Vision

Mission

We encourage our students to pursue the truth, to discern a meaning and purpose for their existence and to enrich their spiritual lives. Respect, truth, freedom, justice, humility, love and commitment are the guiding principles of all relationships and social activities. St. Mary’s students are actively encouraged to develop an awareness of and empathy with people in the wider community.

• to develop in the children an awareness and appreciation of God’s love for them as individuals.
• to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and co-operation among staff so that this feeling will flow through to the whole School Community.
• to create an environment that is conducive to a continuous desire to learn.
• to develop basic skills in communication and mathematical operations, and put them into practice in everyday life.
• to encourage and develop in the children the ability to think clearly, independently, rationally and critically.
• to provide opportunities for parent/teacher interaction, and parent/pupil interaction.
• to develop an appreciation of culture in all forms, eg. music, dance, literature, etc., so that leisure time becomes more meaningful.
• to promote physical fitness and encourage habits which build and maintain good health.

From its humble beginnings at High St on the 10th March 1919, St Mary’s opened under the guidance of Miss Anne Hanrahan with 75 students. St Mary’s Primary School has grown to its current student population of approximately 550 students and fifty staff at its present Murlong Street site.

Mary MacKillop together with Julian Tenison-Woods founded the Josephite schools so that children in remote and rural areas would have access to a Catholic education. In July 1923, the arrival of three Sisters of St. Joseph in Swan Hill, began the long and close association of the Josephites with Catholic Education in Swan Hill. In 1923 Bishop Foley blessed the foundation stone of the new convent, later known as MacKillop House, which was burnt down in 1989. Extensive refurbishment took place between 1980 and 1990 at the High Street site, which is now occupied by MacKillop College.

The long tradition of St. Mary’s School being headed by St. Joseph sisters ended in 1996 when, after 73 years, a lay principal was appointed for the beginning of the 1997 school year. However, the Josephite characteristics of hard work, dedication, community and family unity are still strong features of our school.

The new school is set on the old Shamrock Park site, with its boundaries being Murlong and Karinie Streets. Stages one and two of the building program were completed in December 1996 enabling all students to attend school on the one site, after nearly two years of being a dual campus school while building progressed. St Mary’s currently comprises of ten permanent and fourteen portable classrooms, a multipurpose room, canteen and an administration building, which houses a library, computer lab, staffroom and offices.

Our school community is made up of both town and rural families with the majority of children having to bus to school. Factors such as extreme weather conditions and rural remoteness can impact on our families in many ways with 23% of families receiving Education Maintenance Allowance. We also have strong links with the Italian Community, which is best demonstrated through our annual Italian day in term 1 each year

We are committed to the gospel values, a strong school family identity, quality curriculum and ‘best practice’ learning and teaching practices within an environment that values the individual whilst developing cooperation and team skills. These together with a warm sense of welcome, genuine care and dedicated and highly professional staff are hallmarks of our school.

Our beautiful landscaped gardens and quality playing space are excellent features of our school along with well presented classrooms that promote learning in a positive and secure environment. This reflects the pride this community takes in its school.

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From time to time you may have difficulty with something that is happening either in your child’s classroom or in the school generally. These times provide an opportunity for growth and change if they are handled correctly.

I welcome any feedback that provides us with the chance to do something better or to make the life of a child more pleasant or bearable.

Please, if you have an issue that you would like addressed that relates specifically to the classroom, then arrange a time to meet with your child’s teacher to discuss this issue. This should be done in an atmosphere of good will, where you and the teacher are working together in order to address the need of your child.

If the concern you have relates to matters pertaining to the general running of the school then a similar meeting can be arranged with either myself or Ginny Gook, the Deputy Principal.

Like wise, if we have something that we would like to discuss with you, in relation to your child, then contact will be made and a meeting time arranged. School initiated communication will be conducted so that all parties can own the problem and make positive steps towards contributing to the fixing of the problem.

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Fees are determined by the School Board according to Catholic Education Office guidelines. As part of your enrolment to St. Mary’s you are asked to make a commitment to pay school fees.

A proportion of the funding for Catholic schools comes from the Commonwealth and State Governments. The remaining proportion of the funding is raised through private financial contribution to supplement the Government’s contribution.

