St Denis School Newsletter
Term 1 Week 1 2023
- Holiday tasks completed
- Beginning of Year Mass
- Parent/Teaching Information Evening
- Communication
- P&F News
Beginnings
Lord Jesus, You are with us as we commence our year’s work.
Help us to understand our importance in educating our children and bless this partnership between teachers and parents.
Guide us in our decisions and open our hearts in friendship to each other.
May we show care to those who are most in need. May we be welcoming, especially to those who are new amongst us.
And may our union result in many benefits for the children on whose behalf we gather.
Amen
- Friday 3 February - Beginning of Year Mass (9.00am)
- Tuesday 7 February - Parent/Teacher Information Sessions
- Monday 13 February - School Advisory Council Meeting (5.30pm)
- Monday 13 February - P&F Meeting (7.00pm)
- Saturday 18 February - Family Sundowner Picnic (5.00pm)
- Monday 6 March - Labour Day Public Holiday
- Tuesday 7 March - Staff Professional Development Day – Student Well-being
Dear Parents and Members of our School Community,
Welcome back for the start of the 2023 school year! Welcome to all our new students and their families. We hope your time at St Denis will be rewarding and enjoyable. A warm welcome to all our new Pre Kindy and Kindy students as well as those students who have joined us in other grades:
Claire Pre Primary
Eva Year 1
Oskar Year 2
Marcus Year 2
Eleanor Year 2
Sarah Year 3
Zoe Year 3
Alexis Year 4
Neesha Year 5
We also welcome to our school Mrs Emily Watkins (LOTE Teacher – Auslan) Ms Natalie Carter (Education Assistant), Mrs Margie Weeldenburg (Education Assistant), Miss Thalia Munyard (Education Assistant) and Mrs Bobbie Shearing (Finance Officer).
As a staff, we have been looking forward to the beginning of another year and I must say that as parents, you should be very proud of the way your children have settled into their new classes. Not only do they look smart in their school uniforms, but are well organised and very enthusiastic.
I am sure the first week has been a little hectic for you as you settle into old routines or even the new ones that may pop up with your child moving into a new classroom setting. Please be gentle on yourself over the next week or so until these all fall into place. As always, if you have any concerns, please make sure you make an appointment and see your child’s teacher as they are willing and eager to help. I am more than happy to discuss classroom/playground issues that occur from time to time; however, your child’s classroom teacher should always be your first port of call.
Opening School Mass
Please join us this Friday, 3 February, for the Opening School Mass of 2023. The Year 6 class will be leading us in this Liturgy.
Parent/Teacher Information Evening
Parent/Teacher Information sessions will run next Tuesday 7 February. It is important that a parent from each family is in attendance.
Holiday Tasks
A number of maintenance jobs were completed during the January holidays. These included: aeration and top dressing of school ovals, servicing of fire extinguishers and air conditioners, playground work (topping up of mulch and sand), precautionary removal of tree limbs to maintain safety and well as new outdoor blinds for Kindy/Pre Primary verandah.
Health Care Cards
If you have a current Health Care Card you may be entitled to the school fee discount scheme. Please ensure you bring your card (which must be a family health care card) to the office for us to sight and copy. A form needs to be completed prior to us applying to Catholic Education on your behalf.
Please have this completed by Tuesday 7 February as late applications may not be able to be processed.
P&F Meeting
Please note that the first P&F Meeting of the year will take place on Monday 13 February in the hall, starting at 7.00pm. It is always great to see new faces and hear new ideas. This is a wonderful way for you to contribute to your children’s education. So please come along and join in the planning for the year ahead and invite other parents to come along with you.
P&F Sundowner Picnic
Saturday 18 February, the P&F will be holding our annual Family Sundowner Picnic. This event will begin at 5.00pm and conclude at 9.00pm. This is a fantastic way for our school to come together as a community and welcome new families. As we know community building does not just happen and that it is something we must work together to develop. I would like to thank the P&F Committee for organising the event and look forward to seeing you there.
NAPLAN Testing 2023
The 2023 NAPLAN testing will take place in Term One in 2023 and run from 15 March through to 24 March. All students in Years 3 and 5 are required to undertake NAPLAN unless parents choose to withdraw their child. Parents wishing to withdraw their child must contact either myself or Belinda Quartermaine to obtain a Withdrawal Form. The form must be submitted by Wednesday 1 March.
Advanced Notice
Tuesday 7 March is a Pupil Free Day. The St Denis staff will be undertaking Professional Learning focusing on student well-being. Monday 6 March is the Labor Day Public Holiday.
Communication
It is extremely important to maintain open communication between parents and teachers. Parents are encouraged to notify your child’s teacher of any concerns you may have and to make an appointment at a mutually convenient time before or after school. The easiest way to make an appointment is either by email or through the front office.
When emailing, please consider what is appropriate to be emailed and what needs to be discussed face to face.
In relation to emails, I need to reinforce that there is no expectation from me that staff members are to be communicating via email during the school day or after 5.00pm at night during the working week. Likewise, enquiries sent via email cannot always be answered or responded to immediately. My expectation is that some kind of response, even if it is preliminary pending further follow up/investigation, should be received within a maximum of 48 hours of sending an initial enquiry. Our staff are very professional, and service focused, but they also have many multi-faceted daily requests, so I ask that you allow them time to address your queries professionally and in a realistic timeframe.
Updates
Have you moved to a new house? Changed your email address? Have a new contact number? Require changes to student emergency contacts? Please ensure you complete a Family Change of Detail Form which can be found on our website and submit to our office at your earliest convenience so that this information can be updated.
Final Words
Parents are one of the biggest factors in student success. Kids of all sizes and ages should be read to--and if they're too "cool" for that, read the same book and talk about it!
With regards and best wishes
Justin Tuohy
Principal
St Denis School, Joondanna