Term 1: Week 4

Dear Families,
It was wonderful to see so many of you coming into school last week for Meet and Greets with the teachers. It was a great opportunity for our teachers to get to know more about your child and for you to meet your child’s teacher.
Our Year 6 children have an exciting week ahead as they head off to Mill Valley Ranch for camp. There will be lots of fun and time to bond as they horse ride and participate in many other outdoor activities. Thanks in advance to all the staff who are attending camp. Your time and energy in ensuring our children have an amazing experience is greatly appreciated.
In exciting news we congratulate our Year 1 teacher Georgia on her engagement to her fiancé Matt. We wish them well as they plan their wedding and future together.
In more sombre news I share that one of our own community, Simone Laurie, has been diagnosed with breast cancer over the summer holidays. Simone has delayed her start to her principalship at St Mary of the Cross as she undergoes treatment. We ask you to keep Simone and her two young boys, Billy and Ned, in your prayers as they navigate this difficult journey.
Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend, Michelle.

Our gold tokens were launched at the first assembly. These Gold Principal’s tokens can awarded to any student who Michelle spots meeting the PBL expectations and can be exchanged for a Zooper Dooper, or collected for a reward at the end of the year.

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28 FEB • All day Preps Attend their first Friday at SFA
4 MAR • Shrove Tuesday - Students receive pancakes
4 MAR • 5:30 - 8:15 pm Catholic Care: Open Doors - Yr 3&4 families
10 MAR • Labour Day Holiday - No Students
12 MAR • NAPLAN Testing Period Begins
12 MAR • 5:30 - 7:30 pm Reconciliation Family Workshop
18 MAR • 7 - 8 pm 2026 Enrolment Information Night
21 MAR • NAPLAN Testing Period Ends
27 MAR • Year 4 - Sacrament of Reconciliation
4 APR • 12 pm Term 1 Finishes

Teachers have noticed that students have settled in with their new teachers very smoothly this year. A big help has been the shared engagement norms and routines students have been using for the past year. Everyone has been following the same routines in Maths and English lessons, so students are already familiar with what their teacher expects from them.
Across the school, teachers use the same routines to get students involved in learning. Students are regularly asked to give verbal responses or share answers with a partner. This way, everyone is responding, not just the children who always put their hands up. Students also respond by voting or writing on their whiteboards, giving teachers a quick way to check who understands the learning.

Shrove Tuesday

4th March 2025
Children will be learning about Shrove Tuesday and they will receive a pancake in their communities. Thank you to everyone who has already submitted their permission form in Operoo.

We have recently made updates to the jewelry and accessories section of our uniform guide to help to clarify the rules around our school uniform. Please take a moment to review the new guide.

Food at school

We are always pleased to see the healthy lunchboxes that so many children bring to school.
**CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS**
All students’ birthdays are acknowledged in the classroom. As such, cakes, lolly bags, and other items should not be sent to school to be given to classmates.
**RECESS & LUNCH**
Students are asked to bring a healthy lunch and recess snack to ensure they have the energy to enjoy the entire school day. A refillable bottle of water should accompany their food. No juice or other types of drinks are permitted.
For the safety of children with allergies, no nuts are permitted in lunchboxes, this includes nut spreads like Nutella.

It was wonderful to have Inform & Empower back onsite this week. Some of the key messages in the presentation were:

- Build your own healthy habits
- Start conversations
- Set up parental controls
- Ensure device use is supervised
- Create and stick up plan
- Connect with support
Families can access a replay of the seminar as well as the slides and resources here

As part of the PBL framework at SFA, we use referrals to track student behaviour. These referrals help identify areas where children need support and guide the implementation of evidence-based practices to assist them.
The referral process has been explicitly taught to all students, ensuring they understand the school's expectations.
All teachers and leaders in the school follow this flow chart to address problem behaviours. Having a clear process ensures that all students can feel like they are treated equally. It also helps students to understand when their families will be informed about their behaviour and what steps are followed.

If your child is absent, please notify the school **prior to 8:50 am** on the day of absence through Operoo or a phone call to the school office. If the school is notified via a phone call, please send a written explanation for the absence when your child returns to school. It is a legal requirement that schools have a written note for all absences from the parent/guardian.
If the school has not been notified of the absence, you will be contacted via SMS, prompting you to call the school to notify us of your child’s absence and to ensure that your child is safe.
If you are aware that there will be an extended absence ie: holiday, please submit the Operoo form at least two weeks prior, stating the reason and period of absence.
**Parents should be aware that frequent and/or extended absences from school impact student learning. All extended absences require permission from the Principal through a meeting.**
**How to report Student Absence in Operoo**
1. Login to Operoo.
2. At the top of the page, select the 3 lines icon and choose **Form Library**.
3. Click **Start Form** for the appropriate student

Drop off and Pick up Line

To ensure a smooth and safe pick-up and drop-off process, please follow the guidelines below:

🚗 Car Pick-Up: Only students collected by car will be dismissed from the designated drop-off zone. Parents must remain inside their vehicles while in this area.

🚶‍♂️ Walking Students: Students who walk home will be dismissed from either the pedestrian crossing or the oval gate (excluding Prep students).

Please do not overtake in the Pick up/Drop off zone unless instructed by a teacher.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in helping us maintain a safe and efficient dismissal process for all students.