The major source of this private financial contribution is the fees which are supplemented with contributions from Parents & Friends.

The Fees for 2010 are as follows:

 

School Fee 

$890.00 per annum per family The School Fee is an important component of our income for the general running of the school, including the payment of power, heating, water, insurance etc. This fee is also used for the maintenance and expansion of the computer network and to maintain our garden and grounds.

Student Fee        

$190.00 per annum per student The Student Fee covers children’s classroom needs eg. books, pencils, crayons, art supplies.  This fee also provides for funding for Library, Physical Education, Italian, Literacy and Numeracy supplies as well as visiting shows and some local excursions.

Capital Fee

$170.00 per annum per family This fee is used for capital items such as computers and to increase resources within our library and around the classrooms.

Camp Fee

$350.00 per student in Year 6             
$200.00 per student in Year 5
$190.00 per student in Year 4 
$50.00 per student in Year 3 
$30.00 per student in Year 2
$15.00 per student in Year 1
$10.00 per student in Preps 
The approximate cost for each camp is listed above. 
Any adjustment to the cost will be placed on your school fee account once set costs have been established. 

Town Bus
$220.00 per annum per familyThe fee covers the cost of running the town bus service for any family who opt to take up this service.

At the beginning of the school year all fees are charged to your school fee account.  The ‘Town Bus’ fee is added at this time (if applicable).  During the year the fee for ‘Sacramental Program’ will be added (if applicable).

Sacramental Program
$25.00 per student This fee is for Catholic children in Year 3 students who do their Reconciliation/Eucharist and Confirmation.  Year 6 children participate in Reconciliation, (no fee is applicable).  

  TERMS OF PAYMENT FOR SCHOOL FEE ACCOUNTS 
Accounts are sent out on a regular basis to keep you informed as to your current financial commitment. 

Fees can be paid in one lump sum, by term, monthly, fortnightly or weekly.   

However, the expectation is that:
If paying in a lump sum this needs to be done by the end of 1st Term 26^th March 2010 

or 

One third be paid by the end of 1st term 26^th March 2010
Two thirds be paid by the end of 2nd term 25^th June 2010
and the account be paid in full by the end of third term 17th September 2010. 

At the beginning of the year you are asked to nominate a payment frequency eg. Weekly, fortnightly, per term.  If no payment mode is nominated it will be presumed that you will pay by term. 

There are numerous  options available to pay your school fee account.  Money can be received via:                   

Cash                   
Cheque                   
EFTPOS at school                   
Credit Card via remittance slip on statements                   
BPAY on statements
Direct Debit from your bank account or credit card on a regular basis (at no cost to you)                   
Direct Credit to our account from your bank. 

We would ask that you consider all the payment options available to you and make a commitment to one of the options.     

Direct Debit has proved to be a popular choice amongst our parents with over a third of our families taking up this option.  Direct Debit can commence at any time (even before your child starts at school). We strongly urge you to consider taking up this option. If you would like more information or wish to take up this option please contact Maree at school.   

If you experience any difficulty in paying your Fees please do not hesitate to make contact with the Principal – Paul Bissinella or Maree McLean to make alternative arrangements.In the event of a breakdown between residential Guardians it is school policy that the balance owing on the school fee account will be split into two accounts and remain so until a parenting agreement (which includes provisions for the school fees) is reached and provided to the school.

Parents are represented on the St. Mary’s School Education Board, which meets monthly at 7.30 pm in the staffroom on the 2nd Tuesday of the month.

The Board is an advisory body which provides a structure for discussion and policy making regarding education in the Parish.

You are encouraged to contact Board Members if you have something you would like to contribute about the School.

CHAIRPERSON           Catherine Howison

SECRETARY               Mark Reed

STAFF REP                Mardi Hall

MEMBERS
Fr. Peter Hudson    Paul Bissinella       Ginny Gook    

Gavin Hore             Kaine Hazlett        Joe Dorigo    
Mark Dacey

  

OFFICE ASSISTANCE

From time to time the office has an number of small tasks that require a bit of manpower. Things such as photocopying, collating, stapling or sorting.

If you feel you could volunteer some time either on a ‘regular basis’ or as a ‘on call basis’ to help out in the office please give us a call.

