200 days of Lockdown - Stay home . . . stay safe . . .

Today marks the unenviable milestone of 200 days of Lockdown in Victoria.  When the news was shared this week of increasing COVID cases in our school community and the extension of the lockdown to ensure our community safety, it was difficult to hear and to comprehend Lockdown and Remote Schooling for another few weeks.  Thursday 2 September feels a long way off.  In the midst of rescheduling school events and looking for opportunities to re-book such events as the Kaboom Olympics and students’ excursions/incursions, our school community is again reminded of the dedication, commitment and support to each other that our school community has displayed during these enduring times.  Our staffs ability to continually adapt in the Remote Schooling space, and to be focused on continuing to engage our students is commendable.  Our parents are continuing to strive to manage the challenge of working from home and balance Remote Schooling and we are most appreciative of their efforts and commitment - thank you.  While we continue to review upcoming events that will/may be impacted by the Lockdown restrictions, unfortunately one such event is our upcoming Father’s Day breakfast.  Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Grandparent’s Day are significant events in our school calendar, when we come together to celebrate and honour the mums, dads, grandparents and special people in our school community.  While we will be unable to hold our Father’s Day Breakfast this year, we hope to be able to have our Father’s Day Stall and will keep the community informed as we get closer to the date.  

Student Learning Conversations (Parent Teacher Interviews)

Student Learning Conversations where held this week on Tuesday 17 August and Wednesday 18 August.  While we were unable to do face-to-face interviews, we are most appreciative of having the opportunity to catch up by phone or Google Meet to share your child’s learning progress, achievements and learning goals.  Thank you for making the time to meet with us this week.

Celebration of Learning

Book Week Celebrations – Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds

We will be holding our Book Week Celebrations – dress up as your favourite book character, next week on Thursday 26 August.  We look forward to this very special day of bringing our favourite book characters alive in our school community.  This year’s Book Week theme aligns beautifully with our History and Geography Inquiry units this term – Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds.

Planning for 2022 School Year

2022 Class Placements

Teachers will begin planning for our 2022 classes at the end of Term 3.  We respect and value parent input and ask that you email me – ejones@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au, or put in writing, if you have information about your child that could impact on their placement for 2022.  Please ensure your request is sent by Friday 27 August.  Parents please be mindful of the following:

• Requests should be based on individual student needs. 
• Requests are forwarded onto staff when placing students into their 2022 classes. 
• Staff use a range of information to ensure an effective balance within classes across the level and to provide an optimal learning environment for all students. 
• Please be aware that your letters of request are not a guarantee, they provide an opportunity for your input and assist us in the process of class placements. 
• Please note that requests made in previous years are not necessarily considered in the process, so previous information provided by parents regarding their child’s placement will need to be re-submitted if the concerns expressed in previous years are still relevant for consideration in 2022.

School Advisory Committee [SAC] AGM - rescheduled to Tuesday 19 October

We will be holding our SAC Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 19 October at 7.00 pm.  The date has been changed in the hope we are out of Lockdown and are able to meet in person for our AGM.

Nomination forms for positions on the School Advisory Committee 2021 – 2022 are available from the Administration Office or you can request a nomination form via email frontdesk@marymacnarre.catholic.edu.au

The responsibilities of the School Advisory Committee are to:

• promote the Catholic ethos of the school
• provide feedback on and review of school policies
• plan for the future of the school and its ability to accommodate future enrolments
• provide advice on budget planning and finance-related matters
• contribute to the selection process for the school principal (when the position is advertised)
• provide advice on the appropriate provision of faith development and Religious Education programs
• promote child safety in the school