Dear Parents and Carers

It has been a very positive and hopeful start to Term 1. We thank you for your continued respect and cooperation with ensuring we remain open and stay safe. We have so much to be grateful for.

Our theme as shared previously is “Together We Flourish. ” 

Catholic Schools in Melbourne are guided by the Education Framework for the Archdiocese of Melbourne – Horizons of Hope. This document is designed to support school communities in their collaborative pursuit of excellence in learning and teaching within the central vision of Catholic education. Horizons of Hope supports:

…the mission, the privilege, of the Catholic school to build a community, where authentic relationships based on love provide the means and the support for all students to flourish and grow into the fullness of life. (Archbishop Denis Hart, Catholic Education Melbourne Strategic Plan 2015-2019. P.1)

At the very heart of each Catholic school and indeed Our Lady Star of the Sea,  is a desire for the full flourishing of each student, across religious, physical, cognitive, emotional and social domains. Here we support students to grow in virtue and to embrace a view of themselves and the world that leads to peace, justice, and the prospering of the whole of creation. It is a journey that is enlightened by faith, animated by love and leading to hope. (Horizons of Hope Vision and Context)

This is extremely important to us at Our Lady Star of the Sea and we refer to this wonderful document often in order to bring this vision to life.

School Review: 

As you are aware we are under review this term.  As a staff we have completed a day and staff meetings together, where we have taken the time to reflect, dive deeper into our data, engage in dialogue and gather evidence across the 5 spheres: Religious Dimension, Learning and Teaching, Leadership and Management, Student Wellbeing and School Community. This was an affirming process and we have much to celebrate. We will share this evidence and data with our reviewer Sheridan Coverdale. 

The next steps in the review process are on Thursday 24 February and Thursday 3 March, where Sheridan will come out and talk to focus groups, including students,parents and staff to learn even more about Our Lady Star of the Sea. This will then lead to a report with recommendations for moving forward which will enable us to develop a new strategic School Improvement Plan for 2023-2026. 

For now, below is our 2022 Annual Action Plan. 

You will note  we have two main priorities with actions below.

• Every student is engaged, challenged and connected. 

• Every Teacher provides high quality learning and teaching and leadership for school improvement.

Alongside this, all teachers have developed personal goals for professional learning and a professional learning hub goal. As we strive for improvement, Nationally and internationally, there is unequivocal evidence that the quality of teaching is most significant in school factor affecting student outcomes. Effective teachers can be a source of inspiration and, equally importantly, provide a dependable and consistent influence on young people as they make choices about further education , work and life. We thank all our teachers and leadership staff for striving to achieve these goals and working together collaboratively for the benefit of all students. 

Meet and Greets:

Tuesday 15 February and Wednesday 16 February. This is one of the two times throughout the year we formally meet with you. Of course there may be other times you yourself or the teachers request to meet with you. It is really important you take this opportunity whether face to face or online. This is a great opportunity to begin to build relationships and for you to meet your child’s teacher face to face,sharing what you would like the teacher to know about your child. 

Please respond to the Operoo that was sent out if you haven’t already.

Student Leadership: 

We take pride in our Year 6 Student Leadership Program at Our Lady Star of the Sea. This leadership opportunity certainly contributes to developing our students' skills and provides deeper learning of what it means to be a leader which in turn gives them all an extra opportunity to flourish. We congratulate all our Year 6 students for taking the step, delivering wonderful speeches as part of their application and we look forward to seeing these Stars shine brightly throughout 2022. 

Congratulations also to all the Year  2 students for their House leader applications. Please see below all the allocated positions of leadership and some beautiful photos.