This will be the final newsletter for 2024. A brief update will be sent out on Wednesday, 11th December, to announce the 2025 class groups and teachers.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our staff, students, and families for their continued involvement in this wonderful community. It has been a privilege to serve as Acting Principal this term and witness firsthand the dedication of our staff and families in providing our students with a rich learning experience and strong sense of community at St. Catherine's.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my leadership team, Megan Moore and Maree Hills, for their incredible work and support throughout the term. They have been instrumental in ensuring that we provide the best opportunities for our students, and I could not have asked for better partners in leadership. I would also like to thank and acknowledge Laura Bailey for her support and knowledge in also areas of finance and administration. She always greets students, families, staff and visitors with a smile no matter how busy she is. Thank you also to Paula Hamilton for her work to organise and send out our newsletter in such a professional manner each fortnight. 

I want to extend my sincere gratitude to our teaching staff and education support staff. Their dedication to our students goes far beyond the classroom, and they have consistently gone above and beyond to ensure that each child has the support they need to grow and thrive. Whether it's through creative lesson planning, providing extra assistance, or fostering a positive and inclusive classroom environment, their tireless efforts have made a profound impact on our students' educational and personal development. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a passionate and caring team.

I would like to take a moment to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the parents and friends who have dedicated their time and energy to organizing the social and fundraising activities at school this year. Your hard work and commitment have truly made a difference, and it is because of your efforts that our school community has been able to come together, support one another, and create lasting memories. A special thank you goes to Natalie Taffe, who has gone above and beyond in leading the group this year. Natalie’s dedication, passion, and tireless work ethic have been an incredible asset to the school. She has shown remarkable leadership, always putting others first, and ensuring that every event was well organized and enjoyable. Her enthusiasm and spirit have inspired everyone around her, and her presence will surely be missed. Natalie, your contributions have made a lasting impact, and we are deeply grateful for all that you’ve done. Thank you again to everyone involved – your support has meant the world, and it’s because of you that we’ve had such a successful year.

Thank you to all the members of the 2024 SAC- School Advisory Council. Your input, guidance and support is greatly valued and gives the school leadership a parent voice.                                                                                                                            

Thank you to the following members who stepped down in 2024: Carlo Piccolo (Chairperson).

Thank you to the following members who have contributed in 2024: Denver Styles (Chairperson), Julia Runci (Secretary), Abbey Walters, Suzanne Currie and Darren Brady. Thank you to my Leadership Team for their attendance and support: Maree Hills and Megan Moore.

I would also like to thank the wider St. Catherine’s community — our students and their families — for your ongoing support. It is because of you that our school remains such a warm, nurturing environment where learning and growth are celebrated. This term, in particular, has shown me just how committed everyone is to the success of our students, and it has truly been a pleasure to work alongside you.

As we near the end of the school year, we bid farewell to our Year 6 Graduates, staff members, and families who will be leaving our community. It’s always bittersweet to say goodbye, but we wish them all the best in their future endeavors and hope they carry the spirit of St. Catherine’s with them wherever they go.

Thank you once again to everyone for making this year a memorable one. I look forward to the exciting opportunities that 2025 will bring for all of us. Please take time to relax, enjoy the holidays, and recharge for the year ahead. Christmas Blessing to you, your friends and your families.

A big thank you to everyone involved in making last Thursday's Christmas Carols event such a success! It was a fantastic event that truly showcased our community spirit, and fun was had by all.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who put so much effort into making the night possible. A special mention to Nat and her amazing P&F team, whose hard work and dedication were essential in bringing this event to life. Special thanks to the P&F for their assistance with organizing the jumping castles, raffle, and cake stall. I’d also like to thank Phillip Hills and Maree Hills for setting up our sound system, ensuring everything ran smoothly. Thanks to the staff for organizing the delicious BBQ. We also thank the staff for preparing the children's performances, and a big thank you to Sandra Renehan for the extra musical items.

Most importantly, thanks to the students for their amazing singing and performances. We also appreciate the families and friends for supporting the event. It was a wonderful time of fun and enjoyment for all!

Year 6 Graduation & Guard of Honour

We wish our Year 6 graduates all the best as they finish their primary school journey and embark on their secondary school journey. Farewell and best wishes to: Zoe Arnaoutis, Lily Mae Boxer, Analia Carapeto, Dylan Carvalho, Bella Costelloe, Lachlan Entwisle, Felicity Laville, Supreme Lertsomprasong, Finn McGuire, Cameron McKell, Daraius Mendonca, Lachlan Plas, Manuel Sojan, Jensen Walters, Gus Welsh and George Wilson.

