St Luke the Evangelist School Newsletter

Good afternoon Families,

What a scorcher today but it’s so good to have the warmer weather around the corner even though it always keeps us guessing here in Melbourne. Last week our Dads and kids survived the rain storm overnight and came back to school beaming. So good that they had a great time together. 

We are halfway through our PREP 2025 ORIENTATION. Seventeen eager, bright faces turned up for three Tuesday sessions. Four of our Year 5 emerging leaders- Bella, Vivienne, Charlene and Tahlia were there to welcome them and the parents. It’s something we do so well - engage with others in such a warm way. Thanks girls.

Whilst Julianne Kelly and Brooke Madden, along with the Year 5 children buddied up with a kindy kid to read, play and create, l had the privilege of having a cuppa with our parents - new and old and to begin making wonderful connections. As always, the buzz was lovely, the smiles abundant and the nerves subsided. It is going to be a great group of children joining our community and l know you will extend that warm welcome when you meet them. This coming week we have our ‘Making Connections’ social evening for parents before concluding the program on the school carols night. All of our Prep families have been invited to join us as our VIP guests. Should be fun!

As mentioned in earlier newsletters, we have our annual School Advisory Council AGM on Tuesday evening starting at 7 pm. Please come along if you can, to get a glimpse at what happens at these meetings. We are hoping to get one or two new members to join the council.

The Year Five children have been busy not only starting their buddy year with our new Preplings but also writing and rehearsing for the Student Leadership speeches. Emily Chlebica, Rosa Phillips, Emily Roberts and myself are eagerly waiting to hear them. We’re sure they will be just as good as last year’s speeches. Keep our next Student Leadership Team in your thoughts and prayers. It’s a very exciting time for them.

This Year, our Year Six children have led the way with their outstanding leadership skills. The next few weeks will be full of mixed emotions- excitement, nerves and much reflection. We’ll keep you posted on what they're doing and when they're doing it. The Graduation committee are busily planning a wonderful evening for our graduates. It’s definitely a busy time.

Thank you to those parents who have submitted requests on behalf of their child for the 2025 school year. As is clearly stated, where possible, we do try to consider each request. Often it is possible to accommodate a request but sometimes it is difficult due to other considerations. Where a parent may have made a few requests on behalf of their child, it is difficult to action all requests. No more requests can be considered now. Thank you for your understanding.

It has been wonderful to see the excitement and enthusiasm of our Market Week entrepreneurs. We had six stalls spread out over the week and each person or group sold their crafts, offering great value for money. Thank you to those people who participated this term.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend with family or friends or both.

See you next week.

Clare

principal@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au

Over Term 2 and 3 some of our senior students participated in The Australian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiad (APSMO) competitions. The Olympiad is designed to promote and improve mathematical problem solving skills. Students have been working towards developing an understanding of a variety of strategies and flexibility in problem solving. 

The competitions proved to challenge our students and each week they persisted through practice sessions where they expanded their thinking and strategies. 

Well done to all that participated. You have proved to be resilient mathematicians! A special mention to Camilla who achieved a score in the top 25% of individual student scores.

Some of our Year 3 and 4 students have also been busy working away in the Math Explorer Program over Term 2 and 3. This program has worked towards developing their skills and knowledge in math problem solving and preparing them for future years. These students have worked through problems collaboratively and independently, providing them with experiences about how to make decisions about the way they explore a problem.

A big well done and thank you to all students below for their participation this year.

On Wednesday, 6th November, all junior students participated in an exciting and engaging event called "Around the Campfire."  This special program took place on the school grounds, providing students with a fun and interactive camp-like experience in a safe and familiar setting.

Junior C:

The evening kicked off at 5pm when we arrived at school in our pajamas!

To our surprise and amusement, we were shocked to find caution tape on Coral’s door and colourful streamers on the windows.  We noticed all the chairs were missing… It was very suspicious!

Soon, a scavenger hunt began!  We searched all around the school for clues to solve the mystery.  Each clue helped us eliminate someone who couldn’t have been involved.  In the end, we discovered that Mrs Ryan had borrowed the chairs so she could read us a story around the campfire.

After solving the mystery, our tummies were rumbling!  Dinner time was delicious, we ate chips, potato cakes, party pies, and sausage rolls.  We enjoyed our food whilst having a picnic on the hill.

Next up was a disco party!  We danced the night away in an epic dance off, showing off our best moves.

To end the spectacular evening, we cooled down with a refreshing Zooper Dooper.

It was such an exciting night, and now we can’t wait for our camp adventures next year!

Junior E:

On Wednesday night we came to school in our Pyjamas.  The teachers were also wearing their pyjamas - Christmas ones!  We had to be at school at 5pm.

When we got to our classrooms there was ‘caution’ tape on the doors.  We discovered that the chairs from Junior Coral were missing.  Our task was to find them.

We went on a challenging but fun hunt.  We had to read clues and work out which teachers did not steal the chairs.  We found out that Mrs Ryan ‘borrowed’ the chairs so that we could have a story around the campfire. 

After our story, it was dinner time.  We had chips, potato cakes, party pies and sausage rolls for dinner.  We also had a Zooper Dooper.

After dinner we had a fun disco party.  We did lots of dancing.  We even had a dance off.  At 7pm our mums and dads came back to collect us.  We had an incredible, amazing, epic night!

Looking to learn more about ADHD?  This could be a great place to start or build upon what you already know.

Join 6 renowned expert speakers for a day of Information & Strategies for ADHD, including Em from NEUROWILD!

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Starting at 10am and finishing at 4pm, there are 6 x 40min presentations + 3 breaks!

Sunday 1 December 2024 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (UTC+11)

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Emily Roberts
Learning Diversity Leader

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 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.