PARENTS & FRIENDS

Parents and Friends are a very important part of our school community. They provide an opportunity for parents to take an active part in school activities.

These activities are predominantly social and fundraising, but there are also opportunities for information, making suggestions and contributing to the maintenance of the school.

The money raised by Parents & Friends enables the school to purchase equipment that makes our school a better place for learning and play.

Parents & Friends meetings take place on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7.30 pm in the Staffroom.

Office bearers for 2010 are:

President     Judy Deveraux
Secretary     John Griffiths
Treasurer    Maree McLean

Please give some thought to playing an active part in Parents & Friends.

Our annual Fair is held in October/November. This Fair is the major fundraiser for our school and raises in excess of $8,000.

Planning for this event commences in March. There are many jobs for people to do so please give some thought to participating in the planning for this major event.

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Conveyance Allowance

Conveyance Allowance is available for children who reside more than 4.8 kilometres from the nearest free school bus service. Please call at office to complete an application form.

Education Maintenance Allowance

The Government pay this allowance to families holding a Health Care Card, Health Benefits Card or Pensioner Concession Card.

The allowance is claimed twice a year in February and July. Strict closure dates are kept, so please do not delay in calling to complete an application form. No late applications will be accepted.

If you are unsure if your card makes you eligible for this allowance please call at the office with your card and we will be able to assist you.

• 50% of the allowance is payable to the school, whilst you may nominate to have the other 50% paid off your school fee account

Please call at the office with your card to complete an application form.

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BUS TRAVEL

Children who reside outside Swan Hill are entitled to free bus travel provided by the government. Application forms for travel are provided at the school office. For children living in Swan Hill a Town Bus service is run by the school. The details of this are outlined below.

The Swan Hill Secondary College have, in co-ordination with all schools, developed a Bus Policy that all government bus travellers are asked to abide by. At St. Mary’s we have decided to adopt this policy to cover all our students who may at some time travel on a bus. You will be given a copy of this policy at the beginning of 2010.

Our Deputy Principal, Ginny Gook, is also our Bus Co-ordinator. If you have any queries or concerns regarding bus travel please do not hesitate to contact Ginny.

BUS BUDDIES

All prep bus travellers get a ‘bus buddy’. The bus buddy is an older student who travels on the same bus who ensures that they get to the bus line and on the bus with a minimum of fuss and then for those who have to tackle the interchange, board their new bus at the Swan Hill Secondary College. The interchange is only for country bus travellers.

CAR PICK UP AND DROP OFF

The side carpark is available for parents dropping off or picking up their children. The Murlong St. carpark is for staff cars only. The bus bay is not open for general traffic or parent parking.

The side carpark has entry and exit off Murlong St. and enables sufficient parking for all parents to park safely. When dropping off or collecting children in the carpark please pull into a parking bay and ensure that your child proceeds along the paths and crossing provided until they reach your car. Each night two staff are allocated the job of ensuring the carpark is used in a safe way by parents and students.

It is imperative that parents, grandparents or family friends exercise legal road safety requirements when dropping off or collecting children. It is the family’s responsibility to reinforce safety procedures with their children in using the carpark.

BUS PASSES

If on certain occasions you wish your child to travel on a bus or travel on a bus other than their normal bus, you must obtain a bus pass.

To obtain a bus pass please send into the office the ‘Bus Pass Note’ (sent with the newsletter at the end of each month).

If you require bus passes for several children eg. for a child’s birthday party please contact the bus co-ordinator to ensure that there is sufficient space on the bus to accommodate the extra children.

NOT ON BUS

SUPERVISION

Supervision is provided between 8.30 am and 3.30 pm for all students and for bus travellers supervision is also provided by our staff at Swan Hill Secondary College until all buses have departed.

Children are under the care of class teachers during actual school hours and teacher supervision is provided for recesses and bus duty on a roster system.

Please ensure that your children do not arrive at school before 8.30 am and that they are picked up promptly after school at 3.20 pm.

TOWN BUS SERVICE

St. Mary’s is happy to be offering the town bus runs for families in need of this service. The service is a non profit making venture. The cost in 2010 is $220.00 per family per annum. We have five town runs operating. Please call into the office to view the maps to ascertain which run is most appropriate for your needs. The stops on the runs can alter throughout the year depending on the needs of families.

