Dear Parents and Carers

It is surreal to think this is our final newsletter for the year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for an amazing year as “Together We Have flourished.”

We have valued staff and students to say farewell to. 

Staff Leaving: We wish the following staff: Blair Vredenbregt, Georgia Cowling, Tess Mellington, Bonnie Evers, Claire Toomey, Anne Gallo, Julie Elstone all the best with their new ventures and sincerely thank each and every one of you for the many positive contributions you have made to Our Lady Star of the Sea. You all hold a  special place in our hearts and in the history of Our Lady Star of the Sea, as a valued member of the community.

Year 6 Families who  have their youngest child moving on to Year 7. It is with a sense of sadness and hope and optimism  that we send off our amazing families who are leaving at the end of 2022. We wish you all the very best and look forward to hearing of your successes moving forward. We cannot thank you enough for the positivity you have shared with us and the value you have added as part of our learning community. You also hold a  special place in our hearts and in the history of Our Lady Star of the Sea, as a valued member of the community.
Farewell to the following families: Atkinson, Briggs, Brydges, Clark, Collier, Cunningham, Day, DeJong, Donovan, Finch, Grant, Hambleton, Hammond, Hately, Hillman, Janezic, Kerr, Kopec-Teague, Leonard, McDonough, McLean, Moran, Poirier, Pope, Reid, Reilly, Rolfs, Seddon, Stonehouse, Tunks, Van Uijtert, Wakefield, Wall, Walsh, Wardley, Winchester.

Other families: We also thank and warmly wish our existing families, who are moving onto other locations and journeys, all the very best. You also hold a  special place in our hearts and in the history of Our Lady Star of the Sea, as a valued member of the community. Farewell to the following families: Cadorel, Cirillo, Kissane, Fillis 

School Advisory Council farewells and new members 2023: Many thanks to Andrew Flanders and Mark Monahan for your commitment and dedication over the last 5 years. We have seen many improvements during your time and appreciate your extra, voluntary efforts.

PFA Farewells: Many thanks to Alison Dove who is finishing up on the PFA and contributed so positively over the years particularly with the Easter Raffle and the Drive In Movie. Also to Kim Williams who is stepping back as secretary but will remain in the group. We look forward to more members joining the PFA in 2023. We meet in Week 2 and Week 8 of each term in the staff room at 7pm. The meeting takes 45 minutes to 1 hour and is a great opportunity to meet new people.

School Concert: What an amazing whole school concert we celebrated recently. It was wonderful to have the whole community back together and see our students flourish and shine on stage. So many highlights. We are so proud of all the students. Thank you to the teachers.  Much of the success is due to their  care and extra work to make this happen. To Helen Stephenson, our Performing Arts Leader, you have such amazing vision and organisation skills. We are truly grateful for your outstanding  leadership and talent in this space. To all the staff that did extra voluntary work and took on special roles to help the night flow, many thanks. Thank you also Fr Darien for your attendance in your busy schedule. It was wonderful to have you there in support. We are so grateful for you, your faith leadership and all you bring to our catholic community, especially our students and staff. It was great to enjoy this night  as  "together we flourished."

Annual Action Plan: Please see below our Annual Action Plan for 2023 and our 3 priority areas with goals. We are very excited by the opportunities these actions will bring for continued, improved student learning outcomes and experiences. 

Creative Arts Exhibition 2023: We are  delighted to announce that Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools (MACS)  has selected the following artworks submitted by our school for the Creative Arts Exhibition 2023. Congratulations to our  incredibly talented artists and a special thanks to Rachael Thomas.

Audrey Morgan - Leaves of the World

Henry Jankowski - Koi Fish 

Year 5 and 6 students - Our Lady Star of the Sea Mosaic

This is also our Year 6 parting gift to the community.

Our school mosaic has a cross as a central motif illustrating how our faith is central to Our Lady Star Of the Sea. The stars represent Mary who guides us on our spiritual journey. The yellow gum is indigenous to our area and is used for smoking ceremonies. The dragonfly represents hope and resilience in our forever changing world. The Barwon River runs through the mosaic. Important to Wathaurong people, the river represents life, freedom and the passage of time.

Carols in the Park:  Many thanks to the school choir who performed in the Ocean Grove park on Sunday night. We are very proud of you all. Special mention also to Miss Natalie, Miss Bella and Miss Sue for supporting the students.

Principal of the Day: Many thanks to Xavier Hill for his great work as Principal of the day and the respect and kindness he shows to others. 

Wishing you many blessings for the Christmas and holiday period as you spend precious time with your loved ones.

Kerryn