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.