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Dear Parents and Guardians
Our year has begun exceptionally well and I especially welcome those of you who are new to our St Clare’s Community.
There are many new faces to see including our 90 Foundation students who form part of our overall enrolment of 588 students from 412 families.
Each of our 72 staff members has been planning throughout the break to ensure all children will optimise their learning. We are indeed fortunate to have such a high calibre staff whose dedication and professionalism ensure the best outcome for your children.
BEFORE SCHOOL ROUTINE
Now that the ‘first days’ are over and the back-to-school routines are emerging, it is timely to note the following morning routines. (These changes have had to be implemented to accommodate the new Workplace Agreement).
- Students are not to be on the school site before 8:30am (unless seated in the car with their parents or carers)
- Classroom doors open at 8:40am
- Between 8:30 and 8:40, students will wait under the verandah areas in the courtyard however there will be some mornings that running club will operate beginning next week.
- Any student dropped off at school by their parents or carers prior to 8:30am must wait on the footpath in Majestic Drive and will remain the responsibility of their parents or carers. Students will NOT by supervised by school staff before 8:30am.
- Once classroom doors open at 8:40, students are able to unpack their bags and get ready for the day
AFTER SCHOOL ROUTINES
- With the changes to SFX dismissal times, the traffic congestion in Majestic Drive has increased significantly – and there are buses in the mix as well. Where possible, perhaps consider parking further away and walking to pick up your child / children. It saves the frustration of waiting in a carline and provides a great opportunity for exercise and a calm end to the school day.
- If you are running late or held up in traffic, please contact the school office. This would be on very rare occasions only.
- If your work hours do not allow you to pick your child up on time, then please consider utilising the After School Care facilities on site or making alternative arrangements. After school, staff are involved in planning and meetings and student supervision concludes at 3:30pm.
CARPARK SAFETY
With the increased movement of vehicles and people through our carpark we remind you to be alert and ensure you are travelling at a safe speed. Our carpark is one way with entry via Gate 2 and exit via Gate 5.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Wednesday 15 Feb Foundation Rest Day
9:30am Whole School Mass (and presentation of Student Leadership Badges) Families are welcome to join us.
Monday 20 Feb School Photos (students are to wear or bring their red jumper)
Tuesday 21 Feb Shrove Tuesday (Pancake day)
Wednesday 22 Feb Foundation Rest Day
Ash Wednesday – beginning of Lent
PUPIL FREE DAYS
Please note that Thursday 6 April and Monday 24 April are both Pupil Free day (and run into Public Holidays)
EMAILS to STAFF:
Staff email addresses are included for your convenience.
Just as in any workplace, there are some parameters around emails and our staff will respond to emails generally within two working days. If you email is urgent (such as a change in a pick-up arrangement for that day), it is best to contact the office directly.
Please be mindful of sending emails to staff outside the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm.
Dom | Arcaro | Foundation DA | darcaro@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Laura | Beck | Year 1 LB | lbeck@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Andy | Berryman | Year 5 AB | aberryman@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Catherine | Bickell | Year 4 CB | cbickell@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Carol | Browne | LAL Foundation | cbrowne@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Jessica | Burns | Art | JBurns@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Nicole | Carey | Year 5 NC | ncarey@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Kristie | Copestake | Sport | kcopestake@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Alison | Dickson | Year 4 AD | adickson@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Bianca | Doyle | Year 4WD | bdoyle@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Claudia | Ferreira | LAL Yr 4-6 | cferreira@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
David | Gulavin | Science | dagulavin@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Declan | Gulavin | Foundation DG | dgulavin@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Emma | O'Brien | LAL Yr 1-3 | eobrien@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Emily | Hunt | Year 3 EH | ehunt@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Liz | Hunt | Year 5 LH | lhunt@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Alisha | Johnston | Year 3 AJ | ajohnston@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Rebecca | Kis | Year 4 RK | rkis@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Brooke | Livings | Year 2 RL | blivings@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Alex | Maciszewski | Year 1 AM | amaciszewski@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Katherine | Muller | Foundation KM | kmuller@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Libby | Nieuwesteeg | Year 6 LN | enieuwesteeg@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Allyssa | O'Hara | Year 1 WO | aohara@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Trish | Piccolo | Year 6 TP | tpiccolo@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Catriona | Pollock | Foundation CP | cpollock@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Kayla | Reyes | Year 2 RL | kreyes@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Maria-Grazia | Ricchetti | Music | mriccheti@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Caitlyn | Seamer | Year 1 CS | cseamer@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Mythri | Seneweera | Year 5 MS | mseneweera@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Narelle | Snowden | Year 6 NS | nsnowden@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Helen | Staindl | Principal | principal@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Taylor | Tocchetto | Year 3 TT | ttocchetto@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Katya | Tovio | Year 3 KT | ktovio@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Jessica | Trounce | Year 2 JT | jtrounce@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Donna | Velten | Performing Arts | dvelten@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Gab | Verstraete | Deputy Principal | gverstraete@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Corina | Watson | Year 1 WO | cwatson@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Rhylee | Webber | Year 4 WD | rwebber@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Mary | Wilbraham | Japanese | mwilbraham@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Samantha | Willis | Year 3 SW | swillis@stclarsofficer.catholic.edu.au |
Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour Support (WSAPBS)
At St Clare’s we follow the Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour Support. Put simply, this means that we strive to “create environments that are predictable and known, providing safe learning spaces for students (and staff).”
