids, and for my kids too – them seeing me there makes them happy and that

makes me happy. I love canteen because I get to know all the kids and they know me and

are comfortable around me.”

Darren (Jackson’s Dad)

“The Dad’s Group is great because you can talk to other dads and

find out your child is not the only naughty one! You share the challenges and the good

times. You always want to do things for your kids and it feels good when I do it, it’s a win-

win.”

Nat (Harvey’s Mum)

“I volunteer because I enjoy the chance to meet local families and use

my skills to make a positive impact at the school.”

So if you haven’t signed up to be on a committee or as a class rep, give it a go in 2024 – you won’t regret it!