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.

Staff Farewells

It is with mixed emotions that we say farewell to some of our dear colleagues at the end of this school year. We will deeply miss their invaluable contributions and wish them all the best as they embark on new adventures.

Maree Hills will be leaving St. Catherine’s at the end of the year. Her wealth of experience, unwavering dedication, creativity, and meticulous attention to detail have made an incredible impact on our school. Throughout her time here, Maree has played key roles as a Foundation, Year 1, and Year 2 classroom teacher, Wellbeing Leader, and Religious Education Leader. As an integral part of our Leadership Team, she brought passion and insight to everything she did. Maree will be moving on to a new role as a Foundation teacher at Sacred Heart, Croydon. We wish her all the best in this exciting new chapter.

Dylan Knoll has secured a teaching position at St. Louis De Montfort's in Aspendale. Dylan has been a valued member of the St. Catherine’s community, and it has been a privilege to mentor him during his first year of teaching. He has brought fresh ideas and innovative approaches to our school, enriching the learning experiences for both students and staff. We wish Dylan continued success and fulfillment as he progresses in his teaching career.

Sandra Renehan will also be finishing at the end of this year. Sandra plans to dedicate more time to her family, pursue travel opportunities, and work as a Casual Relief Teacher while considering her future in education or exploring new ventures in the Arts. Sandra has been an invaluable part of our school community for 11 years, contributing in various roles, including as a classroom teacher, Visual Arts Teacher, and Performing Arts Teacher. She has been a driving force behind our Environmental and Sustainability initiatives and has recently taken on additional leadership responsibilities. Sandra’s creativity, experience, and talents will certainly be missed.

We thank each of these wonderful staff members for their dedication, hard work, and passion over the years. We will miss them dearly and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

New staff in 2025                                                                                                                  

2025 Visual Arts Teacher – Joanne Boer

Joanne Boer will be joining our teaching team as the Visual Arts Teacher in 2025. Joanne is an experienced educator with a deep passion for the arts. She currently teaches Visual Arts at St. Roch’s in Glen Iris and has built a strong reputation for her creative approach and dedication to nurturing students’ artistic abilities. In 2025, Joanne will be working across both schools, bringing her expertise to enrich our Visual Arts program. We are excited to have her on board and look forward to the artistic opportunities she will create for our students.

2025 Performing Arts Teacher – Samantha Hudson                                        

We are excited to welcome Samantha Hudson as our new Performing Arts Teacher for 2025. Samantha comes to us with a wealth of experience, currently teaching at Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) in Cheltenham. She is known for her dynamic teaching style and her ability to inspire students to explore and develop their arts skills. Samantha will be working across both schools in 2025, and she is looking forward to becoming part of the St. Catherine’s community. Her enthusiasm for the arts and commitment to fostering student growth will be a wonderful addition to our school. We are confident that she will make a significant impact on our students’ creative journeys.

2025 Classroom Teacher – Joyce Dunne                                                             

We are pleased to announce that Joyce Dunne will continue her role as a Classroom Teacher at St. Catherine’s in 2025. Joyce is currently teaching Year 6 and has proven to be an invaluable member of our team. She stepped into the role when Megan Moore transitioned to Assistant Principal in Term 3, and her knowledge, experience, and dedication have made her a vital part of our school community. We are excited to continue working with Joyce in the coming year and look forward to all she will bring to our school in 2025.

2025 Classroom Teacher - Andrea Harvey                                               

Andrea Harvey will be joining our team as a classroom teacher in 2025. Andrea is an experienced educator with a strong passion for nurturing students' growth and learning. She is currently teaching at St John Vianney in Mulgrave, where she has built a reputation for her dedication and commitment to fostering a positive and engaging learning environment. Andrea’s expertise and enthusiasm will be a wonderful addition to our school, and we are excited for the new perspectives she will bring to our classrooms. We look forward to seeing the impact Andrea will have on our students in the upcoming year.

2025 Meet and Greet - 11.30am-1.30pm Wednesday, 11th December

This Wednesday the students from Year Foundation to Year 5 will meet their 2025 classmates and teachers. This session will take place in the students 2025 classroom. 2024 Year 6 students and students not returning in 2025 will be looked after by Mrs Hills.

