As we enter into the third week of Advent, we light the candle of joy, the pink candle."Rejoice: the Lord is nigh." As Christmas draws near, the Church emphasizes the joy that is in our hearts over all that the birth of our Savior means for us. The rose or pink candle reminds us that Christmas is near. As we anticipate  the coming of Christmas, we ask Christ to grant us His grace that we might be prepared for welcoming His Birth.

2021 School Fees Information

Parents will find hard copy information about payment options for 2021 School fees in their child’s report envelope. Report will be sent home tomorrow. If you wish to pay in installments you must return the direct debit form by Thursday 28 January.  The form can be emailed to office@scmoorabbin.catholic.edu.au, posted to the school office or returned in person to the school office by the end of term 4. As previously advertised, there is no increase to school fees for next year.

School Board

On Monday 30  November the School Board and the School Leadership team met for our last meeting of 2020. We spent time reflecting on the year. We celebrated all that we have achieved this year and goals from our 2020 Review process that will take us into the future for 2021- 2024. I asked both parents and teachers  at this meeting to indicate what they have learnt about St Catherine’s this year and below are their responses?

“Dedicated and supportive community throughout 2020”

“We learnt, we taught and we all did it together”

“How truly blessed we are as parents to have the staff at St Catherines’ guiding our children”

“Resilience, love and community”

“We are resilient!! Teachers, parents and students can work through anything.”

“Shared intent, learning goals and experiences”

“We are adaptable and resilient”

“St Catherine’s was here for all our needs. The community is flexible and passionate about learning”

“Communication has been effective”

“St Catherine’s got home/remote learning right, right at the beginning of term 2.”

I wish to once again thank the school board for their ongoing work in supporting the school.

Staff

A very big thank you to all staff this year for all their efforts in supporting the learning and wellbeing of our students. Our staff have demonstrated exceptional skills and adaptability this year, ensuring students and  families/parents were well supported throughout the COVID-19 restrictions.

We congratulate Debra Bruenjes (who has been on leave this year)  on her new position at St Mary’s Hastings. Debra has worked at St Catherine’s since 2011. She has shown dedication, professionalism and a love of learning. We wish her well for the future.

2021 Classes

Each year the school carefully considers class structures for the new year. Many factors are considered including, student numbers in the cohort, friendships, student needs, staffing and any special considerations. Next year our class structure will be:

Reflections on the Year

What a year it has been for students, families and staff! One of the highlights for me was attending camp with our year 5 and 6 students way back in term one. It was fantastic to see our senior students take on challenges, work in a team and participate in activities some had never tried before. I was so excited at the beginning of the year to launch our playgroup. We did manage to squeeze in a few sessions before restrictions prevented us from gathering and connecting with our school families. We are ready to launch back into playgroup next year and I welcome school families, along with neighbours and friends to join us in the new year. In term one our staff eagerly engaged in the school review process, highlighting to the Reviewer the school’s commitment to ongoing improvement.

 I wish to sincerely thank families for adapting so quickly to support remote/home learning during term 2 and 3. The staff are so proud of what students achieved and acknowledge the part families played during this difficult time. Many positives can be taken from this unique experience. We have seen increased independence of students, growth in the use of Information Technology skills of all members of the school community and more time for families to connect. The staff feel they have strengthened relationships with families and look forward to continuing to build on these positive relationships with you into 2021.

While the remote/home learning experience provided challenges, our staff felt energised by the experience of learning new skills and collaborating with colleagues. Remote/home learning has highlighted the calibre and professionalism of staff here at St Catherine’s. Our school made huge changes shifting curriculum and instructional materials online. Teachers spent many additional hours in preparing instructional resources, differentiating the curriculum and carefully planning to ensure they were supporting students’ engagement and wellbeing. The dedication and skill required to nurture and challenge our students in an online environment is one that our teachers worked tirelessly to uphold.

Term 4 saw the return to onsite learning and some very happy faces (especially that of parents). Once again our staff quickly adapted programs to focus on transitioning students back into learning at school. Connecting students back to school routines, constant changing conditions, social interactions and face to face teaching, all of which have gone smoothly. Teachers have worked steadily to find the balance between rushing to make up for lost time and allowing students time to settle back in and build back up their stamina for learning. Teachers have spent time on prioritising  literacy and numeracy learning, along with student wellbeing. Student reports this semester reflect this. School semester 2 reports will be sent home tomorrow Tuesday 15 December.

I give thanks to our Year 6 school families who over the years have made significant contributions to our school community. They have formed strong partnerships in learning  with staff and friendships with other families. Sadly this time at our school now transitions into something different. Our year 6 students and families become alumni of our school, observing from a distance , but still somewhat connected, having been valued members of our school community.  I wish the following families who will be leaving our school, all the best for the future.

Al Halabi

Baldwin

Bowen

Canning

Griffin

Jones

Langdon

Licastro

Murphy

Taylor

We now all look forward to a well earned break and the New Year ahead. I wish all our school families a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Please take the time to watch our adorable Foundation students recreating the Christmas Nativity...

https://youtu.be/JxVWvvkp7bU

2021 YEAR 6 STUDENT LEADERS

IMPORTANT DATES- TERM 1 2021