No 19. Term 3 Week 10, 16th September 2020

Principal's News

Welcome to the end of the third term of the 2020 school year. A term characterised by such mixed and extreme characteristics, that it will be remembered for all its challenges as well as its incredible successes.

I would like to acknowledge the incredible dedication and selfless motivation of each of our staff. They have gone above and beyond to both cater to the educational needs of our children, but also be a source of hope and encouragement for our families. They amaze me every day with their innovative ideas and enthusiasm for connecting with our community. We are blessed to have such fine educators in our school.

I also say a huge thank you and well done to the parents and carers. As a parent working full time with children learning remotely, I can empathise with the struggles you have all faced with keeping your children and yourselves motivated. It has been harder for some than others though, and no doubt many of you were challenged with thoughts and feelings about whether you are doing enough or doing it 'right'. Well, I can tell you that from where I am looking, I see inspirational people doing the best they can under extreme circumstances and doing more than enough. Hang in there parents, you are stronger than you think.

Lastly, it must be said that the St Kevin's Community should feel incredibly proud of its children today. Children of St Kevin's, this term your persistence, organisation, confidence and resilience have been tested to the extreme, in any number of ways. But you did it. You are doing it.  As I said to you at the start of the year, 'you are stronger than you believe and smarter than you think'. Thank you for not giving up and congratulations on achieving a new personal best at Remote and Flexible Learning.

Enjoy the well earned two week break and look forward to a term that will be characterised by reuniting our amazing school community.

God bless, 

Jason Micallef,
Principal

How did we do?

The period of remote learning has been a challenging time for us all, but despite the major disruptions to normal activities, there will be many valuable lessons derived from this period that we as a school, and the whole Catholic school system, wish to take forward.

Below is a link to an optional survey in order to help capture the learnings from the remote learning period.

The surveys are designed to be a quick capture of learnings while the experience is fresh, and are not designed to capture every aspect of schooling during the lockdown period. Your feedback will be valuable in learning from the experience and improving education outcomes.

Here is the link to the survey. It is expected the survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

CSEF Eligibility

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments for eligible students to support their inclusion in a range of school activities. This year, the CSEF can also be used to support the Remote and Flexible Learning Program.

The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria has advised that eligibility for the CSEF has been extended to Monday 5 October, with the closing date for CSEF applications now Friday 27 November. If you currently hold a valid concession card or Health Care Card, you will likely be eligible for the CSEF.

If you would like more information about the CSEF, please contact the office.

eSmart Family Evening

On Monday September 7, we were pleased to have over 84 separate connections to our live online presentation.  Mr Micallef and Miss Rowlands shared a variety of hints and tips that families can use to keep our kids safe online. Having so many people in attendance proved to us, just how important Internet safety is to our families, especially during this time that calls for us to be using technology so frequently. If you missed the presentation, you can access the slideshow below.

Term 4 Arrangements

The Victorian Roadmap to Covid normal currently indicates that term 4 will see a staged return of students to school. This is very welcome news and we look forward to reuniting with our school community. 

As of today, the staged return will likely follow the following timeline:

• Oct 5 - Oct 9: The first week of term 4 will be Remote and Flexible Learning at home P-6
• Oct 12: Prep and 1/2 students return to school. Remote and Flexible Learning Years 3-6
• Oct 26: Year 3- 6 students return to school

We stress that this is a guide timeline only and could change as circumstances evolve.

We are expecting further details and advice from the Chief Health Officer and Catholic Education Victoria about which students will be eligible for on-site supervision during Remote and Flexible Learning Periods and the requirements we will need to put in place for staggered starts and finishing times. This information will be shared with families as soon as we possibly can via the SZapp.  At this stage, we expect that this will likely occur in the second week of the holidays.

We are so grateful for your support and patience as we await this advice and continue working to ensure our children remain healthy and safe.

Confirmation Family Workshop

We have booked our Confirmation Family Workshop for two evenings next term.

Tuesday October 20th and Wednesday October 21st. 

Please check the school calendar for the times of these events.

Closer to the time parents will be invited to sign up for these. At these evenings teachers will be available for a Q & A session and share the Parish plans for the Sacrament of Confirmation. 

Coralee Brobyn and Tania Timothy

Chess Champions!

CHESS COMPETITION
On Friday 4th September, many Grade 5/6 students participated in a Chess tournament. On Thursday 10th September Grade 4 students participated in another Chess tournament. The competition was run by the Northern Star Chess. They were involved in a lesson prior to the tournament to refresh their chess skills. The students played against each other, receiving points for their games. We congratulate all students for showing respect and positive sportsmanship during the competition. Students will receive certificates for participating, recognizing their effort and placing. 
When we are able to return to school, we will have the overall school champions' names engraved on the school Chess plaque in the Office. We congratulate Emmanuel 5/6 MB and Annoji 5/6 AD, who are our school champions for 2020. 
Students also had the opportunity to participate in another Chess lesson today, Wednesday 16th September. 

Congratulations also to the students who were placed as follows:

FRIDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER

GRADE 5 BOYS

1st  Lester 5/6 GA

2nd  Ronan 5/6 GA

3rd  Stanley 5/6 AD & Ethan 5/6 AD 

GRADE 5 GIRLS

1st  Anojii 5/6 AD

2nd  Elizabeth 5/6 AD

3rd  Neha 5/6 ME 

GRADE 6 BOYS

1st  Emmanuel 5/6 MB

2nd Jay 5/6 BU

3rd  Keiran 5/6 DA & Glen 5/6 BU 

GRADE 6 GIRLS

1st    Rhea 5/6 GA

2nd  Ameli 5/6 MB

3rd  Neha 5/6 GA & Jolene 5/6 GA 

THURSDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER

1st    Meran 3/4 TI

2nd   Jaziah 3/4 TI

3rd  Ryan 3/4 FO, Jordan 3/4 DM, Dulavin 3/4 MG, Samuel 3/4 FO, Kevin 3/4 PE 

CatholicCare

We are aware that these are extremely challenging times for families and would like to take the time to share the  FREE COUNSELLING  service offered by Catholic Care. 

Catholic Care is an organisation that provides many services. It is available to support any family regardless of their religious denomination. 

Please call 03 8710 9600 or email dandenong@ccam.org.au for support. 

This service not only offers counselling but aims to link families up with any service that may be of benefit to them, especially in these Covid times.  

Birthdays

SEPTEMBER

6th    Kiara PDE

8th    Ashane PAT

9th    Aaron 1/2 FE

11th   Jacob PAT, Alyssa 1/2 MA, Kuol 3/4 DM

12th   Vishnu 1/2 SC, Jordan PDE

13th   Katelyn 3/4 BR, Nadine 3/4 BR

15th   Vyon 3/4 BR

16th   Alivia 1/2 RO, Adrianna 5/6 GA

17th   Shenara 3/4 FO

18th  Rachel 3/4 FO

19th   Zion 1/2 LO, Lydia 5/6 MB

20th   Rahil 5/6 AD, Anna 5/6 AD, Hana 5/6 GA, Jedan 3/4 MG