Welcome to the first newsletter of 2023. Our newsletter is a key means of sharing news with our school community. Please make time each fortnight to read through the newsletter as we share what is happening within the school and provide updates for upcoming events.

The start to our school year has been a smooth one and I am very grateful to all staff, students and families for working together to start our year well.

NEW FAMILIES TO ST PETER'S

As we begin the 2023 school year I  am delighted to welcome the following families to St Peter's.

Year 1 to Year 6

Bate, Boug, Cripps, Engelbrecht, Kavaliotis, Mather, McGivney, Milicevic, Mitchell, Patel, Picardo, Senecal, Sharma, Smith, Ta, Van Heerden

Foundation

Amal, Azzopardi. Bacalla, Behlevanas, Cairns, Carr, Casa, Cooper, Diaz, Engelbrecht, Gielnik, Greco, Groenewald, Haddad, Harding, Khriste, Korisianos, Lismann, Lock, Lyell, McGaw, Nankervis, Nomikos, Nonnis, Perera, Pinkerton, Pullan, Sarkissov, Sass, Senecal, Sharma, Smith, Stephens, Tang, Trathen, Trojak, Varelias, Vidotto, Vu, West, Yang, Zacharidis

MEET THE TEACHER

Classrooms will be open from 3:45pm to 5:45pm this Thursday, 9th February. Students are invited to show their parents their classroom and introduce their teacher. They are also able to show their parents around the school. This is a relaxed opportunity for the relationship between home and school to be enhanced. It is not a parent teacher interview as it is too early to discuss anything other than how the children have settled in.

BEGINNING OF YEAR MASS LAST FRIDAY

A huge congratulations to our students for the wonderful way they participated in our opening Mass last week. A number of parishioners approached me after Mass to pass on how impressed they were with their reverence and their singing. We are very proud of them.

 HAPPY NEW YEAR

FAREWELL

This is Monica Bramich’s last week at school before commencing Parental Leave next week. Monica returned this year to ensure that the responsibilities within her role as Community Leader were completed. These included finalising Class Contact Optional Lists and ensuring the completion of our new website will be launched within the next fortnight. We wish Monica and Glenn all the best at this very exciting time and look forward to meeting the new member of her family soon.

COMMUNITY LEADER

Michelle Gibson will take over the responsibilities of Community Leader at St Peter’s as Monica Bramich commences parental leave. This appointment is for the 2023 school year. Michelle Gibson will work with School Leadership and our Parent Community to continue to develop the community connections at St Peter’s.

NEW STAFF

To add to our Learning Support Team we welcome three new Learning Support Officers to St Peter’s. We welcome Emma Tribe, Abby Moore and Sarah Neil. We look forward to all they will bring to our community and the support they will provide.

CONGRATULATIONS

During the holidays Chris Joplin and his wife Olivia welcomed Max da Silva Joplin into the world. This is a very exciting time and we know Max is a very lucky boy to have such amazing parents.

PARKING

Front Car Park

• A huge thank you to families who have waited until the gates open in the afternoon to be able to enter the front car park. One week in and there have been no cars queuing in Centre Rd and I have even seen cars indicate to drive in, see the gates closed and drive around the block. It makes a huge difference to safety and our school’s reputation within the community.
• When parking in the front car park please make sure that the gap between cars is reasonable and not too large.
• If arriving later in the day to pick up students from OSHC please be aware of students using the car park for basketball training and other members of our local community.

Florence Street Parking

• When parking in Florence Street morning or afternoon it is very important that time restrictions are observed. The limit is two minutes. It is not a parking area that allows for parents to park and enter the school grounds. Council no longer issue paper tickets when booking cars. They record car registrations and issue parking tickets using that information.

USE OF BASKETBALL COURTS AFTER SCHOOL

If using the Basketball Courts in our front car park after school please make sure you and children you are responsible for are aware that cars are using this car park for a number of reasons and everyone needs to be aware of cars to ensure safety for all.

UPCOMING EVENTS

PARENTS AND FRIENDS MEETING

Our first Parents and Friends meeting for 2023 will take place next Monday, 13th  February. This meeting is our Annual General Meeting and will take place at 7:00pm  in the staff room with entry through the front office via the Centre Road car park.

DAD'S CATCH UP

• Friday, 24th February - Parents and Friends Family Picnic - 5:00pm to 8:00pm on school grounds - Information to follow in next newsletter.

SCHOOL THERAPY DOG - TITO!

In 2023, St Peter’s  will continue to have a trained Therapy Dog on site with one day a week visits.  The dog’s name is Tito and he has undergone extensive training through ‘K9 Support’ to complete his certificate in Animal Assisted Therapy. Tito is a Labrador / Golden Retriever who is three years old, and has had experience working with primary school aged children from the age of 16 weeks.
His visits to the school community are designed to reduce stress, manage anxiety and build positive relationships. In different classroom settings, this will be presented  differently.

We understand for some families and students this is a very exciting opportunity, however others may have concerns. We recognise that some students may have allergies or a fear of dogs. If this is something that applies to your child, please email your child’s teacher so we can ensure that all children are comfortable.

UPCOMING EVENTS

WEEK 2

Wednesday, 8th February - NO SCHOOL FOR FOUNDATION STUDENTS

Monday, 13th February - P & F AGM - 7.00pm - Staff Room (Entry Via Front Office)

STAYING SAFE FROM MOSQUITOES

I have been asked to share this information with you.

Recent wet and warm weather has increased mosquito breeding. Mosquitoes can carry diseases that may be passed on to people through mosquito bites. A range of mosquito-borne diseases have recently been detected in mosquitoes in Northern Victoria.  Mosquito-borne diseases can cause serious illness, including infections of the brain, with children particularly at risk.

The best way to prevent mosquito-borne diseases is to avoid mosquito bites.

In line with community health advice, families can protect against mosquito bites by:

• Using insect repellent that contains picaridin or DEET on all exposed skin if outdoors when mosquitoes are observed, from October to March
• Wearing long, loose-fitting clothing outdoors if possible if mosquitoes are around and covering exposed skin as much as possible. Summer school uniforms, including polos and shorts, can continue to be worn, but students should use insect repellent on exposed skin if mosquitoes are active
• Limiting outdoor activity when mosquitoes are active.

Further information

• A handy guide to help protect you and your family from mosquito-borne disease
• Better Health Channel information about preventing mosquito-borne diseases.