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)

Selection of students in 2x 5/6 composite classes

Organisation of classes at St Catherine's follows these steps:

1. Students participated is a sociogram where they choose other students based on select criteria
2. Teachers then created classes for next year taking into consideration -

• Connections recommended by previous teachers
• Connections recommended by current teachers
• Balance of academic abilities with particular focus on spread of children with specific learning needs
• Balance of different personalities
• Students choices

    3. Once these classes are created, they are checked by the Leadership Team against the data they have on the students to ensure academic balance.

As you can see this is a long, detailed process that begins at the start of Term Four. The process does not have a place for parents to request specific teachers or for parents to request changes once classes are decided. 

I hope this gives background for the long and detailed process we follow at St Catherine’s.

Our commitment is to put students in the best learning environment possible. Ultimately parents choose St Catherine’s because they believe in all we provide and that our commitment to our students will always be our focus.

New Before and After School Provider in 2025 - MACSEYE

We’ve engaged MACSEYE to provide Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) for our students and families. They will start operating and providing OSHC from Term 1 2025.

MACSEYE is a newly approved provider, set up by the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) to offer a range of early childhood and school aged care programs. MACSEYE is committed to see every child and family flourish. Their programs are designed to foster a sense of identity, health and well-being.

As a Catholic provider, MACSEYE will have strong links with our school and local parish, working together to build a vibrant community of support for children and families.

MACSEYE is an approved registered provider, and sets a high standard of quality inline the National Quality Standards. I’m confident MACSEYE will provide a high quality service for our students.

Families who need Outside School Hours Care will need to enrol with MACSEYE. Please refer to the flyer which has the enrolment link.  

If you have any questions, please let me know or you can also email MACSEYE directly at enrolments@macseye.vic.edu.au

Working Bee- Sunday, 3rd December

Thank you to Laura McKell for organising the working bee to spread mulch and tidy garden beds. A big thank you to all the families that assisted last weekend.The school grounds looked wonderful for our Christmas Carols event last Thursday.

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. Sixteen families have already responded that they will be involved.

• If you would like your child/children to be involved please look up the Operoo dated 25th November.
• You will need to come to a rehearsal at St Catherine’s Church at 4.30pm on Thursday, 19h 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.

Term 4 Dates

Week 10

Wednesday 11th December - 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. End of Year Mass & Nativity Play

Wednesday 11th December - 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 2025 Teacher Meet & Greet

Wednesday 11th December - 2:15 p.m. Whole School Class Kris Kringle (KK)

Wednesday 11th December - School Reports go home

Week 11

Monday 16th December - 9:00am Year 6 Big Day In

Monday 16th December - 3:10pm Year 6 Guard of Honour

Monday 16th December - 5:45pm Year 6 Mass & Graduation 

Tuesday 17th December - 3:20pm Students & Staff last day of term 4 2024             

Wednesday, 18 December (Days in Lieu for staff) (St Peter's OSH Club- See Operoo)

Thursday, 19 December (Days in Lieu for staff) (St Peter's OSH Club- See Operoo)  

Friday, 20 December (Days in Lieu for staff) (St Peter's OSH Club- See Operoo)

Thursday 19th December- 4.30pm Parish Nativity Rehearsal 1

Tuesday 24th December- 6.00pm Christmas Eve Children's Mass and Nativity

Term 1 2025

Week 1

Tuesday, 28th January- Staff Planning Day

Wednesday, 29th January- First Day of school for Foundation to Year 6 students

School Closure Day & Summer Holiday Care

Care is available at St Peter's OSHC on the 18th, 19th and 20th December. Summer Vacation Care will also be available at St Peter's from the 6th January. Please click on the link to enrol. Please see the attached flyers for the fun day from the 18th-20th December.

https://www.oshclub.com.au/parent-support/how-to-enrol/

St Vinnie’s Food Hamper Drive

Thank you to all of the families that have already made donations of long life milk, biscuits, Weetbix, cans of soup and tea bags. Your donations are greatly appreciated. Just a reminder that the last day to bring in donations is the 11th December before 9.30am. Each class has a Christmas box for St Vinnie’s donations.

2024 - What a Year!!

We had some amazing events and lots of fun bringing them to you!! We have a big list of people to thank... 

To our P&F members: Julia Runci, Abbey Walters, Rebecca Megyeri, Kendell Entwisle, Kirsty Goold, Laura McKell, Angelina Piccolo and Juliette Greskie - thank you for everything this year for all the amazing events, action and hardwork done around the school! Thanks to Vish Sahota for organising the sponsorship from Bendigo Bank for the new marquees - $5000 is a lot of money and we are so thankful!

