2024 Term 4 Week 8

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we head into the final days of the school year, there is a lot going on during this time.  Here is a brief update.

Week 9 Building Works

We wanted to inform you about some upcoming building work scheduled for Week 9.  Our support rooms will be undergoing a conversion back into a classroom. This project is expected to take 3-4 days to complete.

To ensure the safety of our students and staff, the section undergoing construction will be securely fenced off. Students in Year 1 and Year 2 will still have access to the toilets during this period. All necessary risk assessments have been conducted to guarantee a safe environment for everyone.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to improve our school facilities in readiness for our classroom refurbishments.

Edu Dance Concert

We cannot wait for our Edu Dance Concert on Friday night!  For our concert to be successful, we need all students and their families to attend!

The current plan is to open our gates at 5pm to allow our families to enjoy time together in a relaxed atmosphere in our beautiful school grounds.  I must stress; it is the responsibility of parents and caregivers during this time to supervise their children.  Our staff have a right to disconnect and are not expected to be at the concert until 5:30pm.  It has been brought to my attention that last year a number of students were needing first aid simply due to not being supervised adequately by their respective adults.  For events like this to continue and be successful, I urge all parents and caregivers to play their part and look after our kids.  I too will be addressing this with the students and setting clear expectations of behaviour and conduct prior to the concert.

At 5:30pm, a message will be sent over our PA system to have students make their way to the classrooms in preparation for the concert to start on time.

At the end of the concert, Kindy students will remain in the Undercover Area for parents and caregivers to collect them.  All other students will return to their classrooms for collection and signing out.

Thank you for your ongoing support and let’s enjoy a great celebration tonight!

Year 6 Students and Families

Our Year 6 students and their families will soon move on to their next phase of schooling and the end of this week.  As a group, the Year 6 students have continued to set a high standard for our younger students to follow.  One thing that does stand out, is that friendship is extremely important to them.  We thank our students and their families for the contribution they have made to the life and community at Matthew Gibney Catholic Primary School.  They will be missed dearly, and we wish them the very best in their transition to secondary school.  May the values of our school and Matthew Gibney guide you in your future.

For many of our Year 6 families, this will be their final year at MG.  This is a time for all of us to be truly grateful for the impact you have had on our community.  We thank you for trusting your children with us and also the love you have shown our community.  You will be missed.

We look forward to our Graduation and Thanksgiving Mass on Thursday, 5 December at 9am.

Families Leaving at the End of 2024

To our other families that leave us at the end of the year, thank you for what you have brought to our community.  May you all be blessed with goodness and joy as you move into the future.  To our beautiful students, your new teachers are going to love having you in their class.  You will always be MG kids!!

We are also looking forward to the new families joining our community in 2025.  I am certain you are going to love our journey together and the role you will play in making MG the best ever.

As we reflect on 2024, it has been full on but fun.  I was telling the kids in Year 2 last week that I am the luckiest Principal in the world because of the way everyone here cares for each other.  There is such pride in being a member of our community.  The dedication of our parents and staff in the development of our kids is exceptional and is so unique to our school.

2025 Transition

On Wednesday, 4 December from 12:30pm, we will be holding our transition time for our students to spend some time with their teacher for 2025.  The purpose of this time is for our staff to make a connection to the students before the start of 2025.

Reports

Next Thursday, 5 December you will receive access to your child’s End of Year Report.  I was so proud reading the reports as it can clearly be seen each of our kids have tried their best.  As parents and carers, look for the positives in the report and celebrate them with your child.  There will always be areas for further growth, and this will guide families and staff to work together in 2025.  Thank you to our staff for the effort and professionalism they have put into the reports.

School Fees

School fees are now due for full payment before the end of school unless you are on a direct debit arrangement.  Thank you to families for the effort you put into maintaining your fee payments throughout the year.

Please remember, we are always here to support families if you are experiencing financial hardships through our Bursaries Application.  We understand that these conversations are difficult, however our support is genuine and built on our Catholic values and teachings.

Term One Calendar 2025

We are hoping to send out our Term One 2025 calendar at the end of the term.  This will also be uploaded to our school website.  Please be aware that dates and events may change so it is important to continually check our website and newsletter.

Next week’s Newsletter will also include specific dates for 2025 to assist you in your planning at home.

Help Needed – Busy Bee for Classroom Refurbishment

We are so excited to be planning for our classroom refurbishments in preparation for the start of the 2025 school year.  We are seeking the assistance of our community to help us remove all existing cupboards, pin-up boards and whiteboards.  Think of it as a therapeutic demolition day!!  There will be five classrooms in total that will need to be gutted.  We are hoping to achieve this on Saturday, 7th December.  If you can assist, even if it is for a short time, please send me an email at clinton.payne@cewa.edu.au

Change of School Start Time 2025

Currently, at Matthew Gibney Catholic Primary School, the start time of school is 8:45am for all Pre-Primary to Year 6 students.  In 2025, the start time of school and student instruction will change to 8:40am.  All other break times and finish time of 3:05pm will remain the same.

