Back to School

The students have made a fantastic return to learning back at school. While schools still have a number of restrictions in place, it feels like we are back to normal with students in classrooms and out on the playground.

Teachers have found the students eager to learn and have enjoyed reconnecting with teachers and friends. Many thanks to our parents for supporting your child with transitioning back to school routines. 

We continue to wait for updates of how the easing of restrictions impact the operations of schools. Our year 6 teachers and students have begun discussions around what may be possible for Year 6 Graduation celebrations towards the end of the year. We will notify parents as soon as we are able to make set plans. Of course we will celebrate, in some way, this milestone event for our students. I am sure we can be creative, and still ensure everyone is safe and following the guidelines.

School Uniform

Parents received notification via Operoo regarding Free Dress Friday until the end of term. Many thanks to Suzanne Currie for spending time last week sorting out uniform items in our second hand uniform shop. Parents needing second hand uniforms can contact the office to organise a time to visit the second hand uniform shop.

2021 Foundation

We have a number of virtual transition meetings set up for our new 2021 Foundation students. We have prepared a resource pack that will be sent out to each student. Brittney Wrigley, our foundation teacher will meet online with students for our first session next week (Monday 26 October at 9:15am). We are hoping with the possibility of restrictions easing we will be able to have small groups of students attend transition onsite before the end of the year. A virtual Parent Information Session will take place on Thursday 22 October at 7:00pm. Invites to this meeting will be emailed to parents this week.

New Governance Arrangements for Catholic Schools

The new governance arrangements will see schools owned by the Archdiocese, its parishes or associations of parishes in the Archdiocese of Melbourne transferred to a new company called Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS), which will be responsible for the governance and operation of the schools.

All 293 schools owned by the Archdiocese, its parishes or associations of parishes as of 31 December 2020 will be directly affected by these arrangements. This includes 262 parish primary schools, 26 secondary colleges that belong to associations of parishes and five schools that belong to the Archdiocese.

The changes follow the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) acceptance of Recommendation 16.6 from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that: ‘The bishop of each Catholic Church diocese in Australia should ensure that parish priests are not the employers of principals and teachers in Catholic schools.’

The changes also align with the Victorian government requirement for organisations providing services to children to be appropriately insured and incorporated. This requirement is scheduled to take effect in funding agreements for Catholic schools from 1 January 2021.

The governance arrangements seek to:

• build a foundation for the future that ensures archdiocesan schools offer the best education possible and are places to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth
• ensure all 293 schools owned by parishes or the Archdiocese are operated from a consistent and system-wide approach to the educational and operational compliance aspects of schooling
• lessen the increasingly onerous compliance burden for an individual who is asked to be responsible for the growing breadth and complexity of legislation and regulation associated with school governance
• provide a real opportunity to revitalise current partnerships, review and update a variety of system policies and procedures, embrace efficiencies, and strengthen reporting and accountability measures
• respond to contemporary community expectations regarding transparency, accountability, consultation and participation in the governance of entities which provide services to children
• give further opportunities to maintain and strengthen ties between parish and school, as the parish priest and the parish continue to play a pivotal role in providing the environment and faith community in which the school’s Catholic mission and identity can be expressed as ‘a summons to revive our hope’.

Schools are currently preparing for this change to take place, by liaising with Catholic Education Melbourne. In addition to the change to a new Governance structure, we are beginning preparations for a new administration system ICON.  This new system will provide schools with more streamlined functionality, shared services and support of a Business Manager. All Catholic Schools in Melbourne will be using the new platform by the end of 2021.

AFL GRAND FINAL PUBLIC HOLIDAY- Friday 23 October

SCHOOL CLOSURE- Monday 2 November

MELBOURNE CUP DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY- Tuesday 3 November