No12. Term 3, Week 3, 28th July 2021

Principal News

Welcome back to school!....again. It seems that after five lockdowns, the transition between on-site and off-site learning is becoming all too 'normal'. While this is both a credit to our staff, students and families, it also highlights just how much life has changed for us all.  Let us now look forward to what is hopefully, a longer stint of uninterrupted school based learning. 

I trust you are all enjoying watching our amazing athletes at the Tokyo Olympics. The Olympics are a great opportunity to highlight excellence and the commitment, dedication and goal setting that individual athletes partake in to reach the highest of standards possible in the area of their strengths. 

What great inspiration our children can get from observing the dispositions of our sporting heroes in action! To see the grit, determination, persistence and growth mindsets in action provides an inspirational platform for our students to gain motivation from.

Australian Early Development Census

The Prep Teachers have been very busy completing the Australian Early Development Census. This is an Australian Government initiative, that raises the teachers' awareness of the needs of the individual students as well as the needs of the class as a whole. The data collected has been used to help young children and families to improve their development and wellbeing. This data is used to support early years networks, provide services and the government uses it to develop better policies for children.

CoVid Safety Update

With our return to school comes an update on how we need to move about the school to reduce the likelihood of transmission of the coronavirus within our community. What follows are recommendations that have come through to us from Catholic Education Victoria and the State Governement of Victoria and are slightly different from advice provided to families on Tuesday evening, so please take note.

• All parents / carers entering school grounds MUST wear a mask at all times unless they have an appropriate medical exemption.
• Adults / Carer are unable to enter any school building apart from the office. 
• Upon entering the office, adults  / carers must sign in using the QR code and position themselves on the floor markers to maintain a safe distance from others.
• We respectfully ask parents to be mindful of not congregating in groups within the school during drop off and pickup times.
• Please be sure to continue keeping children at home if they are unwell or presenting flu-like symptoms (exemptions apply for students with recognised allergies).

These conditions will likely be in place for the next two weeks. Please continue to monitor SZ-app for further updates.

A wonderful and timely reminder

There is no doubt that life is becoming more and more demanding of adults, but we can never underestimate the power of connection and how much and how often our littlest people need it if they are to grow into capable, confident and healthy people. This short, TED Talk given by 7 year old Molly Wright from Queensland is essential viewing for all parents in this modern world.

Prep Enrolments 2022

If there are any families who have a child starting school next year, that have not handed in an enrolment form, please come in to the Office and see Trish.  We are in the final stages of enrolments and want to make sure that our current families have a spot for their child.

If you have received a letter of offer for your Prep child for 2022 and haven't returned it, please do so asap, if you have misplaced your letter please come to the Office and see Trish.

Counselling and Psychology Services

Did you know that St. Kevin's has specialised wellbeing support services available to students?

Our counsellor, Maureen Flanagan is available on Mondays and Wednesdays and is a vital member of our team who checks in on students who we know need a little extra support. She even works with some children with a more therapy-based approach. Maureen is also available to speak with parents who may need advice or who have questions about their child or parenting issues.

Another important member of the team is Katelyn O'Donohue, a fully qualified Psychologist who is also available for students. Katelyn sees a range of students during school hours for both short term and long-term therapy based support.  

If you would like any further information about how to access these services, please call the office or speak to your child's teacher. Please be assured that all matters related to family and children's needs are treated with the utmost respect and their privacy protected within the limits of the law.

School Fees

We thank all the families who have been making payments toward their school fees and / or finalised their accounts for this year. Your commitment to supporting us financially helps us to be able to continue providing access to high quality resources and services for our students.

Of course we are acutely aware that not all families will be in a strong enough financial position to consider their school fee payments at this time. Especially in light of the fact that many parents and carers have been impacted upon by the pandemic. If you are experiencing financial hardship and have not already contacted us please do so, so that we can find a mutually beneficial arrangement. With all the other pressures of life in a pandemic, school fees should not be one of those. Naturally, your circumstances will be treated with discretion and your privacy assured.

Fairy Bread Fundraising for the Philippines

1/2 WOW WALL

Birthday Celebrations

July

27th   Aarohi 1/2 DC, Sahibjot PEA

28th   Kaitlyn 1/2 FE

29th   Arian 5/6 ME, Matthew PDE

30th   Jaydean 1/2 DC

31st   Kuot 1/2 LO, Shevon 3/4 PE

August

1st   Leonie 3/4 FO

2nd   Abuk 5/6 LN, Kuch 1/2 AL, Elissa 5/6 DA

4th   Aarav 3/4 BB, Samantha 5/6 BU

5th   Joanne PEA

6th   Nigel 3/4 MG

7th   Amelia 3/4 DM, Raini 3/4 MG, Damian 5/6 DA

8th   Aavin   PEA

Beleza Uniform Shop