If you have any difficulties with your child travelling on the bus, you are asked to contact Ginny Gook, the bus co-ordinator, here at the school.

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AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

This Program and Bus is run independently and is located at the Swan Hill Primary School in Gray Street. Parents contact the program directly if they wish their child to attend (0409 236 541). They have a list of students who are to attend and only those children go on the bus to the program. We do not have bus lists for this bus so notes for ‘not on bus’ or ‘on bus’ are not required by the school.

BOOK CLUB        

St. Mary’s participate in a Book club with ‘Scholastic’. Materials are distributed approximately 10 times per year.

‘Lucky’ is for Prep to Year 2
‘Arrow’ is for Year 3 & 4
‘Star’ is for Year 5 & 6

Pamphlets for software and special events are also distributed throughout the year. Completed order forms and money need to be returned to the school office by the date given in order to be processed.

Payment can be made via cheque made payable to ‘SCHOLASTIC AUSTRALIA,’ by Credit Card by completing the appropriate slip located on the order form or by cash (correct money preferred).

No late orders will be taken. Orders take approximately 10 days to be delivered. There is no obligation to purchase these books. This service is made available to assist with and to encourage good reading habits.

HEAD LICE

Parents are advised to regularly check children's hair as cases of ‘head lice’ or ‘nits’ are discovered from time to time. Lotions can be purchased from your local chemist. After using the shampoo, please ensure that all dead eggs are removed from the child’s head.

It is vital that you inform the school should your child have headlice, so that possible spreading of the problem can be minimized.

From time to time it may be necessary for a staff member to check children’s heads to ascertain if Head Lice is present.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Chickenpox

Child shall be excluded from school until fully recovered or for at least 5 days after the eruption first appears. Note some remaining scabs are not an indication for continued exclusion.

Cold Sores

Child shall be excluded if they are unable to comply with good hygiene practices whilst the lesion is weeping. Lesions to be covered by dressing, where possible.

Conjunctivitis

Child shall be excluded until discharge from eyes has ceased.

Diarrhoea

Child shall be excluded until diarrhoea has ceased or medical certificate of recovery is produced.

 

German Measles (Rubella)

Child shall be excluded from school until fully recovered or for at least 4 days from the onset of the rash.

 

Hand, Foot and Mouth disease

Child shall be excluded until all blisters have dried.

 

Head Lice

Child shall be excluded until the day after appropriate treatment has commenced.

Impetigo (School Sores)

Child shall be excluded from school until appropriate treatment is being applied and that sores on exposed surfaces such as scalp, face, hands and legs are properly covered with watertight dressings.

Influenza and influenza like illnesses

Child shall be excluded until well.

Measles

Child shall be excluded from school for at least four days after the onset of the rash.

Mumps

Child shall be excluded from school for 9 days or until swelling goes down (whichever is sooner).

Parvovirus (Slapped Face)

Children do not need to be excluded from school. There is no specific treatment.

Ringworm (Tinea)

Child shall be excluded from school until the day after appropriate treatment has commenced.

Whooping Cough

Child shall be excluded for 5 days after starting antibiotic treatment.

LOST PROPERTY

All unclaimed articles are placed in the Lost Property Bin. Periodically this bin is emptied and unclaimed articles are sent either to the Clothing Pool or to St. Vincent de Paul. Please name all your children’s uniforms, lunch boxes and bags.

PREP ATTENDANCE

Prep children will attend four days a week until the long weekend in March. From this point on classes will run five days a week but you can determine if your child is up to five full days. If your child is tired and incapable of seeing out a full week, and everyone still keeping their sanity, then you can continue to keep them home on Wednesdays until the end of term.

PUBLICATION OF STUDENT PHOTOS/WORK From time to time children’s work or photos may be used in printed media (such as our school newsletter or the local paper). Early in the year you will be asked to nominate whether or not you give your permission for this to occur.

SCHOOL BANK Children are invited to bank with St. Mary’s Credit Co-operative Society. Passbooks, completed deposit slips and money in a sealed coin bag are placed in the class baskets on a Monday (or Tuesday on weeks with a Monday public holidays) and returned via the class basket later in the week. Application forms can be obtained from the Credit Society in McCallum Street.

