St Luke the Evangelist School Newsletter

Good afternoon Families and Friends,

Last week we celebrated the Feast Day of our patron saint St Luke the Evangelist. We celebrated as a community with parish and as members of parish. Fr Alex spoke about St Luke who was one of the four Evangelists. He wrote the Gospel of Luke between 70 and 85 A.D. He also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. St. Luke was a Gentile- or a person who was not Jewish- and was not an apostle of Jesus. He worked and travelled a lot with St. Paul, spreading the word of Jesus. A small piece of trivia… St Luke spent much of his life writing his Gospel - which means ‘good news’, and the Acts of Apostles.

We feel fortunate that St. Luke is the patron saint of many groups of people. This reflects the multitude of gifts and talents he possessed which is much like our community- our children, staff and families are so full of many gifts and talents. Aren’t we fortunate? Last Friday, we took the opportunity to thank God for the model St Luke is to us every day. His writings through his gospel and the Acts of the Apostles nourish our minds and help us grow in relationship with God.

The Year 6 Class of 2023 left a legacy to our St Luke’s school community.They were asked to research the history of St Luke’s Parish School and look for prominent people who have featured in the school’s history. With the help of the Senior class votes and the staff votes, it was decided that Staunton, Egan and D’Prazer are great names for the three houses. 

These three people made such a difference to our school community. On Friday, we were especially thrilled to have two very special members of our community joining us to begin our celebrations. Fr James Staunton was a much loved parish priest of St Luke’s and Peggy D’Prazer- a former school principal of St Luke’s who helped make it the thriving learning community it is today. Unfortunately, Deb Egan was unable to join us. 

Our 2024 Year 6 House Leaders- Thomas, Lenny and April, Max and Mason and Will, Tia and Emily  launched our house names officially. We have new flags that will be used with great pride, honouring the people and the wonderful contributions to St Luke the Evangelist, Blackburn South.

Our weeks have been busy as we prepared for the bi-annual Art Show. As always, the quality of the artwork was amazing and the children were and can feel very proud of what they have produced. It was lovely launching it on Friday with each class wandering through and families having a sneak peek after school. I heard there was a real buzz in the Discovery Centre as people from Blackburn South visited the art show and expressed how impressed they were with the art pieces. A huge shout out to the staff for curating and installing the show. Many minds came together to work out how to make it just right.

Two years ago, shortly after l joined the community here at St Luke’s, we held the parish 60th Anniversary celebrations and fete. It was a huge success. Mindful this year that the 2024 fete might be a little smaller as there was no big anniversary celebrations, the Fete Committee banded together to create an exciting community event. I’m sure you would agree it was a wonderful success. To witness the community spirit- both parish and school as well as the Blackburn South spirit was fantastic. Thank you so very much to all who contributed to the event. Sonya O’Farrell, Jersey Soesanto and Darren McLean did not stop along with our stall co-ordinators and volunteers who gave so much time, especially on the day. Tayla Buxton and the Dance Club were fantastic and drew a large audience. These are memories we can keep for a lifetime.Fr Alex did a great job entertaining the crowds with his newly formed band.The set up and pack up was seamless and there were many, many weary but very content bodies who slept well that night. We raised approximately $14 000 on the day. Please check out later in this newsletter, the many sponsors who generously contributed to our efforts.

Class requests for 2025. Parents are welcome to send through any requests they have for next year. Whilst we will always consider the request, there is no guarantee we can grant the request. Teachers, the deputy principal and principal spend many, many hours working out classes for the upcoming year. Central to each and every decision is what is best for every child. Under no circumstances can l accept any requests after 22nd November 2024. Thank you.

If you know of anyone who may be looking to enrol their child, please give them a shout out for St Luke’s. We have spaces available in all year levels and it’s never too late. The Year 6 student leaders love conducting school tours with me to showcase our school. 

Enjoy the beautiful weekend ahead.

Clare

Principal 

principal@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au

Division Athletics - Term Four began with our St Luke’s athletes competing in the Division level competition at the Bill Sewart Reserve.  We were lucky with the weather and I was quite impressed by the fitness and skill level of our team.  Congratulations to our students for their sportsmanship and wonderful efforts.  Well done and we are all very proud of you. Thank you to Jo Adams who assisted on the day and to the many parents who came along to cheer on our students.

In the second week, our Tennis Hotshots team headed to the Division competition in Notting Hill.  Our students played well and enjoyed themselves but were up against strong competition.  We are all proud of your efforts and teamwork.  A big thank you to Max Merino for managing, coaching and supervising the students for the day.  We are very grateful for your time.

On the Wednesday of the second week, I headed to Lum Reserve in Glen Waverley with Rob Nurse and our team of Cricketers for the Division Cricket Blast competition. 

