Newsletter February 18, 2020

God our Father, you love us as a father loves his children.

 Help us to live and love others the way your Son, Jesus loved all those with whom he came into contact.

 You have given us our minds to think with and our bodies to work for you.

 You have given us gifts so that we can study, pray, play and work respectfully with each other.

Help us to appreciate our individual talents and to use these gifts for you.

 We make this prayer through Jesus, Your So, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever,

 AMEN

Dear Parents and Families,

We all should be so proud of the manner in which all of the students have embraced the new school year - new friendships, new relationships with staff, new learning spaces and new learning opportunities.  The students are actually being great role models for us - they are showing us how a new school year is a great chance to make and develop new friendships and connections with those we do not know so well. 

On Thursday 27th February we are conducting our Fun Colour Run and welcome BBQ and this provides a wonderful chance to come along as a family and meet and connect some new people, particularly our new prep families.  Sausages and soft drinks will be available for purchase, but you can bring your own food, along with chairs and picnic rugs. We look forward to seeing all families present.

An information and enrolment night for the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be held on Thursday 20th February at St Patrick's School Hall at 7pm for children in Year 4 or above.

Please bring a copy of your child's baptism certificate to the meeting.

The cost of the program is $50 per child.

Enquires to Therese Winter 0417518187.

Gordon Parish Sacramental Program Dates

Our program is up and running again for 2020.  I am pleased to say that Teagan Tiley (in her 4th year of studies for her Bachelor of Education) and Karen Tiley (our Learning Support Officer) have accepted the positions of After School Care Coordinator and Assistant. This is really positive news because both ladies are known to the children and so the transition will not be as challenging for them. Additionally, as they have both worked alongside Trish, they will be able to continue the fantastic program she has set in place. Trish of course will not become a stranger to us as she will continue to work here at St. Brigid’s in her role as Visual Art Specialist. 

Our ASC program has started well with Monday and Tuesday afternoons being the most popular, with Thursdays being the least popular. At this stage we will continue to run a program on Thursdays, but this option may need revisiting if numbers do not improve.

A reminder that it is vital to let us know if you need to cancel your child’s booking on a given day by phoning the school office by 9.30 on the given day.  If this is not done, unfortunately you will be charged for the attendance, because plans for each day will then be put in place.

Please note our Foundation children will start full time from Tuesday 10th March.

A reminder to all families that supervision for children commences at 8.30am each morning, when a teacher goes on duty in the playground. We are encouraging all children not to come to school before 8.30am, as prior to this the teachers are busy preparing for the day. If children do come to school before 8.30am they will be asked to sit at the office area until supervision time commences. We do also recognise that on occasion there will be family circumstances that mean children do need to be dropped off prior to 8.30am. If you could let us know if this will be the case it would be most appreciated.

A further reminder that it is vital that if children do arrive at school after 9.00am, they are signed in at the office by an adult and the same applies if children are leaving the school - an adult must sign the student out of the school via the digital program in the office.

Please check the calendar on our newsletter and PAM regularly as it has all of the details about what is coming up this term.

The Conveyance Allowance assists families with the cost of transporting their children to and from school. To be eligible to receive a conveyance allowance you must:

• Be aged between five years (by 30 April in the year that the allowance is sought) and 21 years.
• Live more than 4.8km by the shortest practicable route from the nearest Catholic school attended, or, live more than 4.8 km from the nearest bus service.

Further information can be found at:

If eligible, parents are required to complete and sign the attached permission form to access the service. Hard copies are also available from the school office. Please note that a new form is required to be completed each year.

The Diocese of Ballarat, through the Catholic Education Office, offers a Family Fee Assistance Scheme to assist families to send their children to Catholic primary schools.

The Victorian Government offers a Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) providing payments for eligible students to attend camps, sporting events, excursions.

Families who hold a valid means tested Health Care Card, Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card or Veteran Affairs Pensioner Card are eligible for financial assistance.

If you hold a valid concession card, please complete the form below and ensure the office has a copy of your current card.

Please see the attached information regarding Family Fee Assistance and the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF). For further information, please contact the office on 5368 1015.