St Catherine's Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to Sue Pattinson, the staff, students and school community for a fantastic day on the 15th November at Rowen’s Road track. We were blessed with beautiful weather. The students are to be congratulated for their enthusiastic participation and encouragement of each other. Congratulations to the red team for breaking the drought and taking out the overall championship. See below for more information and photos. 

A big thank you to:

• Sue Pattinson for her amazing organisation
• Our amazing Sports Leaders (Gus, Fin, Jensen, Bella, Lachlan P & Daraius)
• Peter Kokkalos & Jim Kokkalos (Starter)
• Abbey Walters & her OLSH team 
• St Catherine’s staff (setup, pack up, scoring, marshalling, first aid etc.)
• Parent helpers

FOUNDATION 2025 ORIENTATION SESSIONS & PARENT INFORMATION EVENING

It was a pleasure to meet our 2025 students and families over the last few weeks. Thank you to Jaimee Hall, Megan Moore and Laura Bailey for organising and attending the Foundation Information evening on Tuesday, 12th November. The families came together to get to know each other, learn about the curriculum, expectations about starting  school and general organisational information. Thank you to Denver Styles (School Advisory Council- Chairperson) for speaking to the 2025 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 on Tuesday, 26th November(Transition Day 2) and Wednesday 4th December (Transition Day 3).

2025 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 6 weeks, the class structures for 2025 have been determined. There will be 5 classes.

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

2025 Staffing

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

2025 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. In 2025 the school fee and levy structure will increase by 3.7% (2024 increase was 5%).

Family Fee $2100

Capital Levy $400

Foundation Levy $645

Year 1 Levy $645

Year 2 Levy $645

Year 3 Levy $670

Year 4 Levy $670

Year 5 Levy $1480 (includes camp)

Year 6 Levy $1480 (includes camp)

A letter outlining fees will be sent home to 2025 families with their child’s school report on 11th December.

Year 5/6 Beach Program

F-4 Swimming Program

Please see Operoo dated 25th November for details about the program.

Re: Years F-4 Swimming Safety Program at Aqua Star, Moorabbin

24 Arco Lane, Heartherton

Beginning on Monday 2 December until Friday 6 December, students in Foundation, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 will be participating in the Swim Safety Program. Swimming lessons will take place at Aquastar Heatherton (24 Arco Lane, Heartherton). Each lesson is targeted to your child's needs with swimming assessments taking place throughout the program. Each lesson will be one hour and is led by a qualified swimming instructor. Parents have already paid for this program through the student levy fee this year. This is a compulsory part of the school Physical Education Program. If your child is sick on  a swimming day, please keep them home. Please contact Carmel Donlon if you have any questions regarding this.

The students will be travelling to Aquastar via bus in class groups. Classes will be leaving approximately 30 minutes before the lesson times.

Years Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 will leave school at 11.30am for a 12.00pm lesson.

Years 3, 4 will leave school at 12.30pm for a 1.00pm lesson.

Parents are not required to attend these swimming sessions unless requested by school staff. St Catherine's school has exclusive access to Aquastar facilities during this time. Any parents that do attend will need to have a Working With Childrens Check. This must be provided to the school before attending the swimming venue.

For the program, students will be required to wear bathers underneath the school sports uniform each day of the program. ALL clothing items must be clearly labelled in a small backpack.  It is advised that students pack a spare pair of underwear. Students may bring a pair of thongs/sandals and will be given the opportunity to change into these before they get on the bus. Students are encouraged to be independent in organising themselves and their belongings. Parents are asked not to enter the change rooms due to Child Safety Regulations.

Students will need to bring their own labelled:

• swim caps
• goggles
• spare underwear 
• towel

It is parents/guardians responsibility to ensure students have all these items laudered/cleaned/dried for each day of the program.

Year 6 Graduation & Guard of Honour    

The Year 6 students and their families will celebrate their Graduation on Monday, 16th December. The Year 6 students' last day will be on Monday, 16th December. We invite you to attend school at 3.15pm on this day to take part in a farewell Guard of Honour. This will take place on the basketball courts. There will also be a Prayer Service in the church at 5.45pm on this day. All are welcome to attend the prayer service. The Year 6 students will then have a Graduation Dinner in the hall with their families and school staff.

Working Bee- rescheduled 9.00-11am, Sunday, 1st December

Thank you to Laura McKell for organising the working bee to spread mulch and tidy garden beds. It has been changed to Sunday, 3rd December. Contact myself or Laura if you have any questions. lauramckell@outlook.com

24th December CHRISTMAS EVE CHILDREN’S 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
• You will need to come to a rehearsal at St Catherine’s Church at 4.30pm on Thursday, 19th 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 Monday, 23rd December.
• You will need to bring your child/children to church at 5.15pm on Tuesday, 24th December to have a final rehearsal and get fitted into their costumes.
• Parents will need a Working with Childrens Check/Card to attend the practice sessions to work with children 

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.

