St Luke the Evangelist School Newsletter

Good afternoon Families and Friends,

It’s so good to be touched each day with God’s creative hands in the lovely Spring sunshine, gentle breezes and warmer weather.  In all the challenges a day may bring, God is always present reminding me that each of us is loved, is unique and made in his own image.  This is really apparent as we welcome the 2025 Foundation (Prep) children into our heartspace here at St Luke’s during the orientation sessions.  Brooke Madden and Julianne Kelly will be teaching Foundation in 2025 and we are feeling very excited about the journey these curious, energetic and delightful young learners are about to embark on.  Welcome to all of our new children joining us in 2025 and to many new families joining our community.

Two very important meetings are coming up as the end of the year approaches.  These are annual general meetings that are open to any parent who might be curious about knowing how things work and why we do things the way we do, within the school context.

On Tuesday 26th November the School Advisory Council will be meeting at 7 pm to look at the year in review, to farewell outgoing members who have completed their three year tenure and to vote in new members.  The involvement is simple, not at all arduous and requires members to bring to the attention the perspectives, the concerns and/or the ideas being raised by members of our school families.  We discuss such things as curriculum programming, future directions of the school and parish, changes in curriculum offerings, marketing strategies, governance through Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools (MACS) and annual school fee structures.

We currently have Simon Meehan (William) as our Chair.  Our other members are:

• Clare Ryan

• Fr Alex (Custodian of Faith and Mission)

• Julie Inglese (Principal’s delegate)

• Nader Mitri (Georgia and Alexandra)

• Richard Yeung (Jayden and Sophie)

• Victoria Smith (Hamish and Dylan)

• Jo Adams- P&F Representative (Mason)

It would be great to have another two people join the council.  There are approximately two meetings per term which last just one and a half hours.  A copy of the SAC charter can be found in the school foyer.  Please have a chat with one of the SAC members if you are curious.

The other meeting is the Parent’s and Friends AGM on Tuesday 3rd December at 7 pm.  This group meets approximately twice a term to organise upcoming social or fundraising events, to discuss ways to best support the school community and to build strong social connections.  A lot of fun is had at each meeting with people volunteering for what they can do.  There is no pressure to commit to everything (but l think many people do because of the fun to be had, doing so!) Candi D’Couto (Rose) chairs the P&F with 

• Elise Mitri- (Georgia and Alexandra) as Secretary
• Rachel Spaulding (Dylan) as Treasurer
• Dani Fusca (Ilaria) for Advertising.

A number of other parents make up the committee.  I encourage you to come along to the AGM to get a sense of the scope of activities the group organises.  Have a chat with one of the current members too.

The CAMP program at St Luke’s has continued this year with our Prep to Year 2 children enjoying their own experiences.  On Wednesday 30th October, our Prep children stayed after school for their Camp Games Afternoon to enjoy a scrumptious afternoon tea, to play some games and to finish with a pre- bedtime story.  We had a very contented but tired group of children head home with their specially decorated biscuits.  This week on Wednesday afternoon, our juniors returned to school at 5 pm for a Games Around the Campfire.  They arrived in their PJs to discover their chairs had been ‘stolen’.  After a scavenger hunt to discover the culprit, a certain principal, who will remain anonymous, was found waiting around the campfire ready to read a story.  Afterwards, the children enjoyed a delicious dinner before busting some moves on the dancefloor in Junior Coral’s classroom.  Once again, parents collected their child at 7 pm and found their child happy and pleased with their touch of camp experience.

After a lovely long weekend, our children returned to school on Wednesday and enjoyed another fun session with Kaboom.  This was an event organised for St Luke’s Feast Day of Joy activities but due to the weather on the day, we transferred it to Wednesday.  Led by our Year 6 leaders, it was a load of fun and Tara and Sam ensured the kids were active, the music was loud and the activities were fun. 

