St Luke the Evangelist School Newsletter

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

What an incredible day we had last Friday celebrating our St. Luke’s Feast Day and Colour run.  The school was bursting with colour, laughter and energy as our students ran and cheered their way through a sea of vibrant fun!  It was a fantastic way to celebrate our feast day, community spirit and raise funds for our school.  

We want to extend a huge thank you to all the parents and volunteers who helped make the day such a success, we couldn’t have done it without you.  A special mention to Dani and the P&F for all the pre-planning and organisation you have put into this event.  Your time, effort, and enthusiasm helped create lasting memories for our students. Events like this truly show what we can achieve when our school community comes together.

Another thank you, to the Mini Vinnies and Mrs Nina Grieve for their amazing effort and generosity! Raising over $400 at your bake sale is an incredible achievement — your hard work and kindness are truly inspiring. Well done, everyone! This money will help families in the local area with purchasing stationery items for secondary school. 

We were honoured to celebrate the Installation Mass of Father Alex on Saturday, marking his official welcome into our parish and school community. It was a beautiful and reverent occasion, filled with prayer, music, and a true sense of unity. The presence of our students, staff, families, and parish members made the Mass especially meaningful, as we came together to support and pray for Father Alex as he begins this new chapter of spiritual leadership. We look forward to growing in faith under his guidance and thank everyone who joined us for this special celebration.

Our Prep to Year 2 students recently enjoyed an exciting camping experience right here at school, filled with fun, adventure, and learning! A highlight of the day was the reptile incursion, where students had the chance to get up close with fascinating native animals, including snakes, lizards, and a scorpion that changes colour! It was a hands-on learning opportunity that sparked curiosity and courage! A big thank you to our staff and helpers for creating such a memorable and safe experience for our youngest learners.

On another note, It is important that we remain vigilant and sensitive to the language our students use with one another, such as appearance, sporting abilities and cultural comments. Even remarks that may seem harmless to some can have a deep and lasting impact on others.  We all have a responsibility to create a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment where every student feels valued and heard. Let’s continue to guide our children in understanding the power of their words, promoting empathy, and encouraging open conversations about diversity, respect, and kindness.

Warm regards,

Julie Inglese

Deputy Principal

The Blackburn South St Vincent de Paul Society conference members would like to congratulate and thank the Mini Vinnies conference students (and their parents) and Mrs Nina Grieve for the amazing result of their cupcake stall held on St Luke’s day.  The range of cakes and other delicious looking food items for sale raised a total of $466 which has been converted into Officeworks vouchers to be distributed to three families who are struggling to pay for their children’s educational materials’ expenses.  Two of the families have a child who is starting secondary school in 2026 and have asked for the conference’s help with education expenses. 

We are most grateful for the support of the students, their families and the teachers for the support you all provide to the work of the conference assisting those in need in the Blackburn South community.

Margaret Gearon
Conference Vice-President and Mini Vinnies’ liaison member

On Wednesday, 15th of October, Prep Aqua participated in a special camp afternoon.  When the school bell rang at 3:25 pm, the Prep students stayed at school to enjoy a fun-filled afternoon together.  We started off with a snack and some playtime before heading over to the Discovery Room for an exciting reptile encounter.  What a wonderful experience it was!

Estelle- I liked the scorpion because it glows under the moon. 

Olivia - I loved the frog because it was cute on my hand.

Harvey - I liked the snake because it was really long.

Enid - I loved the snake because he was cute.

Anja- I like the blue tongue lizard because it has a blue tongue. 

Luke - I liked seeing all the reptiles because I like reptiles. 

Natalia - I like the crocodile because it was scaly. 

George - I like all of the reptiles. 

Aidan - I liked the crocodile because it was really scaly. 

Ella - I like the blue tongue lizard because he can sniff with his tongue. 

Isla - I liked the blue tongue lizard because I got to hold him.

Miranda - I liked holding the frog. It was sticky. 

Stella - I liked the tarantula because it was named after me.

Ash - I like the snake because it was scaly.

Benji - I liked the blue tongue lizard and the fresh water crocodile because they were not scary. 

Rosie- I liked the crocodile because my uncles live near crocodiles. 

Ky- I like the spider because it was cool. 

Do you have family or friends that have children starting school in 2026?

If you have not completed an application for 2026 enrolment, please visit our school website and complete the online application form.  The application will prompt you to attach any documents required for the application.

If you know of a family looking for a wonderful school, please promote our school and encourage them to attend an upcoming open morning or a personal tour.  All dates for open morning are available on our website via the quick tabs 'Book a Tour' or 'Enrol' on the homepage.

Please also encourage families looking for an alternate school for older year levels to consider St Lukes!

Please note:  To start primary school in 2026, children will need to turn 5 years old by 30 April 2026.  Schooling is compulsory for children who have turned 6 years old.

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. We are trying to remove any items of clothing that have the OLD LOGO WITH South Blackburn or Sth Blackburn on it. Please do not purchase these items. Thank you.