PRINCIPAL NEWS

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

St Saviour's Primary and St Patrick's Cathedral RACE DAY

What a fantastic event. Thanks to our Race Day Committee for their organisation and hard work over the past months in making this day such a great success.  We were priviledged to have the generosity of several sponsors and donations that helped to support such a successful day.

Big shout out to our major sponsors, we couldn't do it without you!

Major Sponsors – Fortress Financial Solutions (Chris Black), Luke Brookman Electrical (Luke and Erin Brookman), SWIN (Peter Jackson), Vision Exercise Physiology (Adam and Bee King), Millmerran Flyash (Peter Dennis), Fix and Clean(Damen and Heidi Phillips), Blake Leifels Painting and decorating (Blake and Caitlin Leifels) , Victoria Hotel Goondiwindi, Royal Hotel Goondiwindi, Maskill (Kim Maskill).

Raffle Sponsors – Christine Cosgrove, SWIN, Blake Leifels, Helen Moloney, Janelle Wann, Dan Eagleson, Cave Gym, Harvey Norman, Cake House (Katrina Allan).

Over 210 parents and parishioners were entertained and won fabulous prizes whilst mingling and enjoying each others company. Click on the link to the many photos taken of the fashions and fun on the day. 

Protected Industrial Action in Catholic Schools

You may have heard that some staff in Catholic schools in the Toowoomba Diocese have elected to take protected industrial action. This action is part of negotiations towards an enhanced Enterprise Bargaining Agreement and may range from withdrawal from attendance at staff meetings and other partial work bans however it does not involve strike action.

The education and wellbeing of students remains the primary concern of all schools. The industrial action is not expected to interfere with classroom teaching at this stage and alternative arrangements will be put in place should that be necessary. The school will keep you informed should the situation change in the future.

Negotiations with the union will continue in good faith with the goal of reaching a resolution in the near future.

END OF YEAR 

Where have the days gone this year?  The final few weeks of the school year are approaching, and, in my experience, it is a crazy time not only in schools but in all aspects of our lives. End of year assessment & reporting, concerts, camps, Graduation, carnivals, staffing, budgets and planning for the impending holidays and Christmas, swamp us at a time when our energies may be low and many of us feel we are running on empty.

At the end of each term, especially Term 4, we are more likely to be sensitive, a little ‘thin skinned’ and emotional because we are run down and in need of that well-earned break, we shouldn’t be surprised. The same thing happens at this time every year. The important thing is how we all, parents, teachers and students respond to this challenge.

Monitoring our talk and our sensitivity are particularly important at this time of the year. We are far more susceptible to allowing irritations that would not normally have an effect on us to get to us. Our resistance is low and we are vulnerable to both attack from outside and poor decisions within. Now is the time to watch our words, resist the temptation to ‘shoot from the hip’ and make decisions on the run. It is the time when things get us down, to take that deep breath and a moment to reflect on the real importance of the issue at hand. It is when times are tough that reputations are truly made. A harsh or insensitive word to someone can undermine our good work in building relationships throughout the year. It is important to be aware of our moods and on guard that we think before we act.

Remember back to the start of the year. Most of us start the year with energy and enthusiasm. We were rejuvenated by the break and were ready to put all of our energies into being as effective as we possibly could.

The old adage ‘beginners are many, finishers are few’ is worth remembering. It is important to finish strong. Whilst our reserves may be running low, it is vital to remain focused and finish the year well. Our credibility in the eyes of others is based on results and our ability to complete our projects, meet deadlines and follow tasks through to completion.

Stephen Covey, the author of the book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” talks about when world-class marathon runners ‘hit the wall’ and they feel like they can’t go on, instead of focusing on their exhaustion and how tired they are feeling and going into the ‘survival shuffle’, they lift up their head and pick up the pace.

With this in mind, the end of term is near but there are still lots to do. Let’s do them in a spirit of co-operation and as always…let’s do them to the very best of our ability and do them well.

SCHOOL FEES

It is most important that your prompt attention to ensure all outstanding school fee invoices are paid by the end of school term. This is an extremely busy time of year and chasing up overdue accounts draws precious time and effort away from other school initiatives and activities. The school too has many financial commitments to fulfill by the end of the year and over the school holidays. Your support in paying your fees and levies in full greatly assists the school to continue to provide and upgrade school and classroom resources.

PREP REFURBISHMENT

Interest of tender for the Prep refurbishment have been advertised, it is hoped that a decision will be made mid-November and building will begin towards the end of term.

2020 PREP PARENT INFO NIGHT

On Monday 11th November starting at 5:15p.m. in the Mercy Centre our PREP team will be hosting an information night for our 2020 PREP Parents.  We look forward to welcoming all new parents on the night.  

ENROLMENTS 2020

Once again our enrolment intake for the new school year is quite strong and there remains a high demand for places here at SSPS. In planning for the new school year, it is important that we have an accurate idea of the level of enrolment in each year level. To assist us in this area, it is vital that we receive plenty of notice if your child or children are not returning to SSPS in 2020. This enables us to contact families that may be on the waiting list and to prepare appropriate levels of resources across the year levels. Furthermore, if you know of any family who may be considering enrolling their child at St Saviour's Primary School, please encourage them to make contact with the school as soon as possible.

2020 LEADERSHIP SPEECHES

Next week, students from our Year 5 cohort who are considering a role as School or Vice Captain in 2020 will deliver their leadership speech. Each year I have been most impressed by the standard of delivery and level of confidence of the Year 5 students and I’m sure this high standard will be once again on show. Following the speeches, all students from Years 4-6 will vote. I thank them all for their interest and effort in being a leader and wish all candidates the best of luck next week. The announcement of next year’s School and Sports Captains will be made at the end of year Mass on Wednesday November 27th 9:30a.m. at the Cathedral Centre. 

Thank you for reading.   

Regards,

Madonna Sleba