Welcome to Week 9 everyone
This year I have started the newsletter with faith based quotes that have inspired me. I believe they have been applicable to our community.  Today’s quotes come from two of our students, one from home and the other during a White Token Lunch.

Sabina:  ‘I will send my children to SJV!'

Mum: 'You don’t have to have children, but if you do have children why would you send them to SJV?

Sabina:  'Because it’s a good School'

Mum: 'What makes it a good School?

Sabina: 'The Teachers’, ’they are nice and 'they teach us lots of interesting things’

 

Monique: ‘We should have a high school here!’

Mr Rodda: ‘I don’t think we have the space for that as well as our school’

Monique: ‘That’s a shame because this is a great school’

Wise words from two seven year olds.

 

School Academic News
Yesterday I met with Dr Phil Petit, who as one of his many hats disseminates assessment and reporting data for all the schools in the diocese.

Phil took our leadership team through literacy and numeracy data based on standardised testing. This testing occurs through the diocese and Phil reported to us that our results, comparative to other schools, were very pleasing. In fact, we almost outperformed every percentile norm throughout Australia.    

This is great news and tells me that our school is heading in the right direction. This conversation also gave us scope for what we can do to progress our students further and how we can use this data to do so.

We have invited Phil back in 2020 to work with our whole staff as to how they can analyse their classroom data and implement teaching strategies that will best help their students. 

 

SJV Parish BBQ
The Parish BBQ was a great hit with everyone commenting on how good the venue was and how easy the organisation had been with staff and students from SJV helping to make the process simple.  It was great to see several of our families and teachers representing the school on the night and everyone had a great time. 

Canteen News
I am happy to announce that Karen Wilder is happy to help in the canteen as a volunteer and coordinate all our other volunteers in 2020.  We will be farewelling Trish McDonald at our Carols Night on Wednesday 18^th December. Of course, we will be seeing Trish in 2020 as she has already told me that she is very keen to work as a volunteer in the canteen.

The canteen has also asked that parents take care to make sure that children do not bring any large bank notes, as they are concerned that these could be lost. 

 

Working Bee thanks
A huge thanks to Steve Nolan who coordinated his last working bee as he handed the reigns over to Sam Calabro.  Much was done by a small team with the new enlarged enclosure for the chickens made ready, mulch and chipping placed around the walled sandpit, and general weeding, pruning and tidying of the school, including a great clean-out of the SCC/Fete shed.

 

Year 6 Graduation
Our Yr 6 graduation Mass was a wonderful way to celebrate the penultimate week for our Year 6 students.  I would like to thank all the Year 6 teachers for their work with this special event but especially Mrs Thomas who prepared a beautiful Mass for the children and Ms Heath who created a wonderful poerpoint presentation.  

The Graduation Dinner will follow this evening, which begins promptly at 6pm in the school hall where canapés will be served to start the festivities.   

Italian 2020
Finally, I am pleased to announce that Mrs De Rosa will be taking over our Italian program from Mrs Howard who retires at the end of this year.  Mrs De Rosa is excited to be working with the children and sharing her family’s culture.

Have a great week.  One week to go!

 

Peter Rodda

Principal