St Luke the Evangelist School Newsletter

Good afternoon families,

As Leunig would say, Spring has sprung! It feels so good to have days of longer daylight coming our way. 

What fun we had recently for Book Week when we explored just how much ‘Reading is magic!’. There was such a variety of wonderful costumes and the children's (and parent’s) creativity really shone through. Julianne Kelly spoke about the exceptional entries submitted for the theme. What clever families we have here at St Luke’s. I must say that l love this week when the staff dress up too. They suggested that my sweeping of the leaves reflects the natural witching features of my personality! My thanks to Julianne Kelly, Steph Pierce and the staff for bringing this incredible week alive for the children. The parade was such fun and one of the very best parts is having our Preplings parade for the first time and seeing the toddlers do a circuit too. YOUR part in getting your child ready to join in is very important, so thank you too. Now, l can’t wait for next year’s one!

Last Sunday we shared a most wonderful day with many of our Year Four children as they celebrated the Sacrament of First Eucharist. They all looked gorgeous, a little nervous but excited to be part of such a special moment in their own individual faith journey. Fr Alex spoke beautifully about the readings and gospel and encouraged families to use this sacrament as a way to nourish our spiritual wellbeing, as often as we can. We completed the celebration with a ‘Communion breakfast’ on Wednesday. All Year Four children were a part of this and enjoyed a few yummies sitting at a long table covered in white cloths and food.

This week, as many of you would be aware, employees have officially been given the ‘Right to Disconnect’. I have encouraged all staff to adhere to this for a long time and really try to be vigilant about sending emails between work hours which are 8 am and 5 pm. Teachers and other staff are encouraged not to read or answer any emails from colleagues, families or work related contacts past 5 pm or before 8 am. A great way l manage this is to ‘schedule an email’ before sending it. Of course, where a matter is of urgency or emergency, l will always respond if l am aware of it. Likewise, on the weekend, staff are encouraged to ‘disconnect’ so they can have a really great break.

We hope all Dads, Grandads and Special Men had a wonderful weekend celebrating Father’s Day. We are looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday for our Father’s Day breakfast starting at 7.45 am. Please make sure you RSVP to: schooloffice@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au 

This week, Gabi Carter will be sending out details for the annual MACSSIS survey. This provides great feedback to our school about how we are going, what we are doing well and what we could improve on. It is really, really important that all families complete this survey please. It should take approximately fifteen minutes. The staff will complete one as well as the Year 5 and 6 children. Gabi will share the details with you latter in this newsletter AND we’ll have devices set up for you in one of the weeks coming up at school drop off and school pick up so you can complete it, as you wait. Sounds simple, heh!

Well, l have just one last thing to say… our mighty flying Hawks are soaring at the moment. Let’s hope they prove the upset of the finals series. Go Hawks!

Have a great week ahead.

Clare

Principal 

principal@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au

Keeping ourselves and our children safe online is so important. Children need to understand how to keep themselves safe and we need to help them.

TOP 5 ONLINE SAFETY TIPS

1. Think of other’s feelings before you post, like or share content.
2. Ask for permission before you share a photo or video with someone else in it. Respectful online relationships start with consent.
3. Be an upstander. Speak up if you see someone cyberbullying or sharing inappropriate content. Report it and delete it.
4. Use privacy and screen time settings to take control of your digital life and it’s impact on your mental health.
5. Ask for help. eSafety can remove inappropriate content.

TOP 5 ONLINE SAFETY TIPS FOR KIDS

1. Set up your device to protect your information.
2. Explore safely and tell an adult if you see anything online that makes you feel yuck.
3. Limit who can contact you when you play games.
4. Stop all contact with anyone who asks you to do anything you don’t want to. Report and block them.
5. Ask for help if anything online is bothering you

See eSafety.gov.au/kids for more information

Gabrielle Carter
Wellbeing Leader

Kelly Club will be holding a Sports Day themed program on the upcoming school closure day.

Please see the attached flyer with details of the fun activities planned for the day, as well as enrollment and booking details.

Please note that a minimum of 10 children is required for the day to progress.  Bookings close this Friday, 05 September 2024.

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

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:

Winter uniform -  In these cooler months 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.

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.