Term 4 Week 6

Principal's Message

Student Behaviour
Over the last few weeks there have been a number of unacceptable behaviour issues reported at school. There was a suggestion that it coincided with a big sugar hit around halloween but unfortunately we do not have the scientific data to back this up! Some of the issues have been relatively minor such as unsettled behaviour in class, however, disappointingly there have been some more serious issues. Some parents have reported their child experiencing some bullying or being unfairly targeted in playground games. My message to all students which was addressed at our Monday morning assembly is this:

• If you feel unsafe or targeted by other students at St Finbarr’s you MUST inform an adult. Preferably a staff member at school (classroom teacher, member of the school leadership team or the Principal) You are not a ‘snitch’ or ‘dobber’. You are calling out behaviours that are unacceptable not only at St Finbarr’s but in all society. Only when it is called out can it be addressed immediately and steps taken to ensure all in the school community are-Loving like Jesus, Growing Together as Friends and Learning for Life.

We also have had parents who request information regarding steps taken including confidential conversations and consequences when dealing with other students or their families. This is often a difficult conversation when families request this information. We understand these concerns, however, we ask that parents appreciate the privacy issues around such matters and trust that, as a school, there is a great deal of discussion, discernment and continued follow up with our procedures following a situation such as this. Our goal is to continue to support all students in these situations and see the incident as a learning and growing opportunity. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Student Attendance

As we head into the end of the year it is timely to remind families of the legal responsibilities regarding school attendance. In the coming weeks there will be statements sent home if your child’s attendance has fallen below 90%. This year has seen an increase in students arriving late or leaving early to attend sport, music or academic tuition. When students miss out on valuable school time on a regular basis this has a negative impact on their overall learning and progress. Of particular concern is when they receive lessons from tutors who have not been in a school classroom for many years and are not familiar or had professional learning with the new Australian Curriculum. They may be receiving mixed messages with their learning which causes confusion and frustration for the student. The following graphic highlights some concerns. 

The following is an excerpt from the Diocesan School Attendance Policy: 

Unendorsed educational activity in school hours

Involvement in private lessons, such as school tutoring, swimming and music classes, conducted outside the school during school hours may not be conducive to the effective operation of the school or to the education of the student concerned. Students’ involvement in extra-curricular activities will usually be limited to outside school hours. Where attendance at a private lesson outside the school during school hours is of exceptional importance such as sitting examinations, the principal may use discretion in justifying the absence. If parents withdraw their children from school for private lessons when permission to do so has been refused, an unjustified absence should be recorded and dealt with in the usual manner.

2.1 Parents are responsible for:

a) Enrolling their child in a government or registered non-government school or registering them with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for home schooling;

b) Ensuring that their child attends school every day the school is open for their instruction;

c) Explaining the absences of their child from school in person, via a telephone call, written note, attendance app, text message or email to the school, preferably on the first day of absence, and within seven (7) days from the first day of any period of absence; and

d) Working in partnership with the school to plan and implement strategies to support regular attendance at school, including communicating with the school if they are aware of issues impacting on their child's attendance or engagement with school.

2.3 The Principal is responsible for ensuring that the school:

1. has in place and implements policies and procedures to:
2. monitor the daily attendance/absence of students;
3. identify absences from school and/or class(es);
4. follow up unexplained absences;
5. notify parent/s regarding poor school and/or class attendance; and
6. transfer unsatisfactory attendance information to student files;
7. maintains a register of daily attendance that includes the following information for each student:
8. daily attendance; and
9. absences and reason for absences and documentation to substantiate reason for absences;

Student Leadership for 2025
This term we have been working with Year 5 students with the Young Leaders Program. This is a program that looks at skills and qualities of leadership and is assisting with our new model of student leadership here at St Finbarr’s for 2025. Year Five students have been invited to nominate themselves to be one of eight school leaders for next year. Leaders will be announced at the Monday morning assembly on 9th December.

Eligibility for the role is based on the following: 

1. Must be a Grade 6 student 
2. Must be an exemplary role model for peers and members of the school community 
3. Attendance-Maintaining an excellent attendance record
4. Behaviour-Be an exemplary example of the St Finbarr’s Behaviour Matrix and be an example of our school vision statement.
5. Learning- Mostly receive Commendable for engagement in learning on my Semester 1 2024 and Semester 2 2023 report card
6. Uniform- Consistently wear the correct school uniform with pride
7. Extra Curricular initiatives- Role model and setting an example for younger students by participating and taking roles in school initiatives and extra curricular activities e.g. ANZAC Day, School & Parish Masses

After School Care

Parent feedback over the past few years has emphasised the request for After School Care.  have now been operating for three weeks. Feedback from students and parents so far has been very positive;

“…. loved it and has been waiting for it to be Thursday so he can go back again!”

….the teachers are so friendly”

“They are fun and it’s really well organised”

“Afternoon tea is scrummy!”

Active kids can only continue to operate with the support of the community. I encourage families who may need this service to give it a try. Activekids will be providing their service for our next Pupil Free Day (Staff Development) on Friday 6th December.

