Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to Week 3 of Term 4. We knew the term was going to begin at a fast pace and it certainly has. We have many wonderful events on the calendar for this term so be sure to check in with your Hub News this week to keep up to date with what is happening for your child or children.

Today’s prayer alerts us to the importance of caring for our world. This week is ‘Enviro Week’ and ‘National Water Week’ and we continue to educate our students and indeed, our whole community, on the importance of caring for God’s gift to us of creation. This leads into our exciting news below. 

Resource Smart School Second Star: Please read the Sustainability news below and congratulations to Our Lady Star of the Sea as we have achieved our second star for biodiversity in our learning and actions. I endorse the wonderful work Kellie, Sue and our teachers and students are doing to ensure we are caring for our world, for now and the future, in all we do. It cannot be underestimated how important this is. Let’s continue on our journey with a big focus on waste and ensuring we are all doing our bit to be responsible citizens and minimise waste and recycle, at every opportunity. 

Photo Day: We have received confirmation today that our school photo days with Arthur Reed  can go ahead. Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 November. Class photos and individual portraits will happen on the Monday and family photos on the Tuesday.

Cherished Pets: On Thursday 22 October when we wear our footy colours we will also be bringing a gold coin donation for a very important organisation in our local area, Cherished Pet Foundation. Many in our school community will be familiar with the work of local charity Cherished Pets Foundation which was formed to assist vulnerable members in our community such as the elderly and disabled to care for their pets and keep them as a companion in their homes in circumstances that may normally see them have to surrender their pets. 

They believe in the power of pets to help people maintain their independence, health and wellbeing. However in some cases the ability of people to adequately care for their pets is compromised, not through a lack of love, but through a lack of capacity. Cherished Pets seek to support companion pet ownership in this very special community sector, by supervising the ongoing health management of the pet, and by providing support where it is needed. They also endeavour to provide support through times of crisis and transition.  

As we reflect on the past year in our community, country and world, it’s hard not to think about tough times falling upon good people everywhere – bushfires, Covid-19, economic hardship. It has been overwhelming for many people. We are seeing mental health issues escalate. Every day in our community we see people doing it tough, whether it be financially, physically or psychologically and all these in turn affect our capability to keep pets healthy and well. As pets are part of the fabric of our modern lives, they also feel these impacts and so they are also doing it tough. These are the pets and people that are served through the work of Cherished Pets Foundation.  

Gratitude Day: Our Gratitude Day was a perfect opportunity for our students to celebrate what we are grateful for and it was timed well with our return to school as we are indeed grateful to have everyone back. Many thanks to you all for sending through photos digitally for us to display. Please see in Paul's Wellbeing section  photos of our display walls and we are also running a  slideshow in our foyer on the TV.

Book Week Parade: Yesterday we were able to launch Book Week even if it did look a little different. We paraded within our hubs and again were amazed by the beautiful costumes the children were in. Many thanks to you as parents and carers who supported your children to dress up. We enjoyed seeing the character strengths of zest and and creativity shine through our students. Please see Hub News with some wonderful photos.

CEMSIS Surveys: Next year is our School Review, which occurs every 4 years. Each year Catholic Education Melbourne would provide us with School Improvement surveys for students , staff and families to complete. This year with COVID 19, they have decided not to provide a survey but suggested we create our own using a similar format and selection of the questions. Thank you to Paul Anderson for creating this very brief survey for families which will provide us with helpful feedback. We would be grateful if you could please take 10 minutes to complete this survey. The survey will be open until the end of October. CEMSIS Parent Survey

PFA Annual General Meeting: Please see below PFA information for the Annual General Meeting including the call out for nominations for next year.
The AGM is scheduled for Monday 23 November at 7pm and at this stage likely that it will be conducted via zoom. An invite to the meeting will be shared shortly.

Building Works: We are happy to see great progress with our new building and our students have also enjoyed the excitement of the works.

Thanks again to Nate in Year 2 for his latest video creation below showing some of the building progress. 

Warmest wishes for a healthy and happy fortnight ahead.