Next week, each family will receive the 2025 School Fee structure. There will be changes to the structure to ensure we continue to provide the highest possible level of curriculum offerings to your child.  These increases typically occur annually and with the guidance of the School Advisory Council and our Business Manager, l do try to keep increases to a minimum.  Please make sure you are up to date with the payment of this year’s school fees.  It can put financial hardship on the school if fees are left unpaid.  I am always available to discuss payment plans where a family is experiencing difficulty in paying their school fees.

Your child, if they have been at school over the past week, has completed a sociogram where they write the names of four people they would like to be in class with AND who they feel they would work well with.  Using this information, teachers begin forming class groupings for next year. Parents have an opportunity to put in requests to me by emailing me at principal@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au.  These requests remain confidential.  Please do this now so we can progress our plans for 2025. Where possible, parent requests are acted on however, there are times when a request cannot be granted.  Thank you for your understanding of this.  Late requests are very difficult to accept and close on Friday 22nd November.

Please also consider the need for parents to step their child through how to cope with change.  It is a natural part of life and a necessary means of helping us grow and build inner resilience to face the future. 

Make sure you catch up on all the news from classrooms in this newsletter AND look out for several other important messages and requests.

Have a fabulous weekend ahead. 

Clare Ryan

principal@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au

On Wednesday, October 30th, Prep Aqua stayed after school to participate in camp games.  Here’s what some of the students had to say about the experience:

I liked icing the biscuits - EvieI enjoyed eating the fresh, juicy, fruit. - SteliosI liked playing the outside games - EvaThe icy poles were yummy - DiegoI enjoyed listening to Mrs Ryan read the story. - EmilyI liked how we had some special time together - Sophia 

On the 6th of November, our school experienced the joy of participating in Kaboom Sports.  Before the activities began some of the teachers were asked to dance in front of the whole school which culminated in a dance off between Mrs Madden and Mr De Leo as ballerinas.  This year, the groups were divided into “countries”.  In each country’s team, two year six leaders lead their team to get gold medals to win, as it was supposed to be like the Olympics.  We were leaders for Brazil and the Philippines. There were many activities that we got to do in rotation; some of our favorites were the Wacky Wheel and the Parachute.  Although it was close, Scotland  won with one more medal than all the other teams.  All the year six leaders got really competitive wanting to win.  It was quite a hot  day, getting to around 33° C and we were very tired and hot afterwards, from all the wonderful activities.  We had so much fun and wish we (the year sixes) could do it again. 

Written By April and Camilla

Market Day will happen in Week 7 and we have five spots for children to sell their crafts.  Typically, prices are gold coin amounts so get your child to empty out their piggy banks; the quality of the crafts have been great!  10% of profits go to a charity.

This week, a Graduation letter was sent via Audiri.  We’ll be meeting on Tuesday afternoon at 3.25 pm in the staffroom to begin planning the supper.  Can’t make it?  Please send through your ideas by Tuesday to me at principal@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au .  Thanks.

We’re feeling excited that over the Christmas break, we will have new carpet laid in the Senior classrooms and the Middle School classrooms as well as the Kelly Club-community room and Art room.  However, we have a mountain of furniture to move on Tuesday 17th December in readiness for the current carpet to be removed.  Can you help- even for just an hour? We’re flexible with hours if you can flex the muscles and help us move. 

Please see Debbie or Clare if you can help.

Autism is a natural brain variation that influences how individuals perceive, experience and interact with the world.  ‘Autistic brains process information differently.  This can mean that sometimes, an autistic person may find something easy that most others might find challenging. It can also mean that sometimes they are challenged by things that others are not, or do not seem to notice.  For example, noisy places or talking in groups might feel overwhelming for someone who is autistic. But that’s okay. Everyone has things that are easy and hard for them.’ - All Brains are Different, Teacher’s Guide 

In weekly SEL specialist lessons students in Years 1-6 have now completed all twenty topics in the Smiling Mind Primary Program for this year.  We are focusing now on revising and exploring how mindfulness and the skills and tools learnt throughout the year can help us to be resilient. 

We talk about resilience as being the skill of ‘bouncing back’ from setbacks, recovering from difficulties and mistakes and responding skilfully to life’s challenges.  

