St Luke the Evangelist School Newsletter

Welcome to Term 3, Families and Friends,

It is great to be back, beginning a new term that has plenty of events on the calendar, learning to be done and fun to be had. I had a really wonderful time away with my husband, Mark and our exploration of Spain for a month, focused on the Andalusia region. The warmth of the northern sun and the lifestyle of the Spanish culture were intoxicating to say nothing of the history and monuments, the people and the food. New York was so dramatically different but also incredible. I have long said that Americans sure know how to present their monuments. We walked and walked and walked, loving the energy of this incredible state, the offerings of Broadway and the iconic trademark sites we have grown up with through Hollywood film and media. We stopped in Birmingham, UK to watch Bruce Springsteen, to enjoy a day at the first test for the Ashes and to get a photo opportunity with Steve Smith and Merv Hughes. 

BUT… all the while l was away, l reflected on all the many aspects of my life l am truly grateful for- family, friends, life in Australia and indeed, our St Luke’s community. It has been a joy coming back, sharing my story with you and re-engaging with the children, staff and Fr Gerard. I feel l have come back ‘home’.

What better way to begin Term 3 than Senior School Camp to Camp Wyuna, Queenscliff. I have never seen the moons align quite like they did with perfect weather, perfect  campsite, perfect camp activities AND perfect kids! We played hard, we ate well and we slept well. Make sure you check out the camp item in this newsletter. My personal thanks to Micaela Debney for her co-ordinating of the camp and the staff who attended with such enthusiasm and commitment to care of the children. These included Emily Chlebica, Nina Grieve, Gabrielle Carter, Tremain Lynch and Steph Pierce. I do think secretly, they had just as much fun as the kids; l know l did. 

Parent Teacher Conferences went really well on Wednesday.  It was great seeing such a high attendance of families attend and l would like to thank Julie Inglese for co-ordinating the event and the teachers for the additional hours and thought they put in to meeting with you. It is so important that school family partnerships continue to flourish through such meetings and collaborations.

Our hard working Parents and Friends, have organised a Cookie Dough fundraiser- a perfect little family baking opportunity can follow once purchased. Please support it as the funds raised support such things as the planned rejuvenation of our sensory garden and the incredible STEM resource purchased last term- the Nudel Cart. Thanks to the P&F- you are incredible.

Our Year 5 children are LEADING THE WAY building school community connections by visiting local kinders and early learning centres. Pauline Answerth is doing such a great job talking with kinder and centre directors to ensure we visit them and inviting them to come and visit us. This term, there are many opportunities for our children to engage with their younger counterparts and they are loving it. What a great segway into Prep-Year 6 buddies next year.

We are feeling excited in the Middle School because we have a bumper week coming up. In Week 5, our Year 3-4 children and teachers will be heading into Urban Camp, Parkville for a one night, two day camp. This is a first time event for St Luke’s and we just know it will be amazing. Once again, Micaela Debney, as Camp Co-ordinator, has done a great job for us.  Please make sure you attend the Camp Information session on Friday, 28th July at 9.15 am in the Discovery Centre.

As if that is not enough, at the end of Week 5, many of our Year 4 children will be celebrating the sacrament of First Eucharist. Please keep them in your prayers. Coming up this coming weekend are the Commitment Masses. Families of candidates are asked to attens one of the masses please. There is also the Family Workshop evening on Tuesday, 25th July at 7 pm sharp- in the Discovery Centre. This is a must attend as the time shared with your child is very special and meaningful for everyone. Please arrive at 6.50 pm to ensure a prompt start at 7pm.

The next couple of weeks will see me meeting with our 2024 Prep children and their families. I am really looking forward to getting to know these little people and the new families joining our community. I have so much to share with them about what makes St Luke’s so very special. I feel so confident they will love their orientation and induction to school life.

Finally, yesterday, you would have received via the school app an invitation to Grandparent’s Day on Wednesday, 26th July at 9 am. Please invite your parents/ child’s grandparents to this event as we really want to celebrate them. We want YOU to join us too but please make sure you RSVP on behalf of the grandparents and yourselves if you are attending to schooloffice@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au 

Best wishes to Nina Grieve who will be on leave for the remainder of this term. She will be heading to Europe and we hope she has a fantastic adventure.

Have a fabulous weekend. Rug up, enjoy the winter sun when it peaks through, the sporting or family activities that fill your weekend and hopefully a little time just for you.

Clare

principal@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au

Year 3 and 5 NAPLAN results have been mailed home this week in accordance with requirements set by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA).

Information has also been sent home regarding new proficiency levels, set by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authoirity (ACARA).  NAPLAN will continue to measure student achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation with the results will now presented in 4 proficiency levels.  These are:

• exceeding
• strong
• developing
• needs additional support

Students NAPLAN reports will continue to show how they are tracking against tracking their peers and provide an indication of their skill levels against national averages and where we would expect them to be in order to get the most out of schooling.  This provides valuable information to teachers about how we can continue to support your child.

Each set of NAPLAN results is an important milestone but it's also important that students know that one result does not define them - these results are about making sure every student gets the support they need so they can continue to get the best from their learning.

Please contact your child/ren's teacher with any questions.

Thank you families, our fund raising efforts for the ' St Luke's Prime Carpark' raised $182.

