Parish Priest: Fr Florentino (Boy) Galdo
School Principal: Mrs Rachael Spooner
Acting Deputy Principal: Mrs Helen Howden
School Email: admin@smfawknernth.catholic.edu.au
School Phone: 0393595423
St Matthew's Primary School is committed to creating an environment where the safety, wellbeing
and participation of all children within our care is paramount.
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are quickly progressing through the term and there are many things happening in the next couple of weeks that I would like to remind you of.
Ready Set Prep
Our first Ready Set Prep session for our 2024 Preps is this coming Friday 3rd November, 9.30 - 10.15
School Closure Days
There is no school for students next Monday November 6, Tuesday November 7 and Wednesday November 8. Monday and Wednesday are Professional Development days for the staff and Tuesday is the Melbourne Cup public holiday.
School Sports Day
THURSDAY November 9th is our whole school sports day. All families will have been informed of their house colours. The children will be able to dress in their house colours on this day. Everyone must be wearing runners.
Parents are invited to come along and watch the relay events in the afternoon from 1.30. Entry will be via the Lowson Street gate, there will be a staff member there to meet you.
Parents and Friends’ Family Fun Day
The Family Fun day will take place here at the school on Saturday November 11th from 12 - 4pm. There will be rides, showbags, food vans and much more. You have received the flyer regarding the presale of wristbands for the rides. If you wish to purchase a wristband that will allow for unlimited rides on the day, you need to purchase them for $35 by this Friday, 3rd November otherwise they can be purchased on the day for $45.
If you are able to assist on the day please put your name down at the office.
Important information about 2024
Dates:
Monday 29th January - Staff start - The office will be open 10.30 - 3.30 for fee and levy payments. The Uniform Shop will also be open between 10.30 and 3.30 to purchase any items of uniform.
Tuesday 30th January - Students in Years 1 - 6 begin (Prep students stay at home)
Wednesday 31st January - Prep students stay home and will come in to school for an individual assessment appointment with the classroom teacher.
Thursday 1st February - Prep students begin
Our class structure for 2024 will be as follows:
1 x Prep class
2 x Year 1/2 classes
2 x Year 3 classes
2 x Year 4 classes
2x Year 5 classes
2 x Year 6 classes
As our numbers in the Prep/1 classes this year have remained stable, we will be having the 2 Year 1/2 classes for 2024.
I am still finalising staffing so I am unable to confirm which teachers will be teaching each of the classes at this stage. As soon as it is all finalised I will let you know.
Staff not returning in 2024
Mrs Vanessa Hionis (Miss Piscitelli) will not be returning in 2024 as she is expecting her second child. We wish Vanessa, Dennis and Lucas all the very best with the new addition to their family.
Mrs Silvia Gauci and Mrs Lorna Cassar, 2 of our wonderful Learning Support Officers are both retiring at the end of this year. Silvia and Lorna have both been part of St. Matthew's community for many years. We wish them all the best with this next chapter in their lives.
Mrs Anna Iuele will be moving on next year. She has accepted a position at the School of the Good Shepherd in Gladstone Park. It has been wonderful having Anna on staff. We wish her all the best with her next position.
Mr John Kavanagh will also be moving on next year. After his 26 years of dedicated service to our school and its community, John, has accepted a position at St. Francis Catholic College in Cobblebank (Melton). He will be teaching Year 7 students in the areas of Religious Education, Mathematics and Humanities. We wish John every success with his move to secondary education, we will miss his wise words and crazy socks!
Not returning in 2024?
If your child is not returning to St. Matthew’s next year please let me know as soon as possible. We will begin the process of organising class lists soon.
Uniform
As the weather is improving all students must now be in their full summer uniform. Please ensure that they wear the uniform correctly. If there is a particularly cold day the children can wear their winter uniform, however, they can not mix the 2 uniforms. The girls are to wear
socks with the summer dress, no stockings.
This is a reminder that all outstanding School Fees and Levies are to be finalised immediately. If you have any queries or need to set up a Direct Debit Payment to assist with paying the balance of your account, please contact Natalie (Bursar) via email: admin@smfawknernth.catholic.edu.au.Payment methods available to settle your account with St Matthew's Primary School are:
Cash - Directly paid over the counter at the officeCredit Card - By phone or in person at the officeDirect Payment to School Account: BSB: 083 347 Account: 540 385 132 Reference: Account code (as per Statement) and Family Surname
Please note, that any CSEF credits will be put through by mid-September, 2023.
Kind Regards,
Natalie Moreira (Bursar)
TERM 4
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
As we missed having Parent Support Group Meetings in Term 3 it is very important that we catch up this term to discuss the previous goals and get ready for 2024.
A letter will be sent home to those families inviting them to make an appointment. Keep the following days available for the meetings. The meetings can be in person, via phone or even via Google Meet.
Monday 13th November Grade 4 A & B
Tuesday 14th November Grade 3 A & B
Wednesday 15th November Grade 2 A & B
Monday 20th November Grade 6 A & B
Thursday 30th November Grade 5 A & B
Please make sure that you check your child’s school bag and your email for the invitation to attend these meetings.
If you are unsure if your child has an Individualised learning plan please call Mrs Howden to check.
Thank you
Mrs Helen Howden
Learning Diversity Leader/ Religious Education Leader
hhowden@smfawknernth.catholic.edu.au
At St Matthew’s we have amazing students who work hard both at school and outside school.
We celebrate the success of our students fortnightly at school assemblies, but we also want to acknowledge those students who are outstanding outside school.
This last semester we acknowledged two students who have had amazing success outside of school at school assemblies.
We are so lucky to have the students we have here at St Matthew’s.