We have raised a lot of money this year. We purchased the new soccer goals, the blackboards and we are proud to present in 2025 the lunchtime games club - lots of fun activities for chilling out at lunchtime in the courtyard! We helped fund the kids activities last week, and we will also be funding upgrades around the school in 2025 - so keep your eyes peeled!

Thank you to our retiring member Juliette Greskie for her many years of hard work. We wish to acknowledge the volunteer efforts of families who are leaving St Catherine’s sadly at this end of this year, and during their time have volunteered in Canteen, on P&F or as Board Members – Kylie Carapeto, Claire Castrillon, Angelina and Carlo Piccolo and our Grade six families who are graduating from St Catherine’s – thanks for all your efforts and support of school activities.

Christmas Carols wrap up!

What a sweltering night it was - thanks to all those who helped on Thursday night with set up, supervising the jumping castle and pack up! Thanks to our fabulous staff for the BBQ dinner options and cold drinks - much appreciated!!

Thank you to Julia for coordinating it and Hannah, Vish, Lozan, Gabriella, Karen, Pam, Kate, Amanda, Kaz, Kendell and Terri for their help on the cake and ice cream stall at the Carols, it ran smoothly thanks to so many hands making light work. Thanks to all who baked or donated food as well, plenty of hard earned pocket money was spent on the stall and it was a sweet success!

Raffle winners!

Thank you to all the local businesses and school families who donated prizes - there was over $7,000 of prizes donated!! Thanks to all the families who purchased tickets - we are proud to announce over $2000 was raised for school upgrades!

Canteen!

A very special canteen on Thursday with fabulous ice creams... they are $2 so please send some extra coins along! Also some Christmas lucky dips, and the usual chips and snacks for 50c! Thanks to the organisation from Angelina Piccolo and the great team of mums - Hannah, Stef, Claire (and Isaac) and Jane for running canteen every Thursday with the Grade 6s. Thank you to Jane Filihia for volunteering to coordinate canteen in 2025! If you have 30mins spare on a Thursday to join the roster, contact Jane on 0403 509 938.

Bunnings BBQ from November!

Thanks to all those volunteered and donated supplies to the school - we had a very successful BBQ on November 18. Thank you to Shane Currie, Duncan Gosling, Claire Castrillon, Michelle Tang, Abbey and Cohen Walters, Darren Brady, David Entwisle, Sifa Filihia, Rebecca Megyeri, Laura McKell, Hannah Trinca and Matt Plas. Thanks to Kendell Entwisle for organising it - we raised over $2,300.

Working Bee Thankyou

Thank you to all of our volunteers who worked so hard at the Working Bee last weekend. We managed to avoid the rain and the extreme heat and ended up with perfect weather conditions. It was wonderful to spend time with our beautiful school community and achieve such an amazing result to get our school oval looking fabulous in time for the Christmas Carols.

Thank you to our mighty team of volunteers: Bernard; David, Laura, Cameron, Emma and Joshua; Duncan, Karen, Abbey and Georgia; Matt, Hannah, Oliver, Henry and Lily; Matt, Vanessa, Lachie and Mitchell; Nat, Harvey and Chelsea; and Shane.

We really appreciate the time that you were able to give up out of your weekend, especially at such a busy time of year.

UNIFORM SHOP

Thanks to all those families for donating items - we are accepting washed, PSW branded items only. We will be open for the final time on Thursday, and will reopen on Thursday 30 January for donations and summer purchases! Our uniform shop has been very successful this year with over $700 in profit for school upgrades! Thanks to Laura McKell for coordinating it this year!

COLOUR RUN, Mothers and father's Day Stalls

These events don't happen without the organisation from Abbey Walters - a teacher at OLSH College Bentleigh - and Mum to Pace, Jensen at St Cath's and Cohen now at St Bedes. Thanks Abbey for all your extra effort and organising - St Cath's is so lucky to have you!!

MURAL

Our Mural will be painted in February!! Thank you to Suzanne Currie for her fabulous work in bringing it to fruition, a lot of hours on emails and phone calls with the project manager, working group and Artist. We can't wait to see it next year! Thanks to Matt Casey and staff and Duncan Gosling for removing the shrubs last term in preparation.

MUMS AND DADS GROUPS

Thanks to those who participated in the extracurricular events for parents... be it drinks, soccer or dinners... building friendships in the school community is a very special element of St Catherine's! Stay tuned for more events in 2025!

..........and Lastly, 

FMH Learning Awards

Pace: Congratulations to Pace for his fantastic sounding out of words when writing his stories.