In order to create environments that are predictable, known and safe learning spaces we follow school wide expectations.
Our school wide expectations are called R.O.C.K.S and we have 5 statements to summarise each expectation:
Over the next few weeks we will focus on one of these expectations across the whole school.
SCHOOL FEES
Here is the 2023 Fee Schedule as provided and approved by DOSCEL
Per Family: |
|
School Fee |
$2240 |
Building Levy |
$760 |
|
|
Per Student: |
|
Education Levy |
$550 |
|
|
Swimming Levy (Foundation – Year 3) |
$85 |
Camp Fee (Year 3) |
$65 |
Camp Fee (Year 4) |
$200 |
Camp Fee (Year 5) |
$280 |
Camp Fee (Year 6) |
$450 |
Here is the link for the St Clare's Parent Access Module (PAM)
St Clare's PAM
You username is the email address that you have registered with the school. The first time you log in we ask that you use the forgotten password feature to set your own password.
ALL parents must access PAM to receive up to date information and grant necessary permissions. Students will miss out on events if permission is not granted.
REPORTING AN ABSENCE
To report your child's absence please do so via PAM, email absent@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au or call 5940 6777
FUN FOOD FRIDAY IS BACK!
Parents who are able to help will need a current working with children check and be available from 1 PM.
Secondhand Uniform Shop
The second hand uniform shop will be open the following dates and times in February:
- Friday 10th February 2:30-3:10pm
- Tuesday 14th February 2:30-3:10pm
- Friday 17th February 8:30-9:15am
- Monday 20th February 8:30-9:15am
- Wednesday 22nd February 2:30-3:10pm
If you have any uniform you’d like to sell please make sure;
- it’s been washed and saleable (no rips/major stains).
- Place it in a bag with your name and phone number.
- You can add prices you’d like to sell for or we can do this for you.
- Bring it into the uniform shop when we’re open or drop it to the office.
At the end of each term if you have sold items you will be sent a text message and money can be either ent home with your child or collected from the office.
*Please note that $1 from the sale of each item is donated to the P&F
Dear parents, guardians and carers,
Safer Internet Day is a global event dedicated to creating a safer online world for everyone. 2023 marks the 20th Safer Internet Day with the slogan: Connect. Reflect. Protect.
Our world is more connected than ever, making online safety awareness even more important. I am seeking your assistance with communicating this message to the children and young people in your care by encouraging them to:
- Connect safely and with purpose through keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways.
- Reflect before they act and take a moment to consider how what they do and say online may affect others.
- Protect themselves and others by taking action through telling family and friends about eSafety and visiting the eSafety Commissioner website for advice, support and to report online abuse.
Families can approach online safety by:
- creating a family technology agreement together
- supervising children and young people, which can be a significant factor for preventing unwanted contact and online grooming
- having open and regular conversations about your child or young person’s online activities and interactions
- knowing which platforms, apps and games your child or young person is using and knowing who they are interacting with
- remaining open and approachable so that children and young people know they will not be blamed and feel comfortable to discuss any problems that arise in order to receive help
- ensuring your child or young person is alert to signs of inappropriate contact and they know that it is important to leave online conversations if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe
- establishing safety guidelines for meeting online ‘friends’ face-to-face. It is safest to keep online ‘friends’ online, but if your child or young person does want to meet face-to-face, they should let you know first and should be accompanied by you or another trusted adult to meet in a safe and public environment
- supporting your child or young person to know how to respond if they are targeted. Call the Police on 000 if physical safety is at risk and report the abuse or online grooming to the eSafety Commissioner or the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation
To begin a discussion with your child or young person about staying safe online, you may like you use the following points:
How to approach unwanted contact and grooming:
- set accounts to private, including but not limited to, social media and gaming accounts
- delete contacts that you do not talk to
- report and block if you receive unwanted contact from someone you know or a stranger
- delete requests from strangers.
How to create a safer gaming environment:
- agree to an online gaming area in an open area of the home where there is supervision and use available parental controls and safety features for devices, browsers and apps
- build good habits by protecting your personal information and not clicking on links provided by strangers
- set age appropriate rules for devices and online access. Agree on strategies to help switch off, such as a timer
- stay involved by talking regularly about gaming interests and make time to play alongside one another to better understand how safe the game really is and whether parental controls need to be set/adjusted
- be aware of the content of games and ensure they have age appropriate themes, language and images and ones that reflect your family’s values
- empower children and young people to make wise decisions and provide strategies for dealing with negative online experiences that will build confidence and resilience.