By starting the school day five minutes earlier, we are able to introduce an early close (11:50am) in Term 2 and Term 4 for Parent/Teacher Interviews while still maintaining our required yearly minutes of instruction for students under our Non-Government School Registration standards for compliance and registrations.  We believe this change will enhance greater communication between teachers and parents/caregivers promoting greater clarity about student progress and working in partnership.  This change has been discussed with our Catholic School Advisory Council members who were present, and all agree that the proposed change will assist families who work as well as putting greater emphasis on open communication.

In the coming weeks, we will release our draft 2025 Term Calendars to families, however, we can confirm the dates for the early closes and Parent Interviews in 2024 are as follows:

• Wednesday, 11 June 2025 (school closes at 11:50am, Parent Interviews 12:30pm – 6:00pm)
• Wednesday, 19 November 2025 (school closes at 11:50am, Parent Interviews 12:30pm – 6:00pm)

In 2025, we will remind families of the new start time as well as the dates for our early closes to assist you in the planning for picking your children up.

It is our belief that the introduction of the two early closes will increase our communication with parents and caregivers regarding the progress of their children.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Important Notice: Changes to Morning Arrival Procedures in 2025

Starting in 2025, there will be a change to our morning arrival procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of all students. The school gates will now open at 8:25am. Only students enrolled in our Extend OSHC program will be permitted on school grounds before this time, in accordance with OSHC regulations and our commitment to student safety.

Students who are not enrolled in the Extend OSHC program will need to remain outside the gates until they open officially at 8:25am. Once the gates are open, students will be required to go directly to their classrooms to unpack and prepare for the day, rather than gathering in the undercover area. This will help ensure a smooth and orderly start to lessons, which will commence promptly at 8:40am.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we implement these changes to enhance the safety and efficiency of our school operations and OSHC regulations.

Our community continues to shine here at MG because of each student, parent, carer and staff member.  May you find some time to be still and enjoy the special moments with your kids and loved ones over the last few days of the school year.

In appreciation of what you all bring.  Goodness your way.

Clint

The Year One class were blessed with Father Benny joining in their Advent Liturgy.

The Year one class recently participated in a sewing activity. We were very fortunate to have some mums and grandmas assist with our sewing. Amazing effort!

Parenting Pressure

This time of year is often when parents feel huge amounts of pressure – Christmas preparation, school holidays, end of year functions, tired kids – it can be incredibly overwhelming.

I know this because I see an increase in parents reaching out for their kids or for themselves in these last few weeks of school.

One of the most important pieces of parenting advice I can give you is that you are ALREADY doing a GOOD JOB! The reason I know this is because you are reading this article looking for suggestions to support your child, or you want ideas on how to be the best parent possible.

A clear indication of a positive parenting is that you actively look for ways to improve and are open to suggestions.

Remind yourself that this actually makes you a GREAT parent, and give yourself some grace this time of year to not worry so much about whether you are ticking all the boxes.

Edney Dental Therapy Centre

The Edney Dental Therapy Centre will be open until Thursday the 19^th of December 2024 (inclusive), please note school holiday appointments will be prioritised for patients who have outstanding treatment, a toothache or trauma. Our clinic will reopen briefly in 2025 on Friday 24^th and Tuesday 28^th of January before resuming usual hours as of Tuesday 4^th February 2025.

If your child requires urgent dental care whilst the clinic is closed all emergency contact details will be available on our answering machine. 9454 4034

Enrol now at La Salle College

La Salle College is now taking enrolments for current Year 4 students starting Year 7 in 2027.

At La Salle College we offer a wide range of learning programs and academic pathways, as well as opportunities in a multitude of areas such as skill-based and work-based learning, music, arts, sport and extracurricular activities and clubs.

Our wonderful facilities and generous outdoor spaces, which includes Science Labs, Aquatic Centre with a 10-lane swimming pool, Performing Arts Centre with orchestra pit, Chapel, Trade and Skills Centre and a double court Sports Centre, provide an innovative and modern learning environment
that inspires our students to be the best they can be.

Every student is given the opportunity to succeed. We believe that education extends beyond the classroom, and we encourage our students to live out their faith and values in the service of others, whilst making a positive impact on the world in which they live. Through our teaching and learning, we aim to transform tomorrow’s hearts, minds and lives in all that we do.

If you would like to know more about our enrolments process or learning opportunities at La Salle
College please visit our website www.lasalle.wa.edu.au/enrolment or contact our College Enrolments team:
• Email 8770svc_enrol@cewa.edu.au
• Phone 9449 0601

With limited places available for Year 7 2027, we encourage you to make an enquiry today.

Guildford Grammar School Year 7, 2026 Scholarships are OPEN

The Year 7, 2026 Academic and Music scholarships are OPEN at Guildford Grammar School.  An information link has been provided below to the scholarship page on our website.  Here you will find the range of scholarships on offer for Year 7 entry to your current year 5 students and families.

Scholarship opportunities – Guildford Grammar School

Please do not hesitate to contact admissions or direct any questions to 9377 9222 or Registrar@ggs.wa.edu.au