Our 3/4 students were asked this week to respond to some questions about the topics they have found helpful in learning tools and skills to help with being resilient.  Here’s some of what some of our wise young people said:

“Optimism helps me to be resilient because you don’t focus on the past, you focus on the future and what good can happen”

“Positive Relationships help me to be resilient because my friends can come and help me feel better and I can help them if they need help”

“A Growth Mindset helps with resilience because it means you never stop, like never giving up because resilience means you get back up. It's a perfect pair”

“Movement helps me to be resilient because when I feel a bit restless I can go for a movement break and afterwards I can focus better”

“Awareness helps me to be resilient because I am aware of my emotions”

“Savouring helps me to be resilient because when I’m sad I can choose to remember a good or funny time” 

“Setting Goals helps me to be resilient because I work hard and don’t give up”

“Self-Compassion helps me to be resilient because when I get knocked down, I can say positive things to myself, eg: ‘You can do this’ and always get back up again”

“Recognising and Managing Emotions helps me to be resilient because I can notice my emotions and manage them by calming down and maybe even talking to someone about it”

“The Senses help with resilience because they help me calm down by helping me focus on my natural behaviour instead of the event that upset me”

“Personal Strengths help me to be resilient because bouncing back is hard but if you focus on your strengths and what you can do, it’s easier!”

“Attention helps me to be resilient because I can pay attention to my work and get it done”

“Making Decisions helps me to be resilient because if I'm sad, I can make a  choice to take deep breaths and just relax and be in control of my emotions”

“Gratitude helps me to be resilient because I am grateful for things that I have and I think about other children in the world who don’t have anything”

Pauline Answerth 

SEL Teacher

Our fete was a huge success and we want to thank those who made the day so wonderful. 

Starting with our generous sponsors:

Clinton Connane and Platform advisors,

Pippa and Paul Keeghan: PG Keeghan Custom Home Builders,

Candi & Nathan D'Couto: fixmydolphin.com.au,

Donna Willett: Bendigo Bank, Blackburn South,

David Dalla Bona: Dalla Bona Constructions,

Paul Fusca: MPF Brickwork,

Ian van Eijk: Fletchers Real Estate,

Eugene Cheah: Cheah Saw Architecture,

Cynthia Ong: Simply Dentistry,

Andrew Luke: Jellis Craig, Whitehorse,

Alison Barry: Coopers Brewery. 

Followed closely by our amazingly generous donors of time, goods or expertise:

Matt and Tina Percy for the stage sound system,

Lance and Maria Racovalis for the "stage!",

Andrew Gronn for A-frame signs,

Derek Downie and Kosdown Printing for Fete signage, 

Ilmars Kalnins for the use of his trailer,

Frank Macaluso for fete committee communications,

Paul & Belinda Rose for the fete bunting & presbytery backyard preparation.

A special mention to the following people who put in very special efforts on fete day:

Kylie Watson, Paul Fusca, Dushy Vithiya, Alex Cruickshank, Bianca Broccio, Sabina Filipin, Amanda Gomes, Jesse Barrett, Jeffrey Pranata, Sam Adams, Magdaline Koutsaplis, Barry Hemsley, Nader Mitri, Simon Santoso, Pierre & Michelle Mastromanno, Terry Kourtis, Margaret Gearon & Emori Sauturaga.

To the children involved in the St Luke's Dance Club Performance, we say congratulations and thank you to them and Ms Buxton! 

To Fr Alex and his band of awesome musicians and vocalists we say thank you!

To Deb Barber for her awesome support services all day, we can't thank her enough. 

To our amazing school teachers and the children who produced such wonderful art for the art show, thank you! 

To everyone who helped out on the day, thank you!

Thanks to the many families who filled out the survey after the fete, giving us very valuable feedback and suggestions. 

To everyone on the Fete Committee who has spent most of the past six months thinking about the event, we say thanks for your contributions and enjoy a well-earned rest!

Thank you to everyone who attended and had an amazing day.

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.