Dear SCA Families,

I love the start of the school year. The energy and enthusiasm were palpable yesterday as we welcomed everyone to a new school year. Our staff have been working diligently for the past two weeks to ensure a fantastic learning experience for every student.

A special welcome to our new staff, students, and families. We're thrilled to have you join the St Clare's family, and we hope your time with us is rewarding and enjoyable. Whether you're a returning family or new to our community, we look forward to your contributions this year. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Our dedicated staff have spent countless hours planning, updating information, and preparing classrooms for a smooth start to 2025. They've also engaged in professional learning and are excited to implement some great classroom practices.

2025 Staff

We're delighted to welcome Mrs Nikki Dwyer as our new Assistant Principal, Mr Petar Brnabic (5 Blue), Mrs Rowena Middleton (2 Blue), and Mrs Alannah Riley (Year 5) to our staff. We also welcome back Miss Carlie Temple (Front Office Manager), Miss Charly Lehmensich (1 Blue), and Miss Michaella Barbara (3 Green), who each returned after a mid-year start last year.

 Parent Information Night and Meet and Greet – For all families

All families are encouraged to join us next Tuesday 11^th February.

5.00 – 6.00pm                    Sausage Sizzle under the Hayshed

6.00 – 6.25pm                    Classroom Information (session 1)

6.30 – 7.00pm                    Classroom Information (session 2)

Following the sausage sizzle, each classroom teacher will present an overview of their classroom and the significant events and happenings for 2025. To cater for parents with more than one child, teachers will repeat the session at 6.30. (For families with more than two children it may not be possible, unless two parents split up, to attend a session for each class. Please feel free to contact the teacher with any questions or concerns you may have.)

This is a great way to meet your child’s teacher and get to know other families. All welcome.

If any parents can assist with cooking sausages, it would be greatly appreciated; please contact the Front Office on 6294 1860.

COVID Safe Protocols for the Evening

• Please use sanitiser before and after eating.
• Please bring your own drink bottles, as shared water facilities are not appropriate.
• Please stay at home if you are unwell.

Newsletter every Wednesday.... sort of!

This term we will trial a change to the publication schedule of our school newsletter. Starting this week, the newsletter will be published weekly, but alternating between a full edition and a shorter update.

The full edition of the newsletter will be published on odd Wednesdays. These editions will include the usual content you've come to expect, such as messages from the Principal, Assistant Principal, and Religious Education Coordinator, celebrations of student achievements, sporting activities, community group information, and other important school news.

On even Wednesdays, we will publish a shorter newsletter update. This update will focus specifically on upcoming events for the following weeks and the weekly "White Card" award winners.

We believe this new schedule will allow us to provide you with timely and relevant information while also streamlining our communication process. We hope you find this new format helpful. As always, we welcome your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

The Newsletter or Update will come via the COMPASS app each Wednesday. I encourage all families to install the COMPASS app on your smart phone and/or Tablet.

Please update your preferences to ensure you receive messages for the correct class and year level. This is done by opening the COMPASS app, going to the ‘settings tab, and sliding on the appropriate buttons.

SCA School Community Council AGM Tuesday 18^th February at 6.00pm

We invite all parents to come to our first School Council (SCA SCC) meeting for the year. The Community Council provides an important leadership role in our school by undertaking an advisory role in policy and finance matters, and a hands-on role in community building and school promotion.

We are seeking new members in both an executive (Chair, Secretary, Treasurer) and non-executive (parent representative) capacity. If you would like to be involved in your child’s school, and you can meet twice a term (at 6pm on Tuesdays in Weeks 3 and 8 of each term) contact me for further details and join us in the staffroom on the 18^th.

Terms of office are usually set at 2 years, so no one should feel they are committing themselves for life!

Calendar

A reminder that the calendar is available online through the School App and Website (https://www.sca.act.edu.au/) .

Facebook

We are on Facebook. Search for @scaconder on Facebook.

Safety Plans

Our school’s safety plans rely on us having correct and up to date contact and medical details for every child. Please ensure you inform the school of any updated personal information as a matter of priority.

School Fees and Remissions

School fee invoices will be sent home shortly. Parents facing real difficulties paying are encouraged to apply for fee remissions. Any applications for fee relief must be made annually. Forms are available from the front office.

Annual Improvement Plan

You may be interested in our strategic priorities for 2025. Staff will continue to work hard in all areas, however, we will especially focus on three priorities this year:

Our Vision is to Be the Light.

Our Mission is to be leaders in faith, learning, community and leadership, so that every person in our school is able to do the best they can to contribute to the growth and wellbeing of students.

Key Improvement Goals

1. That every student is a competent reader.
2. High impact teaching practices are used by all teachers all the time.
3. Be a faith-filled, Catholic learning community.

Student Safety

The start of the school year is a particularly busy time in our school carparks and surrounding streets. To help keep students safe when making their way to and from school, please ensure you drive and park safely and legally, at and around, school grounds. We all have an important role to play in supporting road safety. In addition to sticking to the speed limit, please remember to park safely – including not parking across pedestrian crossings, in no stopping zones, on corners, verges and double parking. Unsafe and illegal parking can reduce visibility of our students and motorists to see each other, creating a significant hazard when students cross the road. Let’s work together to keep our kids safe.

White Card Presentations

We warmly invite parents of our weekly “white card” winners to our morning assemblies on Friday (8.45am). We hope to see you here soon.

Afternoon Dismissal

Technically, school finishes at 3.00pm. However, to ensure the safety of all at such a busy time, we allow K – 2 students (and their older siblings) to be picked up early.

This means that K - 2 children who are picked up at Donut (and their older siblings) will be released from class at 2.55pm. Children who are going to OSHC, walking, riding etc. will be dismissed at 3.00pm with the rest of the school.