Staff Changes

We wish Miss Lily Hamer all the very best as she moves schools to be closer to home on the Gold Coast. Lily has been a valuable member of the school community and will be greatly missed. Miss Amy MacGregor and Harriet Hayhoe will also be taking leave in 2025 as they care for their new babies. Ms Sheryl Hurley returns to St Finbarr’s in a part-time capacity next year and Miss Emily Roden will return in Term Three after maternity leave.

School Learning Support Teachers

Over the past few years we have had a group of wonderful trainee teachers who have been supporting students with their learning. Having completed their study we are saying farewell and good luck to Ella Clarke, Mattaya O’Brien and Sophie Venn at the end of 2024. We have appreciated their professionalism, willingness to learn and care for all students during their time at St Finbarr’s. They will make wonderful additions to any school they join in the future.

Canteen

We are currently seeking expressions of interest for our two day a week canteen Coordinator role in 2025. If you are interested and/or can only commit to one day per week please contact the Principal for more information.

The Child Safeguarding Code of Conduct

Each member of the St Finbarr’s School Community is responsible for promoting the safety and wellbeing of students by adhering to the following standards of behaviour:

Do:

• Uphold and act in accordance with St Finbarr's Primary School's Child Safeguarding Policy at all times.
• Comply with applicable guidelines published by the School with respect to child safety, such as the Staff and Student Professional Boundaries Policy.
• Behave as a positive role model to students.
• Promote the safety, welfare and wellbeing of students.
• Be vigilant and proactive with regard to child safety and protection issues.
• Provide age-appropriate supervision for students.
• Treat all students with respect.
• Promote the safety, participation and empowerment of students with disability.
• Promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of linguistically and/or culturally diverse students and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
• Use positive and affirming language towards students.
• Encourage students to ‘have a say’ and participate, then listen to them with respect.
• Respect cultural, religious and political differences.
• Help provide an open, safe and supportive environment for all students to interact and socialise.
• Intervene when students are engaging in bullying or inappropriate behaviour towards others, for example acting in a humiliating or vilifying way.
• Ensure as far as practicable that adults are not left alone with a child.
• Report any breaches of this Child Safeguarding Code of Conduct.
• Report concerns about child safety to a Child Safeguarding Advocate and ensure that your legal obligations to report child abuse or other harm externally are met.
• Where an allegation of child abuse or other harm is made, ensure as quickly as possible that the student involved is safe.
• Call the Police on 000 if you have immediate concerns for a student’s safety.
• Respect the privacy of students and their families and only disclose information to people who have a need to know.

Do Not:

• Engage in any form of inappropriate behaviour towards students or expose students to such behaviour.
• Engage in prejudicial or oppressive behaviour or use inappropriate language with students.
• Discriminate against any student on the basis of characteristics that are protected in anti-discrimination legislation or express personal views that support or promote such discrimination.
• Engage in open discussions of an adult nature in the presence of students.
• Engage in any form of sexual conduct with a student including making sexually suggestive comments and sharing sexually suggestive material.
• Engage in inappropriate or unnecessary physical conduct or behaviours including doing things of a personal nature that a student can do for themselves, such as toileting or changing clothes.
• Engage in any form of physical violence towards a student including inappropriately rough physical play.
• Use physical means (other than as expressly outlined in our Insert Name of and Link to Restraint of Students Policy (or similar)) or corporal punishment to discipline or control a student.
• Engage in any form of behaviour that has the potential to cause a student serious emotional or psychological harm.
• Develop ‘special’ relationships with students that could be seen as favouritism (for example, the offering of gifts or special treatment for specific students).
• Engage in undisclosed private meetings with a student who is not your own child.
• Engage in activities with a student who is not your own child, outside of school hours and without permission from the student’s parent/carer.
• Engage in inappropriate personal communications with a student through any medium, including any online contact or interactions with a student.
• Take or publish (including online) photos, movies or recordings of a student without parental/carer consent.
• Post identifying information about a student online unless it is necessary for the School’s activities or you have consent from the student and/or their parents/carers. Identifying information includes things such as the student’s: full name; age; e-mail address; telephone number; residence; school; or details of a club or group they may attend.
• Ignore or disregard any suspected or disclosed child abuse or other harm.
  

Starting Kindergarten with Confidence

On Wednesday the Catholic Schools Parent Assembly hosted an evening with Angela Lockwood. Angela is an Educational Consultant and Occupational Therapist with 20 years of experience. The ‘Starting Kindergarten with Confidence’ session provided practical tips for parents to help their children as they begin their schooling journey. Angela emphasised the importance of Talk, Play, Friends, Movement and Connection in the early years and a focus on fine motor skills, independence and emotional regulation. Those in attendance enjoyed Angela’s passion and enthusiasm as she shared wisdom and stories. 

Parent Feedback:  Thank you again for hosting Angela Lockwood yesterday evening - I took away so much information and tips from the session. Could we invite Angela back to present her session on “Parenting in the age of distraction?”