The season of Advent begins on the 1st of December this year. Advent is a four-week season in the Church calendar dedicated to anticipating the arrival, or "advent," of Jesus of Nazareth, the long-awaited Messiah and King. Christians from many backgrounds celebrate this time with reflections on hope, peace, love, and joy. And while their practices may look different, all focus on the hope-filled arrival of Jesus.

Advent is a shared experience of meditation and prayer that celebrates the new liturgical year in the church. Each week during Advent has a specific meaning and relevance.

In the first week, we light the first candle. This signifies hope as it is commonly known as the “Prophet’s candle” and signals that Jesus is coming.

On the second Sunday, a candle is lit to celebrate faith and love. This is based on the everlasting love of God, and it is also commonly referred to as the “Bethlehem” candle. This reminds everyone that Mary and Joseph undertook the journey to Bethlehem.

On the third Sunday of Advent, it is traditional to celebrate Joy with the “Shepherds” candle. This third Sunday is also called Gaudete Sunday, and a literal translation here is to “rejoice.” It is a Sunday to remember Mary as the mother of Jesus.

On the fourth Sunday, the candle symbolises peace and is known as the “Angels” candle. The simple message here from the angels is “peace on earth and goodwill towards men.” 

On Christmas day the central candle is lit, it is known as the “Christ” candle recognising the birth of Jesus.

As a school we will gather at 10:45am on the 2nd and 9th December for a prayer service for the first 2 weeks of Advent and will recognise the following weeks at the end of year Mass.

St Catherine’s Vinnie food drive: 2nd- 10th December

This year as a school community to mark the beginning of Advent we are going to have a food drive to assist people in our local community. We will be working with our local St Vincent De Paul conference who work within our Parish assisting people in the Bentleigh and Moorabbin area. 

The work of the St Vincent De Paul helps the community in many ways, if you would like more information about the amazing work they do follow the link 

The logo for St Vincent De Paul symbolises the work they do. It  has three components,the three hands signify the following: the hand of Christ blesses the cup, the hand of love offers the cup and the hand of suffering receives the cup.

To support our Advent project this year we are asking for donations of gift cards or the following non perishable food items:

1. Soups
2. Long live Milk                                                       
3. Biscuits
4. Small Tea bags
5. Weetbix

Donations can be placed in boxes in each classroom or at the school office from the 2nd of December. We will acknowledge the work of St Vinnie’s with our donations for the community at our end of year Mass on the 11th December.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Maree Hills

FMH

F-2 Dental Incursion

On the 13th November we were very lucky to have Abi Koro come and talk to the foundation, year 1 and year 2 students. We have been learning about keeping our bodies healthy and fit for our inquiry unit this term. We are also learning about people in our community that help us.

Abi discussed with the students how to clean and floss their teeth. The students were amazed at the size of the set of teeth she used to show them. Abi read the students a lovely story and played a great game where the students needed to choose the best foods to eat to protect their teeth.

We are very appreciative of her time and would also like to thank the Bay Street Dental Group for providing each of the students with a Colgate dental kit with toothpaste, toothbrush, mini timer and some floss.

The foundation students wrote letters to Abi to thank her for coming in to speak with them.

1/2 HB

Dream City Incursion

On Wednesday 20th November 2024, Foundation, Year One and Year Two had a Dream City incursion to celebrate our Inquiry learning from Semester Two. We participated in two hands-on STEM experiences.

Electronic Engineer Experience

We created electronic circuits using high-tech equipment. We learnt about the differences between open and closed circuits and explored conductors and insulators. We followed industry-standard diagrams, connecting engineering principles to everyday life. 

Virtual Reality Experience

We were guided through a presentation on safely using high-tech VR equipment. We learnt how VR is used across professional industries to help others and solve problems. We all got to explore and interact with our own VR headset, discovering the possibilities of virtual reality for the future.

Henry - We could colour in the world we went in.

Zoe - I liked colouring in the world!

Liam C - The virtual reality was so fun! I wish they could come back again!

Mawin - The virtual reality was realistic and I got to ride a dragon.

Aston - We used little books to make circuits. My favourite circuit was Number 3 because the fan flew.

Joanna - We connected wires together and connected them to a speaker. It made a happy birthday noise.

Sebastien - we connected a circuit to battery and made lights and fans work.

Joshua - I had to colour in the gates to make them open and a bird flew down.

Zac - I tried so many different types of books in VR. My favourite one was the ship!

Saul - I coloured my VR world blue so that I could be in blue world.

Charlotte - when we connected circuits, some made lights, fans and songs come on.

Flynn - I liked the VR it was fun but I was a little bit scared of the drop down in the VR world.

Benjamin - when we were building circuits I dressed up as a professional and liked following the building instructions.

