St Luke the Evangelist School Newsletter

Good afternoon Families,

When you receive our newsletter this week, l will be enroute to Europe; however, you will all remain close in my heart. I hope your week has gone well.

Last weekend many of our families attended the COMMITMENT MASS for our children in Year 3, 4 and 6 who are Sacramental Candidates this year. In the next week our Year 3 children will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation where they can take the next step in acknowledging when they might falter from following in Jesus’ footsteps and finding a way through prayer and reflection to reconcile with God. It is truly a time of growth for our children. Please keep Maxwell, Maddie, Archie, Alexandra, Aubrey, Poppy, Dylan, Reuben, Jimmy, Louis, Ilaria, Eliza, William, Lachlan and Ayden in your prayers over the next week.

The SNAPSHOTS OF LEARNING meetings ran seamlessly last week and there was a lovely hum as parents caught up with teachers about how their child has settled into a new school year and shared areas of growth and what goals each child would be working on next. As always, Julie Inglese did a great job setting the meetings up and parents were most attentive to be punctual. Thank you. I would like to acknowledge our teachers for their time and care to ensure the meetings were informative, positive and purposeful. To be clear, we have called the meetings ‘snapshots of learning’ as we are still relatively early in the school year. In Term Two and Four, families will receive a written report and in Term Three there will be another face to face meeting.

Are you excited? We are! Our TWILIGHT SPORTS is gaining momentum. Our House Leaders have choreographed their dances and are building their team spirit with practices happening every couple of days. Congratulations to Lachie and Lizzie (Staunton), Violet, Louis and Billy (DPrazer) and to Ethan, Katia and Olivia (Egan) for their clever crafting of the dances, commitment and camaraderie in helping all of us get into the spirit. Many thanks also to Emma Cooper who has been on a huge learning curve working through how to put together our infamous annual sports day. She’s doing a great job. If you are available to help with setting up and packing away, please let Emma know at ecooper@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au . Many, many thanks to the many parents who are volunteering on the day. We couldn’t do it without you so a big shout out to you all. 

Please note our FAMILY PICNIC will happen in conjunction with the Twilight Sports.  Parents can set up their picnic spot however children need to remain in the seated area with their house team throughout the Twilight Sports event (1.30pm to 4.30pm).  When the sports finishes children will join their families on the grassy patch beside the seating area at Bill Sewart Athletics Track.  Please bring your picnic rug, picnic tea and let the children chill.  All we ask is that children do not go on the athletics track after 4.30pm as there is athletics training happening.  What’s not to love about that!

At school, our children are very much engaged in the three pillars of Lent- to give, to pray and to fast.  Where once, Lent was a simple, ‘ I’ll give up chocolate and lollies’, now we think more deeply about how we can give of ourselves in simple acts of kindness, how we can pray for others who need our prayers and how we can fast from the simple treats of daily life like screen time. Another focus for Catholics throughout Lent is how we can support the work of Caritas through Project Compassion. I know Nina Grieve will be recalling the Project Compassion boxes soon… Please fill them with any loose change. We would love to make a difference to a community distant from our Australian shores but in need of our help..

And on that note… May the blessed promise of the risen Christ bring joy to all your days, and peace to your heart. Have a wonderful Easter! I hope to be in Sicily over the Easter period and can’t wait to experience the beautiful Easter processions and ceremonies whilst there. I will look forward to seeing you on my return. Until then, enjoy the term break. May your Easter be blessed.

Clare

Heavenly Father, our Good Shepherd,
We lift up the following students to You,
as they walk in faith and embrace the Sacrament of Reconciliation: 

Maxwell, Maddie, Archie, Alexandra, Aubrey, Poppy,
Dylan, Reuben, Jimmy, Louis, Ilaria, Eliza,
William, Lachlan and Ayden.

May Your grace guide them along their journey,
especially during this sacred Jubilee Year.
We pray that they may be strengthened in hope, love, and humility,
and may their hearts be open to Your healing presence.
Grant them wisdom and peace as they continue to grow
spiritually and deepen their relationship with You.
Lord, may they always know Your love and be inspired to
live as pilgrims of hope, sharing Your light with others and
seeking Your forgiveness and mercy in all things.
We ask for Your blessing upon each of them,
as they strive to walk closer to You. 

Amen.

Throughout Term One, the Middles have centered their Literacy learning around Roald Dahl’s Matilda, which has greatly enriched our vocabulary. We’ve focused on understanding new words and using them creatively in our writing, with students crafting sentences that showcase their expanding vocabulary.

We’ve also introduced Paired Fluency, where students read aloud to a partner, concentrating on accuracy, pace, and prosody—bringing the text to life like a storyteller. Afterward, they receive feedback from their partner, helping them refine their reading skills and deepen their comprehension of the text.

If your child requires noise cancelling headphones, please check out Amazon to purchase a pair. We would love you to send them to school for use during your child's school day. Please make sure they are clearly labelled with your child's name.

SMART WATCHES & MOBILE PHONES

If a child wears a smart watch to school, it must be de-activated so the child is not receiving or sending messages etc...

Mobile Phones and smart watches are requested to be left at the office in the morning and collected at the end of the day. 

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 2025:

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.

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.

BUY/SELL SECONDHAND UNIFORM:

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