Our next fund raising activity is a Billy G's Gourmet Cookie Drive.

Students have received promotional material today with instructions for families on how to set up a fund raising page (either for an individual or the family).  Share the page with family and friends to order cookie dough.  All orders are placed online and paid by credit card, debit card or PayPal.

Seniors Reflections:

April ~  Camp Wyuna was so much fun! We did scavenger hunts, DIY wood fired pizzas, beach challenges and had beach fun! On my pizza, I had a margarita with two slices of ham in the middle. Grace’s pizza had nothing but salt. Delicious! The dough was so fun to mix! flour, yeast, salt, sugar and water! I hope we can return!

Emily N ~ Camp was so fun! I made so many memories but here are my favourite ones:

On the first day we went on an amazing bike ride along the coast to Point Lonsdale, then we went back to camp for some dinner. The next day we did some activities on the beach then went on this amazing walk to a stunning lookout that looked out onto Swan Bay. The next day we went on another walk to Fort Queenscliff and learnt the history of Queenscliff and WW1 and WW2.

Overall camp was the best! 

Iris ~ Camp Wyuna was where lots of memories were made; from pizza making, beach challenges, free time on the beach, or just hanging out with friends, to exploring every nook and cranny of camp. It was an experience I will never forget, and I will always remember how much fun I had.

Mae ~ We had an amazing time at the Senior’s Camp Wyuna! It was great playing games, doing activities, going to the beach and enjoying the view! And that one thing that made the camp really special was the scenery, watching the water and smelling the fresh air. There was one viewpoint  that would take your breath away. The glistening water and the greenery of the trees was beautiful. I went there every day, about ten times. I wish I could wake up to that everyday.

Reece ~ Camp Wyuna was so much fun. On the day we got there my group went on the bike ride. It was quite easy because there were no hills. After that we had afternoon tea and after that we played in the Gaga Pit that was so surprisingly good. We went to the beach and it was so cold, we played in the sand and buried ourselves. It was so fun!

Chloe ~ At the beginning of term three the 5/6’s went to Camp Wyuna at Queenscliff. It was an amazing experience for everyone. The activities ranged from bike riding, pizza making, free time on the beach and a photo trail. We had our own cabins with four people in each cabin. Each cabin contained a bathroom and two bunk beds. Camp Wyuna was an awesome place. The staff were very friendly and helpful. If you asked them a question they always had the answer you were looking for. At camp we were split up into groups. There were the seals, the whales, the stingrays and the sharks. We all did different activities at different times, for example the sharks might be doing  bike riding while the seals are at the beach. All the activities were fun but I enjoyed bike riding the most. The setting was beautiful. It was the ocean with lots of crashing waves that landed on the rocks. I also loved playing at the beach. We put our feet in the water, wrote things in the sand and we did an activity where we wrote our team name the SHARKS! in the sand really big and filled it in with seaweed so that a helicopter could see it. It was so much fun. All the activities in the camp were amazing. I wish we could’ve stayed another day!

Eva ~ Camp Wyuna was a blast with many different activities such as Bike riding along the beach side, pizza making, beach challenges and free time on the beach where we could search for shells, make sand sculptures and splash around in the cool water. I loved my cabin group and all the games and laughs we had. The camp helped me make new friends and build new connections while having so much fun too!

Will ~ Camp was really fun. We went to Camp Wyuna down by Geelong. My best highlight was probably the bike ride. It was my favourite because it was a relatively long trip, six and a half kilometers to be exact. Coming in close second was the pizza making activity, we made dough and then put toppings on, then one of the staff cooked them and they were the yummiest pizzas in the world. The bunks were comfy and there were lots of things to do in free time. 

Lachlan S ~ Camp Wyuna was awesome, we had so much fun! There were so many things to do. There were five activities: bike riding, photo hunt, beach games, beach challenges and my personal favourite pizza making. We trIed a new game called Ga Ga ball. It was one of the most fun games I have played In a long time. My personal favourite was the Gaga Pit because when everyone was playing together it was so much fun. Overall I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Everything we did was fun and I would definitely go again sometime.

The Music Bus has opened their term 3 enrolments and are inviting new students to apply.

Classes offered are:

• Keyboard (Prep -Y6)
• Ukulele ( Prep - Y6)
• Drums (Y1 - Y6)
• Guitar (Y2 - Y6)

Lessons are:

• 30 minute duration - once per week
• held in the hi tech music classroom on wheels onsite at school
• cost $20 per week ($22 drums) payable by the term on commencement

If you wish your child to take part, please complete this expression of interest form at:

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/ee4627a5204c46158e1ab17e7c8069c6

IT'S NOT TOO LATE... we take enrolments for all years and at all times so... If you know of family or friends who are looking to move into the area OR are considering moving schools for their child OR want to commence their child at a great primary school, please encourage them to come by for a tour. A quick phone call to Debbie in the office or email via our website will get the ball rolling. 

LOST PROPERTY:

Please check the lost property cupboard if you are missing jumpers, jackets or food containers.  

WINTER UNIFORMS:

With the colder weather coming on, please make sure your child has his/her school jumper EVERY day. Many children are choosing to wear a rain jacket instead of their jumpers. The rain jacket is for outside use only.

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 the student entry doors close at 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.