Dear Parents and Caregivers

Welcome to the end of Week Three! There has been a calm and settled atmosphere all around our school and the children have all begun ready and eager to engage in their learning each day. It has been heartwarming to hear from our new families, as well as our continuing families, that their children are excited to be back at school and that they have been warmly welcomed and treated with kindness and courtesy by all they have come across, adults and students alike.  I can tell that we are in for an excellent year of positive relationships and tremendous outcomes for our students across all areas of school life!

At our opening Mass for the year on Friday 3 February, Fr Elver spoke to our students about the importance of looking after one another and always trying to do their very best not just with their learning but also with their relationships with their peers and teachers so they have a positive year in 2023.

We held our first Parents & Friends Group meeting last week and had a wonderful turn out with new and familiar faces….  I can tell it’s going to be another great year as the evening was spent sharing ideas and planning for all the wonderful events they would like to organise.

LEADERSHIP DAY

Our Year Six students were involved in their Leadership Day last week run by Mr David Castelanelli and our students have shared some wonderful information about their experiences, a bit later in this edition.  Thousands of students have benefited from the authentic, relatable and transformational power of David's school programs and books. He is a leading Success Mentor & Coach for young adults and he has grown to become Australia's leading Youth Success Mentor - working with over 150+ schools annually.   David was formerly the WA Youth Ambassador in 2018 and also a finalist in the 2019 WA Youth Awards.

PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT

It was wonderful to see many parents attending the Information Night on Wednesday.  I hope you gained many insights from the teachers about how their classes run and how you may assist in your child’s learning this year.

ANNUAL COMMUNITY MEETING

It was lovely to have so many of our community members attend the Annual Community Meeting which incorporates the P&F Group & the School Advisory Council AGMs, on Wednesday evening between the Parent Information Sessions.  The School Advisory Council discussed this new format and it was an enormous success.  Congratulations to our 2023 Parents & Friends Group & School Advisory Council members who you will be settling into their roles in the next few weeks.

SCHOOL FEES

Fees for the 2023 school year were issued this week and there are a number of options for payment.  Should you wish to change your payment plan or if you have account enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

STUDENT WELLBEING

We continue with our whole school focus on student well being and resilience and acknowledge that students experience a tremendous amount of physical and mental growth on a daily basis and face lots of new experiences and challenges.  Being resilient gives our children the ability to tackle these encounters head-on and to bounce back from any setbacks which will allow them to have the best chance at personal success.  It allows them to grow in all situations and develop skills that are crucial to positive well being and development.  Resilience will also help them to approach new situations, people or experiences with confidence and a positive mindset, which will make them more likely to succeed.  Throughout the year we will introduce different strategies across the school to foster positive well being and resilience.