St Luke the Evangelist School Newsletter

Dear Parents and families,

Welcome back to Term 2, we hope you had a wonderful break and blessed Easter.

Last Wednesday we had our Parent information sessions for years 1-6. Our teachers took our parents on a journey covering the elements of the science of learning and how we are using retrieval processes and daily reviews to support prior knowledge for our students.  Thank you for your attendance and also a big thank you to our classroom teachers who presented.  

As part of our commitment to the science of learning our school is part of a reading collective along with ten other schools from the eastern zone who have connected with Nathaniel Swain. Nathaniel Swain, PhD, is a teacher, instructional coach and teacher educator. He is a Senior Lecturer in Learning Sciences at La Trobe University School of Education, Australia. Last week Nathaniel Swain came to work at our school to develop knowledge rich curriculum units in the areas of science, humanities and geography. This is only the beginning of this work and the other schools were so impressed with our school/spaces they have asked to continue this great work at our school.  

In staffing news this term we welcome back Megan Bunter from parental leave. Megan is our STEM teacher on Tuesday and Wednesday and she will also job share with Nina Grieve in 3/4S on Thursday and Friday. Welcome back Megan. 

Election Day is Saturday 3rd May. Many thanks to our parents who have volunteered to support the BBQ and cake stalls.  Please come along and grab a sausage or buy a delicious cake.  Thanks to the P&F, Jo Adams, Parish Parishioners and Sonya O’ Farrell for organising this.  

We really have been blessed with a warmer Autumn this year and it has been lovely to enjoy this. However, we would like to see our students transitioning into the winter uniform please, especially for school photos which is Wednesday 14th May.  Please ensure your child is wearing the winter uniform with their school jumper. 

Have a lovely weekend and I am sure we will hear some lovely stories from Clare about her recent travels when she returns on Monday. 

Take care 

Julie Inglese 

Year 6 families enrolling in a Victorian government school in 2026 are reminded that you should now approach secondary schools to enrol your child as applications close Friday 9 May 2025.  An application for Year 7 Placement 2025 form is available from the school office or your zoned secondary school.

School zone information is available at Find My School website 

Year 6 families as part of the Year 7 Transition process, please provide the following details once confirmation has been provided by the Secondary School via email to: schooloffice@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au

• Your child's name
• The school your child is enrolled in for Year 7 2026

Helpful information regarding moving from primary to secondary school is available at www.vic.gov.au  (https://www.vic.gov.au/moving-primary-secondary-school-information-parents-and-carers#moving-from-a-non-government-primary-school-or-home-schooling-to-a-government-secondary-school).

Year 5 families enrolling in a Catholic Secondary School in 2027.

Enrolment applications are required to be submitted to the Secondary School in year 5 to allow the school to plan their Year 7 intake.

Closing date for applications to Catholic Secondary schools for Year 7 2027 is mid August - Friday 15 August 2025.

Welcome back to Term 2! We hope you enjoyed your Easter break. We would like to inform you about two upcoming online events that may interest you: "Understanding ADHD" and "Parenting a Child with Attention Deficit Disorder." Please find more details below on how to register. 

Best regards, 

Gabrielle Carter        &       Emily Roberts
Wellbeing Leader               Learning Diversity Leader

Parentzone have two upcoming programs for parents of primary aged children - Tweens, Teens and Screens and Parenting Anxious Children. Both programs are free to attend.

The flyers are attached and further information below: 

Tweens, Teens and Screens

• Explore how excessive screen use may negatively impact emotional, social and physical well-being,

• Learn how to discuss harmful online content with your child such as violence, cyberbullying, online influencers, sexual content, privacy and misinformation

• Learn strategies to set boundaries and manage conflict in the family that often arises from excessive screen use.

• Deal with anxiety and anger - both yours and theirs while improving family relationships

When: Mondays (6 evening sessions)

Dates: May 12th June 23rd 2025 No session on 9th June - King's Birthday

Time: 7:00 to 9:00 pm

Where: Online via Zoom

Cost: Free to attend (bookings essential)

Registrations: Click Here or scan QR code (in attached flyer)

Enquiries: sharon.muir@anglicarevic.org.au

Parenting Anxious Children

• Learn parenting strategies to help your child deal with uncomfortable emotions such as fear and anger

• Support your child to cope with life’s challenges both at school and at home

• Set boundaries and find solutions for challenging behaviours

• Teach your child the skills of resilience to bounce back from adversity

When: Thursday mornings (6 sessions)

Dates: May 8th to June 12th 2025

Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Where: Online via Zoom

Cost: Free to attend

Enquiries: sharon.muir@anglicarevic.org.au

Registration: Click here or scan QR code (in attached flyer)

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 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.