Please do not send sick children to school. If the child is sick during the night, or not considered well enough to go outside to play, they are not well enough to be at school.

Not only do sick children feel miserable at school, they can also be the cause of infecting other children with their illness.

VISITORS TO SCHOOL

Any adults that come to the school either to help in the classrooms, do canteen duty or just to visit children must sign in a the front office and collect a visitors badge. On their departure they are to sign out at the office and return the badge.

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Parents should not hesitate to meet with their child’s teacher if they have any concerns about any area of their child’s development. However, this is best done by arranging a mutually agreeable time. This avoids the disappointment of the teacher not having time there and then to discuss the issue at hand, due to being in charge of their class or attending after school meetings.

In turn, teachers will contact the parent if discussions are necessary in regards to a child’s progress. It is also reassuring for teachers to hear positive feedback on each child’s attitude and general progress.

Parents are invited to contact the office to make appointments to see the principal if they have a concern with their child’s progress or a problem of any kind. Traumas, or changes in family circumstances such as death, or separation can markedly change a child’s ability to concentrate and learn at school. Certain situations may also alter a child’s personality or behaviour. The first consideration is always the health and wellbeing of the child. Any private information is held in strictest confidence.

CHILDREN LEAVING SCHOOL DURING THE DAY

Any child that leaves the school ground during the day and will be returning the same day needs to be signed both IN and OUT in the register located at the front office.

CLASSROOM NOTES

Individual notes to parents from classes will come home when needed.

INFORMATION

For school records and emergency situations it is necessary for us to have up-to-date information on home addresses, phone numbers - work and home.

It is also necessary for you to supply us with the name/names of relatives or friend that could be contacted in an emergency such as an illness or accident if we were unable to contact yourself.

Family details can often change within a school year. For the School to be able to maintain contact with you should your child be suddenly taken ill it is essential that any change in phone numbers, address or workplace is notified to the office.

MEDICAL AND PERMISSION FORMS

It is a legal requirement that every time a child steps out of the school, parents or guardians complete a medical and permission form. Although this can be quite a nuisance for parents, there is no way around it as the school must have the most up to date information available when a child steps out of the school grounds.

NEWSLETTER

A newsletter explaining current activities and upcoming events is sent home each Monday via your oldest child. This is a vital link in communication, between home and school. Current and past newsletters can also be viewed/printed from our web page.

NOTES TO SCHOOL

Notes concerning lunches, sickness or uniform should be forwarded to the class teacher.

REPORTING JOURNALS

Reporting and communication between home and school is vital for the development and welfare of each child.

As a school we have adopted the ‘Reporting Journal’ as a means of reporting on the individual progress of each child.

The reporting journal is contained within a display folder and includes the following:

~ Student goals for each term

~Work samples from the different areas of the curriculum

CURRICULUM/POLICY

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY

CAMPS AND EXCURSIONS Camps play an important part in the curriculum and all children are encouraged to attend.

In more recent years it has been extremely difficult to have the necessary personnel needed to take the children on camp due to the fact that many parents have work commitments or younger child commitments and are unable to assist.

At the commencement of the school year volunteers will be sort after, by declaring the dates of camps and excursions well ahead of time. Could you please give some thought to possibly assisting at these educational experiences. Obviously, should volunteers exceed numbers required, we’ll pull them out of a hat!

• Parents believe that their children should have homework but that their should not be too much
• We need to factor in the other activities and groups children take part in when determining the amount of homework which is appropriate
• Students need to be given an adequate amount of time to fulfil homework requirements

To accommodate these requirements in the best possible way we developed what is known as a ‘Homework Grid’.

The Homework Grid recognises several things:

• It is important for children to contribute towards their family life
• That children are involved in many other important activities after school
• Children should be encouraged to be active and that more sedentary work by sitting a desk after school is not what many children need.
• That children need to have a balanced life of which school and school work is one key element

The following is an indication of the sorts of activities the homework grid could include:

Each level within the school then best determines how best to facilitate and evaluate this homework grid.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Smartboards

St Mary’s School Website

The St Mary’s School Webpage address is:

web.smswanhill.catholic.edu.au

LIBRARY

Role The St. Mary’s School Library is: a resource centre for staff and students providing an extensive collection of books/non book resources a learning/teaching centre providing materials to support the curriculum and develop students who can use information effectively for self directed learing. a service centre which caters for the needs of all users through a variety of research, reference and loan services

Location

The Library is located in the main administration block. The library building contains:

• a large area for the book collection for student borrowing.
• sufficient tables/chairs for students to use the library as a learning centre.
• a storeroom and work area for the Librarian.
• a bank of computers for student use.
• an interactive smartboard and multimedia projector for teacher/student use.
• a compactus which houses Maths and Science resources along with class sets of books.
• an office and work area for the Librarian
• areas to sit and read.

