Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you to everyone who attended our School Community meetings on Tuesday afternoon. It was great to have such a good turnout to our School Board and P&F Annual General Meetings, and I would like to thank everyone who took the time to support our key parent bodies which do so much to benefit all the students and families at our school. I would also like to make special mention of our staff who attended both meetings, stayed for the P&F welcome and then ran their parent information sessions in the classrooms. This is a big commitment for our staff after a full day of teaching and I thank them for their willingness to go the extra mile for our students and families. A special ‘thank you’ to Miss Wright and Mrs Marinoni who supervised the children outside while the meetings were taking place. Children cannot be on school grounds unsupervised, and their willingness to help out meant that parents could attend the meetings with the peace of mind that their children were safe and in the care of responsible adults.
Congratulations to our newly elected School Board members: Mr Vincent Macri and Mr Lachlan Thorn, and to Mr James Eyres who was re-elected for a two-year term. Continuing board members are Mrs Tamesha Gardner, Mr Tim Mathwin, Mr Peter Robertson and Mr Peter Trethowan (P&F representative to the Board). I continue as an ex-officio member of the Board, as does our Parish Priest, Fr Francis Constantino. Many thanks to retiring board members Mr Tony Fisher and Mr Graham Clayton. School Board office bearers will be elected at the first meeting for 2019.
Congratulations, also, to Mrs Leonie Smith who was elected Chairperson of the P&F, and to Mrs Liz Robertson, who was re-elected, Treasurer. The positions of Vice-President and Secretary remain vacant and I urge you to support our P&F parent body in filling these roles if you can. Many thanks to retiring P&F executive members, Mr Matt Atkinson and Mrs Kelly Perry.
The P&F hosted a welcome function for families after the community meetings and everyone enjoyed a sausage sizzle, fruit platters, juice boxes and water. Following an outline of general information and school-wide policies and routines which everyone needs to be aware of, individual class information sessions were held where teachers outlined their plans, expectations, routines and responsibilities for the year. It was fantastic that so many parents and carers were able to attend these important information sessions.
General information, school-wide policies and routines which it is important for all families to be aware of are outlined below:
Uniform Policy: A full copy of our uniform policy is available by contacting the office and is on our website: https://stbernards.wa.edu.au/. Main points to note are as follows. Students need to wear black leather shoes or black/navy sandals in summer. Below collar length hair is to be tied back (girls or boys) and only two hairclips and/or combs are to be used. Headbands are acceptable but need to be narrow and one block colour: navy blue, black or yellow. Scrunchies must also be in these colours. The wearing of jewellery is not encouraged: a watch and/or a necklace with a Christian symbol may be worn (needs to be kept under the shirt/dress). A small pair of studs or sleepers is acceptable: no dangling, decorative earrings, please. Students should not come to school wearing nail polish, tattoos or makeup. Uniform reminder notes will be issued from next week letting parents and carers know of uniform issues needing to be addressed.
Behaviour Management Policy: A full copy of our behaviour management policy is available by contacting the office and is on our website: https://stbernards.wa.edu.au/. Please familiarise yourself with this policy.
Crunch ‘n’ Sip/Nut Aware: We are a Crunch ‘n’ Sip and nut aware school – please send fruit and/or vegetables and a full water bottle to school each day, and please avoid nuts or food containing nuts in lunchboxes and snacks.
Drop off & Pick up: Please be aware that students cannot exit the school gates without a parent/carer present, as our carpark is a drive-through zone. This is for your child’s safety. Please advise babysitters, after school carers, grandparents, etc. of this rule. Students who walk or ride to school must walk through the white archway gate and down to the gate near the Year 1/2 classroom, walking their bikes or scooters through the car park and into the school.
Supervision: Children should not arrive at school before 8.30am when supervision begins. However, if students do arrive before 8.30am they are to sit in the Undercover Area until the duty teacher arrives. At the end of the day, students who are waiting to be picked up need to sit on the steps near the flagpoles with the duty teacher until a parent/carer arrives to collect them.
Bus Behaviour Expectations: Students are expected to follow the rules when travelling on the bus to school. They need to: remain seated at all times, talk quietly to the person next to them, wait until the bus stops completely before standing up, and always follow the driver’s instructions. Parents are asked to reinforce these rules with their children.
We are looking forward to a fun day at our St Bernard’s Swimming Carnival tomorrow. Please send plenty of water, sunscreen, lunch and recess snacks, and hat and t-shirt to cover up with in between races, as the day is going to be warm.
God Bless,
Mrs Sharon Marino
Principal