Jackson - the circuits were so fun and amazing. I really liked seeing each circuit work

3/4 JB

3/4 DK

In science this term we have begun exploring heat transfer of hot and cold temperatures. We did a fun hands on experiment involving hot water, a metal and wooden spoon, a small bead, and some butter. In small groups we each placed a small amount of butter, with a bead stuck into it, on the top of both types of spoons and placed the handles into the hot water. The aim was to see which spoon became hotter and thus melted the butter and dropped the bead into the water. Next, was the waiting game. This was a fun learning experience, as we delved into the concepts of conducting fair tests and how this could have been improved going forward.

5 JH

Circuit Incursion

On  the 13th of November we had an incursion about electricity led by a kind lady called Cin. Cin taught us how to build circuits. First, she told us to connect the black wire to the black wire and the red wire to the red wire. Then we added in a buzzer to the wires to make a noise then we changed it to a mini motor which spun really fast. As a challenge after that we had to connect both at the same time. All the groups made it work. Some of the groups tried to make a tiny light glow with solar panels. After that some groups tried making their circuits work with objects like pencils, spoons and other objects. One kid tried using his braces to power the circuit and it worked because the braces were metal (a conductor) allowing the electrons to go through making electricity. Which was fun to watch! At the end we all held hands and a buzzer would buzz, it was like magic. It was a great incursion!

Duke & Cooper 5JH

6 JD

Circuit Incursion

On Wednesday the 13th we had an incursion about circuits and electricity. The incursion was really fun because we learnt about how electricity works and what materials were insulators and conductors. We learnt all about how to create a closed circuit and if the electron moves for too long or gets too much power they can make a small fire. Then the presenter showed us how to create a circuit with a load and power source. We had to try and use a solar panel and battery to power a little light which took a few tries but once we got it right it was worth it.  

Lily Mae & Dylan 6JD

Monday 25th November F - Yr 4

Today James from the Victorian Schools Garden Program came to teach us about the Kitchen to Garden program. This program helps us be more sustainable by using our scarps and not sending them straight to landfill.

He taught us how to use vegetable and fruit scraps to grow new plants. We planted pumpkin seeds, cherry pips, banana seeds and sprouting onions in containers full of dirt. We put carrot tops and spring onions into a dish of water so we can watch them grow and when they grow we will plant them. We cut a potato into 6 pieces making sure we included at least 1 eye on each piece. We need to wait for the potato pieces to dry before we plant them in the garden. We peeled the outside off of an avocado stone and wrapped it in a piece of paper towel and then put it in a plastic bag. When it starts to sprout we will plant it.  

It was very interesting and fun to watch. We can’t wait to watch them grow. Thank you Mrs Renehan for entering us in the competition and organising this incursion after our school won.

Written by Foundation FMH

Eftpos sales - after school this week for raffle, wristbands and uniform shop 

The P&F is making life easier by taking eftpos sales for raffle books ($20) and wristbands $10 per child) every afternoon from 3.15pm. Look out for us in the courtyard, the uniform shop will be open on Thursday!

There is close to $7,000 of donated prizes - goods, services and vouchers to local restaurants and amusements! Don't miss out on your chance to win!

RETURN RAFFLE TICKETS AND FORMS

Please return all your raffle books and wristband orders by Thursday. Wristbands will be sent home next Tuesday.

Cake Stall Donations

The P&F is seeking cake stall donations for the Christmas Carols on Thursday, December 5th. This week a paper plate and bag will come home with students for you to use for your donations. Please ensure the ingredients are listed clearly on your items. Homemade and store bought donations are welcome. Thank you for helping contribute to our end of year fundraising efforts!

Christmas Carols Volunteers - Cake Stall, Ice Cream & Drinks, Raffle Tickets stalls

The P&F are seeking volunteers on the night of the Christmas Carols to assist at the cake stall, drinks and ice creams stall, and selling raffle tickets. If you are available to donate 20 minutes of your time on the evening of the event, please get in touch with Julia Runci on 0433 582 521.

Working Bee -Take 2!

Sunday December 1

Unfortunately we had to cancel the Working Bee on Sunday due to rain, but we will try again this Sunday December 1 from 8am-11am.

We will be spreading the mulch piles and clearing weeds.  We have plenty of wheelbarrows as well as some gardening tools and gloves. You may like to bring your own shovel and gloves if you have any at home. Please wear covered shoes for safety.

Please let Laura McKell (0431119353) know if you are able to assist. All are welcome, we'd love to see you there!

GRADUATION

If you would like to volunteer with Graduation, we need help to set up on the day, and help on the evening - Monday 16 December - Please contact Nat on 0438 548 739 or nattaffe@gmail.com for more information.

UNIFORM SHOP

Have the kids grown and need to upsize? Do you know that you can swap over and upsize if we have it available? Did you know that we have summer dresses, in every size? And they are only $10. Don't pay $58! Come and visit the shop this Thursday from 3pm.  

Click on the image to catch up on the latest Parish Bulletin 

Don't forget to visit the Crafty Ladies Raffle and Stall to be held at St Peter's - all Masses 23rd/24th November.

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