Selection of Materials

Selection of materials for inclusion in the library is made by the Librarian in consultation with staff, parents and students. More suggestions are always welcomed with ‘Request Forms’ available.

The Library is fully automated and all items are centrally catalogued. This means all materials purchased through the school are catalogued through the Library to avoid duplication and ensure efficient expenditure.

New books and items for the Library are purchased from the Library budget and from Parents and Friends funds. Updates on purchases are published in the School Newsletter.

The Collection

There is an extensive library collection which is continually updated and extended. Fiction is arranged alphabetically by author’s surname, while Picture Story Books are shelved according to the first letter of the author’s name. Non fiction is arranged numerically according to Dewey classification. Websites, Big Books and all Audio Visual are catalogued according to their Dewey number or author’s surname.

Students are encouraged to borrow for both recreational and study purposes. The library is open for borrowing daily from 8.30 am to 9.00 am and 1.15 pm to 1.45pm.

Loans

Books may be borrowed for 2 weeks and renewed if necessary. There are no fines for late returns. Books may be borrowed in Library lessons or at any time the Library is open. Students are encouraged to borrow for both recreational and study purposes.

All year levels may borrow up to four books at a time.

Library Bags

All students must bring their library bag on Library days and use them to transport books from school to home. Replacement bags are available from the library and the cost will be debited to your account.

Repairs

Thank you for NOT MENDING our Library books. No matter what the problem it is best if you just bring the damage to the attention of the Teacher/Librarians. We prefer to use our own special glues and tapes for book repairs.

Book Fairs

Book Fairs are held once or twice a year and provide additional funds for purchasing Library resources.

Lost Books

It is standard practice in all libraries for library patrons to pay for lost or damaged books. When necessary the Teacher/Librarian will send a letter to parents informing them of the replacement cost which will be added to the school fee account.

LITERACY/NUMERACY

Literacy and numeracy continue to be the major curriculum focuses for all teachers here at St.Mary’s School. Our teachers are committed to continuing to refine and develop their knowledge and skills in relation to the teaching of literacy and numeracy and to raise the standard of skills of all students in our care.

LOTE (Language other than English) ITALIAN Italian is offered to all year levels throughout the school. All classes have one Italian class per week. Recent studies have shown that the learning of a second language actually improves the understanding and development of English as a language system. An Italian Day is usually in the first term. Children enjoy coming dressed in many varied characters that are Italian orientated. Children experience many activities throughout the day including Italian based sports, games and food.     Assistance from parents is required for Italian day so give some thought to lending a hand.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Physical Education is another specialist area which operates throughout the whole school. These sessions are held at different times of the week, the duration depending on the year level. There are many sports days throughout the course of the year and children are encouraged to participate to the utmost of their own personal ability.

CREATIVE  ARTS Students engage in learning experiences in visual arts, music, drama and dance as part of their natural growth and development. However, learning in each of the art forms does not occur automatically. Regular learning experiences that are thoughtfully planned, sequenced and related are essential for developing students’ skills and knowledge and understanding within the art forms. They also contribute to the development of the whole child. A specialist Creative Arts program will again be offered at St. Mary’s this year, after the successful introduction in 2009.  Sonia Kelly will teach P–3 with Janine Dow teaching 4-6.  We look forward to another fun and fulfilling year of Music education, Dance and Drama.

The Catholic Education Office allows all schools to have pupil free days throughout the year in order to develop themselves professionally and to carry out other professional duties such as Numeracy testing. Every second year the Catholic Education conduct a Northern Zone Conference of two days duration which means all schools have additional pupil free days every second year.

Parents are always notified well in advance as to when these days are going to occur and After School Care is offered here on the premises for parents who do not have another option for their children on these days.

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