We had excellent weather conditions and the boys played very well against a number of other very skilled teams.  A very big thank you to Rob who coached, scored and managed the team for the day.  Thank you for your time and for your coaching both on the day and for lessons you delivered to the students last term.  Please speak to me or Rob if any student wishes to join the junior cricket competition at Nunawading Cricket Club where he is a coach.

We have our Interschool Sports Gala Day on Friday 8th of November.  This had been scheduled for the third term but had to be postponed. We wish our Year 5 and 6 students all the best on the day.

Finally, a big THANK YOU to our parents for supporting our sports program by attending, supervising or cheering the students on in the many different competitions that we have had so far.  Without your assistance and support, many of the programs would not be able to run as smoothly as they have. 

Domenic De Leo

PE and Sports Teacher

Fielding one of the youngest and only mixed entrants, our St Luke’s team put in a brave effort and rallied their way through the 7 rounds of singles and doubles matches in the sunshine.  Whilst it wasn’t our day from a results perspective, Joseph, Hugo, Ethan, Evie, Vivienne and Lachie played with enthusiasm when on the court and cheering on their fellow teammates when on the sidelines.  A special shout out to Hugo and Joseph, scoring multiple victories in singles and doubles and to Evie, who had never even picked up a tennis racquet before, but displayed real grit and spirit. 

“It was pretty good, but tiring at the same time.  We tried our best and had lots of fun on the day.”

Joseph M (5/6 Ochre)

The team started with confidence, but the challenge ahead became clear in the first game against Mount View PS, who would go on to be finalists. It was a tough match, and we faced a strong opponent who didn’t hold back, resulting in a one-sided loss of 154 to 47. Despite the setback, we regrouped and resolved to be more aggressive in our approach.

Our next game was against Mt Waverley. We kept close but trailed slightly in the scoring rate. Then, Lenny gave us a fighting chance by hitting 40 runs in a single over, bringing us within reach. Unfortunately, we fell just short, needing three runs off the last ball, and lost by two runs, with a final score of 131 to 129.

Going into our final chance to secure a placing, the boys maintained their positivity and chose to bat first. Max and Noah gave us a strong start, with Lenny and Thomas finishing the innings, setting a target of 141. Our bowlers then delivered, consistently taking wickets and holding the opposition to 139. Noah sealed the win by taking a wicket on the last ball, snatching victory from Camelot Rise.

Finishing third in our pool qualified us for the 5th vs. 6th playoff. The boys were eager for another close contest. We faced Oakleigh, bowled first, and showed resilience, with Danny, Max, Lenny, and Will restricting the opponents to 132. Despite a rough first over, Noah and Max, followed by Lenny and Thomas, kept us on track, reaching 66 after four overs. Will and Mason pushed the score to 92, leaving Danny and Joe to chase down 40 runs. They rose to the occasion, with both hitting a six off their first ball, and despite losing a wicket, they guided us to 144—our highest score of the day—securing 5th place out of eight teams.

I’m incredibly proud of how the boys bounced back after the first match. Even after our last game, they showed great spirit, sticking around to play some more, and even managed to bowl Mr. DeLeo with some tricky wicketkeeping, courtesy of Joe.

Overall, it was a fair result, especially considering that most of the team doesn’t regularly play cricket. They all performed admirably! A big thank you to Mr. DeLeo for his support, to the parents Anna and Angela for cheering us on, and to our assistant coach and biggest supporter, Lachie D!

We are very keen to accept enrolments now and don’t want anyone missing out. If you know someone who is looking to enrol their child in Prep for 2025 or in other year levels, please encourage them to book a tour and have a chat with me. 

Clare Ryan: principal@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au or Phone: 9877 4023

A massive thank you to our fete sponsors who make the event possible with many generous contributions.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we encourage the St Luke's community to please support our sponsors with their business.

LOST PROPERTY:

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

Term 4 SUMMER UNIFORMS:

In term 4 we change over to the summer uniform as the weather warms up.  During the transition to warmer weather please make sure your child has his/her school jumper.  

Children are reminded to wear hats and are encouraged to bring their own sunscreen.  Children not wearing hats are required to play in the shaded areas of the Middle playground (near the hill) as we adhere to a NO HAT- NO PLAY policy.  Please ensure that your child's hat is named and packed in their bag for use during the day.

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.

RIDING TO AND FROM SCHOOL SAFELY

Children are vulnerable to head injuries and should wear a standard approved bicycle helmet whenever they ride a bike or scooter.

In Victoria, children under the age of 12 may ride on footpaths. They are required to give way to pedestrians and to wheel their bicycles over pedestrian and children’s crossings.

Children aged 12 years or older are required by law to ride on the road.

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. 

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.