2020 Class Structure and Staffing

Next year our class structure will look different from this year. In 2020 we will have a combination of some single year level classes and some composite classes. In making this decision the school considers, student numbers in different year levels, opportunities for students to be placed in classes which best support learning and interactions with peers and government funding for staffing. 

While we welcome 18 new Foundation students next year we say farewell to 20 year 6 students. Our student numbers will be lower in 2020 than in 2019. This means the school receives less government funding as funding is based on student numbers. The government funding the school receives covers the cost of staffing. Monies received from school fees goes directly to support curriculum expenses, programs, resources, paying utilities and maintaining school facilities.

The class structure for 2020 will be:

Foundation

Year 1

Year 2/3

Year 4

Year 5/6

Year 5/6

Our class sizes for 2020 remain small with the exception of the 2/3 composite class. The 2/3 composite class will consist of 27 students and the other classes vary from 18 to 20 students. The 2/3 composite class while still within the range of acceptable class size according to the Victorian Teachers Multi Enterprise Agreement will be supported by an additional teacher who will support during Literacy time.

As a school we continue to focus on growing our student numbers through transition programs with local kinders and childcare centres. Next year we welcome 11 new families to our school, which is fantastic. We plan to also introduce a playgroup next year which will encourage new families along with building stronger connections for our existing families.

Staffing for next year is still being finalised. Timothy O’Mahoney has informed me that he will not be returning to St Catherine’s, along with Patricia O’Gorman. Timothy has accepted a teaching position at another school and Patricia has increased  her hours at other schools she is employed in. Reporting to Performing Arts is a biennial requirement, so we plan to see Patricia again in 2021. Our Arts focus for 2020 will be on the Visual Arts, with classroom teachers incorporating elements of performance in their classroom programs.

Debra Bruenjes will be taking leave next year to travel overseas with her family. Anna Kolodziej who has been supporting the Arrowsmith program in a part time capacity will not be returning to St Catherine’s next year. We wish them all well for 2020.

Next year we welcome back Brittany Wrigley who started with us at the beginning of term 4. Brittany will continue on as Foundation teacher in 2020. 

We continue to offer specialist classes in Physical Education, Japanese and Visual Arts. Physical Education and Japanese class time per week will slightly increase next year.

Students who qualify for additional support are assisted by Educational Support Staff in a number of student diversity programs. Our Arrowsmith Program is fully funded by the parents of students in the Arrowsmith program and offers students an alternative teaching pedagogy which best supports their learning.

Careful consideration goes into class lists for each year. Parents will be notified of their child’s class and teacher on Friday 13 December via a letter in their child’s report. Students will also meet their new teacher and class on this day.

The staff and myself are looking forward to a productive and positive 2020. Schools are accustomed to embracing change and with change comes new beginnings, excitement and new challenges.

2020 School Fees

Next year there will be a 3 % increase to school fees. Each year the school carefully considers increases in fees and attempts to keep this as minimal as possible. The increase will support leasing of IT equipment and subscriptions for online literacy and numeracy resources/programs, along with general maintenance and running costs of the school. More detailed information about school fees for 2020 will be sent in a hard copy to parents in your child’s report envelope and emailed to parents in the last week of term.

2020 Year 6 Student Leaders

Year  5 students are currently working with classroom teachers regarding year 6 student leadership groups for 2020. Year 5 students will nominate a leadership group they would like to belong to, along with identifying why they would like to be part of the leadership group.  When allocating students into leadership groups, where possible staff will attempt to give students their first preference. If this is not possible, students may be allocated their second or third preference. A staff member will be allocated to each leadership group and work with students throughout the year. 

Each leadership group will meet formally each term. The nature of this meeting will be determined by the staff members leading the group. These meetings may consist of information sharing, building skills & knowledge, planning or organising an event, seeking feedback, leading activities for younger students etc.

Students will also engage at other times throughout the term in responsibilities relevant to their leadership area. This will be dependant upon the groups initiatives, staff availability and predetermined events in the school.

The table below gives some examples of the responsibilities of student leaders in each of the groups.

Market/Carols Night

We are all looking forward to our Carols/Market Night on Thursday 28 November. On this evening students need to arrive at school by 5:15pm and meet their class teacher in the courtyard.

The carols will begin at 5:30pm. We plan to sing eight Christmas songs beginning with Foundation and ending with the school choir.

Students need to wear something 'Christmassy' for this event, eg. Christmas T-Shirt, tinsel, Christmas hat or headband etc.

Don’t forget to bring a chair or picnic rug, along with your best singing voices to join in with the songs.

Playgroup

Plans are currently underway for our school to run a playgroup in 2020. We have allocated time on a Wednesday morning to host playgroup in our school hall foyer area. Kath Barca will led this initiative. We invite current and new families/friends to come along and join in the fun and have a cuppa. More information to follow early in 2020.

Lynda  O'Donnell

Principal