Gabriel: Congratulations to Gabe for his kindness and empathy when helping his classmates.

Hendrix: Congratulations to Hendrix for trying his best with his letter formation this term. 

1/2HB Learning Awards

Zachary: For passionately sharing his knowledge about growing plants during our Kitchen Garden Incursion.

Lucas: For creating a very convincing persuasive poster about what the best brain food snack is…Strawberries!

Tex: For his well considered water park plan that took into account all of the criteria that the elves and Santa had asked for. We can’t wait to see your diorama!

Sebastien: For his very convincing letter to Santa accepting the water park challenge. Sebastien included what he knows about water safety and some very interesting questions.

Benjamin: For his very detailed letter to Santa to let him know that we would design the water park. Benjamin even asked Santa some questions!

Flynn: For creating a convincing persuasive pamphlet about why Soccer is the best sport and why you have to try it! 

3/4JB Learning Awards

Georgia: For showing kindness and empathyand for being a great supportive friend to others.

Kensie: For showing great responsibility with her learning and ICT monitor role.

Alice: For showing a positive attitude to all learning tasks and consistantly presenting her work to a high standard.

Isabella: For always persevering with challenging tasks and being a great role model to younger students.

3/4DK Learning Awards

Lucy: For always coming to school with a positive and friendly attitude and helping others around the classroom.

Nina: For having a positive attitude in all her classwork and a big improvement in identifying equivalent fractions.

William: For making great improvements with his addition skills.

Rosie: For making great progress in her addition and subtraction fact families.

5JH Learning Awards

Duke - For always trying your best, sharing lots of fantastic ideas and being a good friend to others!

Medina - For being a kind and supportive classmate who looks out for others and offers help to anyone in need! 

William - For showing excellent resilience and persistence when faced with challenges! 

Liana - For being an excellent role model and a kind and considerate classmate! 

6JD Learning Awards

Analia - For showing gratitude and empathy and having a positive outlook when facing challenges.

Lachlan E - For bringing a spark of originality to everything he does. He consistently approaches challenges with a fresh perspective and enriches the learning environment with his innovative ideas.

Daraius - For demonstrating exceptional determination, focus, and perseverance. No matter the challenge, he always puts in his best effort, strives to extend himself, and keeps working hard until he reaches the goals he sets for himself.

George - For having a positive impact on those around him due to his infectious sense of humour. He brings wit and charm to every lesson, consistently brightening the classroom with his quick thinking and light-hearted remarks.

FMH Excursion to Wishart Post Office 

This term the Foundation students have been learning about people who help us in our community and how to write letters. On the 26th November FMH walked to the Wishart Post Office to post Christmas cards they had written to their families. Each of the students paid their 65 cents for a Christmas stamp to pop on their card before posting it in the mailbox. The manager of the post office gave each of the students an envelope with a letter and a sweet koala decoration. We had a lovely walk and the students were very excited about waiting for their cards to arrive at their homes. 

On 25th November 2024 the 5’s and 6’s went to Mordialloc Life Saving Club and got ready for the Beach Program. Sadly

because it rained the night before we were not able to go in the water.

Even though we couldn't go into the water, we still had lots of fun playing life saving games. We got to use the tubes and practice saving someone. We also got to go outside and take part in races and fun running games such as relays and flags on the sand. The relays were great because we got to go up against the year fives. We also played a game where you lie down on the sand and behind you teachers would hide relay batons in the sand and when they say go you have to try and find them. That game was really fun because sometimes you would think the game was over but really they were still hidden. Unfortunately the weather was looking rainy for the next day too so we decided to postpone it to Tuesday 10th of December. We are all looking forward to this day and are hoping that the weather will be better.

Dear Parents and Friends,

We have been busy as usual in Japanese this term.

The Foundation have been improving their reading of Japanese. For example, they had to read the sentences on the telly and work out what colour to use for the big and small shapes on their piece of paper. This means they needed to be able to read the colours in Japanese, the shapes in Japanese and  the words ‘big’ and ‘small’ in Japanese! Phew! The Grade 1/2 students have been concentrating on typing in Japanese on their iPads and the rest of the school have been learning Kanji words which are similar to Chinese writing. みなさん、よくできました。(minasan yoku dekimashita/great work, everybody.) ☺

リオナキス先生

(Rionakisu Sensei)

Lionakis Sensei

Click on the image to find us on facebook

Many thanks to Sam Hartrick for all of your support throughout 2024.