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!