All children who catch a bus will be dismissed at 2.55pm, and walked immediately to the bus stop. This should provide plenty of time to catch local busses. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these arrangements, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Parking

Please note the following arrangements for parking in the Courts area of a morning and afternoon. To ensure the safety of all, please observe the following:

• Cars must leave the courts by 9.00am (so that the school can use the area for sport and other activities).
• Cars leaving the courts area must give way to vehicles leaving Donut or the driveway.
• Children must always be accompanied by an adult while walking to and from cars.
• The courts area will be opened at 2.45pm each afternoon, and cars must leave by 3.15pm (so that OSHC can safely use the area).

Email Contact

Staff are always happy to receive parent emails and will endeavour to answer them as swiftly as possible. Please note though, that, as we work face-to-face with the children, staff will usually not read their emails until after school or often the following morning.

My email address is matt.egan-richards@cg.catholic.edu.au. (Yep, it’s a long one!)

Finally, I thank you for your efforts in preparing your children so well for what has been a smooth start to the year. Our theme for 2025 is “Pilgrims of Hope”, and we will reflect more on this in coming newsletters. With this in mind, we look forward to the year ahead and I wholeheartedly offer my support to you as we journey together in the education of your child.

It was once said…

You will never learn if you don’t make mistakes.    Unknown

Blessings to you and your family.

Matt Egan-Richards

Principal

matt.egan-richards@cg.catholic.edu.au

• Starting time is 8.45am sharp. Students arriving late will need to be signed in at the Front Office.
• Supervision commences at 8.25am and no student should be at school before 8.25am (unless at OSHC). Students arriving before 8.25am are unsupervised. Please use before school care if necessary.
• A student’s hair should be cut off their face and, if longer than shoulder length, it must be tied back in an appropriate school coloured band. Hair should also be of natural colour and extreme haircuts are not permitted.
• No jewellery should be worn to school and only plain studs, small sleepers and watches are acceptable. No bracelets, bangles, sparkly ear rings, nail polish, make up, etc are allowed.
• Black ‘jogger’ or canvas type school shoes are not part of the school uniform. The only school shoes allowed at St Clare’s are the traditional or formal black leather school shoes.
• Students who are collected by their parents during the day for appointments must be signed out/in at the Front Office before and after the appointment.
• Parents visiting the school to assist are required to have a Working with Vulnerable People Card and are also asked to sign in at Front Office and receive a Visitors Badge.
• St Clare of Assisi is a NUT FREE Please remember this when preparing recess and lunch, including peanut butter, Nutella, cakes with nuts, etc.
• Dogs are not allowed on school premises.
• Absences from school – it is a legal requirement that all absences are explained. Please notify the school of your child’s absence by either :
  • Using the App
  • Calling the Front Office;
  • Emailing the Front Office at office.stclaresconder@cg.catholic.edu.au indicating your child’s name, class, reason for absence and date.

The start of a new school year is always filled with excitement, and I cannot wait to see the smiling faces of our students as they return, eager to learn. As a new member of the St Clare of Assisi community, I already feel incredibly welcomed and look forward to getting to know as many families as possible over the coming weeks - whether at the Parent Information Night and BBQ or during school drop-off and pick-up.

In preparation for the year ahead, our dedicated staff spent time reflecting on our school vision and mission. Their passion for fostering a supportive and enriching learning environment was truly inspiring. We focused on ensuring consistency across the school through the implementation of clear routines, expectations, and behaviour management practices. Additionally, we explored The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler and insights from Prof. Daniel Willingham, deepening our understanding of the science of learning and strategies to develop independent learners.

The energy within the school is incredibly positive, a true reflection of the staff’s commitment to ‘Be the Light.’ I look forward to a fantastic year ahead and to connecting with you all very soon!

Warm regards,

Nikki Dwyer

Assistant Principal

2025 TERM 1

WEEK 1 (4th February to 9th February)

Book Club has arrived! Look out for your copy of Book Club coming home in your child's schoolbag! It's packed with hundreds of books from just $3 to help you on your child's reading journey.

Book Club will close on Friday 14^th of February

Gift Basket Stall

It’s already time to think about the SCA Fete to be held in November 2025!

As we are settling back into school and the school shoes are getting worn in, we would love to be able to repurpose your empty shoe boxes for our gift basket stall.

Please drop any shoe boxes you may have that are in excellent condition to the front office.

Many Thanks!

We encourage parents to arrange their child’s medication schedule so that doses can be taken outside of school hours whenever possible. For instance, if your child is prescribed antibiotics to be taken three times a day, all doses can typically be taken before or after school hours.

However, if your child requires medication during the school day, the following guidelines must be followed:

1. Medication Delivery: All medication must be brought to the Front Office. Students should not carry or self-administer medication (except for Ventolin inhalers). The Front Office staff will administer the medication and record each dose.

2. Original Packaging: Medication must be provided in its original container as dispensed by the pharmacist, clearly labeled with your child’s name. The container should include detailed instructions on dosage, administration, and storage.

3. Written Consent: A signed Medication Authorisation Form is required each time your child brings a new type of medication to school. This form grants permission for the school staff to administer the medication.

4. Medical Action Plans: For students with asthma or allergies, we require a current Medical Action Plan from your child's doctor.

5. Expiry Dates: Please ensure that all medication brought to school is within its expiration date.

6. Minimal Amount: Only the necessary amount of medication should be brought to school. Liquid medication must remain in its original container to ensure it can be accurately and safely administered.

Hayfever Consideration: If your child suffers from hayfever, please consider administering their antihistamine in the morning before they arrive at school. Unfortunately, the school is unable to provide antihistamines.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in keeping our school safe and healthy for all students.