Resources for further information:
- Safer Internet Day
- eSafety Guide
- eSafety Parent resources
- Online blackmail and sexual extortion response kit
- thinkuknow.org.au
Families who hold concerns for their child or young person’s safety and wellbeing as a result of unsafe online activity or who are being targeted by unsafe online activity such as bullying and other forms of abuse are also encouraged to contact the school for wellbeing support if required.
We look forward to continuing to work together to promote safe physical and online environments for all children and young people.
St Clare’s is able to offer a valuable resource called SchoolTV to parents/carers.
Parenting our children is a complex, challenging and rewarding experience. However, the demands on parents/carers to remain current with technology, drug and alcohol advice and safe practices in a virtual and social media world, as well as dealing with anxiety and wellbeing, add to our busy and diverse family lives.
SchoolTV is an ongoing resource that is now available to all St Clare’s parents/carers. Each online edition will address a major topic with expert interviews, fact sheets, a parent quiz, recommended apps, books and more. SchoolTV combines information from a host of reliable resources, including BeyondBlue and ReachOut. It provides a single stream of independent factual information that saves parents time and the confusion of searching across multiple online sites for information.
You can access the SchoolTV archive here : https://stclaresofficer.catholic.schooltv.me
During the School year we will publish various topics for you to access.
The topics covered may be pertinent to your immediate situation, or the resource may be useful for you at a later date.
We hope that you find SchoolTV to be informative and a useful source of current well-researched information.
How to Help Kids Stay Safe Online
Adapted from: https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/blog Office of the eSafety Commissioner
- Start the chat
It’s not possible to be at your child’s side every second of the day, so it’s important to talk with them about online safety issues to help develop their critical thinking and ability to make good choices. It’s also good to let them know they can come to you for help if they have any concerns. You may feel they know more about the latest technology than you do, but you have more life experience to guide them.
- With primary school aged children use online devices in the open living spaces at home to make parent supervision part of the expectation for your child.
- Take the opportunity to set some boundaries around when and where they can use devices like tablets, smart TVs and gaming consoles, to help limit potential tech tantrums — you could even fill in an Early Years Family Tech Agreement
- Screen free time before bed is important for good sleep. Consider charging devices in a central location at a regular time each night to allow an hour screen free before bed.
- While you are all at home more, it’s a great time to co-view and co-play with your kids, so you can understand what they are doing and experiencing online.
- Learn about the games, apps, social media and platforms they are using at The eSafety Guide, including how to protect their information and report inappropriate content or conduct.
- Use parental controls and safe search options
Parental controls can help block your child from accessing specific websites, apps or functions. They can also monitor your child’s use of connected devices and set time limits. But beware! You cannot always rely on them — they should be used in combination with other online safety strategies.
- Parental controls are available on most tablets, smartphones, computers, TVs and gaming consoles.
- You can also download family safety controls or buy robust filters out of the box.
- You can set up child-friendly search engines, or select safe search settings on digital devices, to help prevent your child from stumbling across inappropriate sites and content.
- Check smart toy settings
It’s surprising how many toys or devices can connect online these days, from drones and smart teddies to tablets and wearables. While they can be both entertaining and educational, they can reveal your child’s personal details and location — and allow other people to contact them without you knowing. You can help keep them stay safe by:
- setting strong passwords
- turning off location settings
- limiting the amount of personal information shared.
The eSafety Gift Guide has advice on what to check for and how to stay safe.
- Look out for unwanted contact and grooming
Unwanted contact is any communication that makes your child feel uncomfortable or unsafe, even if they initially welcomed the contact. It can come from a stranger, an online ‘friend’ or even someone they actually know. At worst, it can involve ‘grooming’ — building a relationship with the child in order to sexually abuse them.
You can help by:
- making sure their accounts are private — including chat functions on games
- encouraging them to delete requests from strangers and any contacts they don’t know in person
- checking in with your child as they use online devices in the open living spaces at home
- reporting and blocking anyone suspicious on a website or service
- remembering that if suspicious online contacts become aggressive or threatening you should contact your local police.
- Know the signs of cyberbullying
Kids who are bored by long periods at home can pick at each other, and that happens online too. So it’s important to keep an eye out for cyberbullying. It can include mean posts, comments and messages, as well as being left out of online group activities like gaming.
- Remember, when they are away from school, kids have less access to their usual support systems, including friends, teachers and counsellors.
- eSafety research shows that girls are more likely to be affected than boys and the person doing the bullying is generally someone they know from school.
- Watch out for signs such as your child appearing upset after using their mobile, tablet or computer, being unusually secretive about their online activities or becoming withdrawn.
- Cyberbullying can make social isolation worse and the longer it continues, the more stressed kids can become, impacting on their emotional and physical wellbeing.
What to do if your child is being cyberbullied
As parents, our first instinct may be to ban our children from social media, disable the wi-fi or turn off the data access. But this can actually compound the problem, making your child feel as if they’re being punished and heightening their sense of social exclusion.
There are four simple steps that can help minimise the harm:
- report the cyberbullying to the social media service where it is occurring
- collect evidence of the cyberbullying material
- if the material is still public 48 hours later, make a report to eSafety — we work with social media platforms to have the harmful content removed.
block the offending user.