St Luke the Evangelist School Newsletter

Welcome to Term Two everyone,

Alleluia, He is risen! I trust you and your family enjoyed a blessed Easter with family, taking time to relax and take a breath. Easter is such a rich time in our Christian story with many powerful messages behind the scripture. ‘The Gospel of Mark was written in troubled times not unlike our own. These were times of political instability, religious conflict, violence, terrorism, persecution and bloodshed. Mark’s time was full of doubt, disillusionment and insecurity. For Mark the struggle for believers was to commit to Jesus and his Good News in the face of much that seemed only Bad News.

This struggle is reflected in Mark 16:1-8 which:

• acknowledges experiences of doubt, bewilderment and confusion

• affirms the struggle to believe in the face of suffering, loss and death

• indicates the need for reassurance in the face of doubt

• exemplifies continuing care for those we love

• affirms the Christian belief that Resurrection overcomes suffering and death and is the guarantee, for Christians, that good will ultimately triumph…’

Does this sound familiar? It is always reassuring to know that even with stories centuries old, the messages remain current for us today.

(https://catholicidentity.bne.catholic.edu.au/scripture/SitePages/Mark-1618--Jesus-Resurrection.aspx)

Today, l met with Olive Snell, an Aboriginal woman and artist. We discussed how she and her sister can collaborate with St Luke’s, engage the children in painting the totems in the sensory garden and create a mural on one of the breezeway walls. The conversation has just begun but l am very excited that this is going to add so much richness to our St Luke’s story. I’ll keep you posted with any updates. Again, l would like to thank you families and to the P&F for raising funds that can allow for such incredible collaborations.

This coming Wednesday, 24th April we will be having a ‘photo shoot’ to update the school website. We will be asking some parents and carers to stop and have a photo with their child as they drop them off at school and throughout the day, selected children who have photo permission may be asked to join the photo shoot. I will also be asking some children to be part of a very short recorded clip that will appear on the website talking about different elements of St Luke’s that they love. Once selected, I will contact those parents whose child’s recording will be used on the website. Exciting times ahead! Ohh, and don’t forget to wear a touch of purple Mums, Dads and friends for Autism Awareness Week.

Another Fete meeting was held this week. Please make sure you look out for updates. There will be plenty of requests for volunteers, donations and other forms of assistance. We’ll keep you posted.

Class reps- I feel l need to clarify a couple of things here and get the ball rolling around this. Y What’sApp groups have been set up for each year/grade by a parent in the past. These are active, helpful forums where members can check in about the details of an event, can ask a question about school expectations or simply celebrate something special that has happened. It’s also a great way to send out a reminder about excursions. My understanding is that all parents in, for example, Prep are part of this group. When it comes to Parent Reps- l have called for a rep for each class. 

Thank you to those who have volunteered:

Prep: Danielle, Jacinta and Fiona

1-2 C: Jacinta Coe

1-2 E: Pippa Keeghan

3-4 S: Jo Adams

3-4 T: Shelley McCaul

5-6 M: Sabina Filippin

5-6 O: Tina Percy

Stay tuned for some communications about Class Reps…we hope to organise a social get together for our levels, and a monthly special lunch for children with parents from each class taking a turn to oversee and volunteer for.

Assemblies are for everyone to attend each Monday afternoon at 3 pm. Please don’t wait outside in the car park; come on in to the Discovery Centre. 

2024 SACRAMENTAL Program (Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation) officially begins this weekend with all candidates required to attend one of the Commitment Masses in the parish.  An invite was sent out to our Years 3, 4 and 6 parents this week. There are three masses to choose from:

Finally, it will be a short week for all families next week… The school is closed on Thursday for ANZAC Day and on Friday for a school closure day. Enjoy an extra long weekend.

It’s so great to be back with this beautiful community again. Have a great couple of days.

Clare Ryan

Principal 

principal@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au

CONFIRMATION REFLECTION DAY

The grade 6’s attended a Confirmation Reflection Day at the Mary Mackillop Centre in East Melbourne and then attended Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral. Here are some thoughts shared on their experience.

Chloe

I enjoyed learning about Mary Mackillop’s life and her family.

Mary Mackillop was very humble and told people to pray to Jesus. She prayed everyday staying as close to God as possible and she devoted her life to helping others.

I enjoyed attending Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral because it was so different to normal Mass and the whole place was so big and old.

Will

I enjoyed learning about St Mary Mackillop of the Cross and St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Mary Mackillop cared about the poor. She loved everyone for who they were and she built orphanages.

I enjoyed attending Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral because it is a truly beautiful place and it was really special lighting the candles.

April

I enjoyed learning about some things at the Mary Mackillop Centre and looking around the Cathedral. Mass was pretty cool too.

Mary Mackillop helped the poor and sick. She gave people an education and she always stayed calm and centered.

I enjoyed attending Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral because it was pretty cool and the building design was very cool.

Year 6 families enroling in a Victorian government school in 2025 are reminded that you should now approach secondary schools to enrol your child as applications close Friday 10 May 2024.  An application for Year 7 Placement 2025 form is available from the school office or your zoned secondary school.

School zone information is available at Find My School website 

Information regarding moving from primary to secondary school is available at www.vic.gov.au  (https://www.vic.gov.au/moving-primary-secondary-school-information-parents-and-carers#moving-from-a-non-government-primary-school-or-home-schooling-to-a-government-secondary-school).

Year 5 families enrolling in a Catholic Secondary School in 2026.

Enrolment applications are required to be submitted to the secondary school in year 5 to allow the school to plan their Year 7 intake.

Closing date for applications to Catholic Secondary schools is mid August - Friday 16 August 2024 

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

If you wish to apply for CSEF please contact the school office to request an application form.  Forms must be submitted before 28 June 2024.

LOST PROPERTY:

Please check the lost property cupboard in the office foyer if you are missing uniform or food containers.  

Term 2 and 3 WINTER UNIFORMS:

We start back from Term 1 holidays with winter uniform.  As the months get cooler, please make sure your child has his/her school jumper EVERY day. Rain jackets should not be worn in place of a school jumper and are for outside use only.

NOTE: During the season transition, summer uniform can be worn on the warmer days in April.  Please ensure a hat is also packed.

CHILDREN ARRIVING AFTER THE BELL OR LEAVING EARLY:

As part of our wellbeing care of children at St Luke's, every class engages in a morning routine at 8.50 am.  This quiet, calm time allows children to gather together in a circle, to greet each other by name, to pray and/or enter into some Christian meditation and get ready for the day.  Please make sure you allow enough time to get your child to school BEFORE 8.50 am.

If children arrive after the gate and student entry doors are locked, parents/carers are required to walk their child/ren to the school office and sign them in on the VPass iPad.

If leaving early (before the end of the day), parents/carers are required to sign their child/ren out on the VPASS iPad.

FOOD ALLERGIES:

Allergic reactions to food… can be harmful to our children. For that reason we ask parents to think carefully about what they are packing in their child’s lunch boxes. Occasionally, something might slip through and once aware, we take precautions to ensure the safety of every child. As stated in the Family Handbook 2024:

We are an EGG and NUT free school due to the allergies of children within our community.  We ask that parents respect this request and the potential harm this could do to children if brought to school.

Thank you for your care and attention to this.

Buy/Sell second hand uniform:

Join the St Luke's Primary School Blackburn South Buy/Sell Uniform group on Facebook to buy/sell uniform with other parents.