Parking Reminders

Thank you to the majority of parents and carers who are parking safely and walking into the grounds to pick up their children at the Orange Witches Hat on the oval side of the school. Please remember that the front of the school is a bus zone and a non pick up or drop off area.

School Fees 2025

All families would have received a compass email this week informing parents of the fee invoicing and payment options for 2025. Each family is required to complete the short online form link within the email to nominate your preferred payment frequency from the following options:

2025 school fee amounts and payment option breakdown is below. Preferred method of payment is Bpay. Your Bpay details will be on your February statement.

Can I ask that any Term 4 2024 fees now be finalsed as they are now overdue. If you require any information about your school fees please contact Alison Mason at the school office.

Yours in Partnership,

Tim Bleakley - Principal

Mission

Last week we held our Teachers v's Students Fundraising soccer matches. This was such a successful event that raised over $700 for Catholic Missions. The energy on the school oval was amazing and really displayed the amazing school spirit we have here at St Finbarr's. The final result, which did require the match to go to extra time  was Teachers 5, Students 4. 

A huge thank you to all our families for your generosity in purchasing raffle tickets for this event. To all our amazing staff for their assistance, energy and sportsmanship in making this event so successful. Our wonderful Year 6 referees, Byron U, Florence P & Marley H who were such professionals and enjoyed handing out a few red and yellow cards.  Thank you also to Kym & Anna G and Byron Bay Soccer Club for organising and loaning us the soccer jerseys.

This is one event we will look forward to again in 2025.

Our soccer ball raffle winners with our referees Akio D, Kawhi S & Blue B.

Combined Parish School Mass

All our families are warmly invited to our Parish School Mass this coming Saturday night the 23rd of November. Mass is at St Finbarr's Church, Byron Bay at 6pm. 

Yours in Partnership,

Mrs Sonya Piccoli

Assistant Principal Mission-Inclusion & Diversity

Learning & Teaching

Student Writing 

We love celebrating our writing achievements across K-6. Students and teachers co-construct success criteria before creating a piece of writing to ensure students are aware of ‘what makes a good writer’. Students are then encouraged to compare their writing samples against other worked samples in the classroom to ‘bump up’ their work. Following this process, teachers and leadership team members provide immediate feedback to students on areas of achievement or what they may implement to improve their writing in the future. It has been wonderful to see students take on the responsibility of their own learning.

STEM Mad Online Showcase

On Tuesday November 19, Sunday Alexander, Zara Munro and Emi Stapleton represented St Finbarr's at the STEM MAD Showcase online. The Team presented to seven other schools including; St Lawrence Bluff Point, St Joseph's Albany, Mary's Mount Perth and St Oliver Plunkett's Pascoe Vale where they were given the opportunity to pitch their project and respond to questions in a given time period. Congratulations Sunday, Zara and Emi. Take a look - Small Actions Big Impact.

Maths Olympiad

During the course of this year, a selected number of students in Year 4 - 6 participated in the The Junior Division Maths Olympiad. This is an inter-school competition that has been specifically designed to stimulate and challenge high potential and high achieving students in the upper primary years of school. 

It provides an opportunity for students from around Australia and New Zealand to compete as part of a team while striving for individual excellence.  It is a prestigious and highly regarded competition that has been running in Australia since 1987.

The Maths Olympiad creates an opportunity for students to develop increased creativity and flexibility in problem solving and mathematical reasoning, as well as stimulate students' enthusiasm for, and enjoyment of, mathematics.

Congratulations to Louis, Adam, Will, Angus, Eva, Eva, Noah, Molly, Sloane, Spencer, Bo, Aleah and Layla. A special mention to Layla who placed 1st, and Molly and Bo for placing equal 2nd in the individual school team score.

Professional Learning Team Meetings

Teachers meet to collaborate in Professional Learning Teams each fortnight with the Leadership Team, whilst students engage in their Science and Technology lessons. During these meetings, teachers and leadership team members analyse student assessment data including; MAI, PAT Math, PAT Reading, Dibels, NAPLAN, InitiaLit and SpellEx. Pedagogy and teacher instruction is informed based on this analysis of data to ensure we are responding to the needs of our students. In PLT’s this term, teams have been moderating student writing samples to ensure a consistent approach to assessment and reporting across the year level and school.

 Report Preparation

Teachers are currently dedicating their time to complete quality reports for parents. When you receive these reports, It should be clearly evident to you that the teachers really know and understand your child as a learner. The school reports will succinctly and effectively communicate each child’s achievements and potential areas for future focus. It is an enormous task to bring together all of the information, assessment, observations and notes that teachers collect on an ongoing basis, to then collate this and report it to you in its current format. In the coming weeks, we hope in your own special way, you will have the opportunity to say thanks to your child’s class teacher, not just for the report card, but for being that very influential person in your child’s life during 2024. The role of the teacher should never be underestimated and the fruits of their labour are sometimes not evident until years down the track. 

Yours in Partnership, 
Rachel Mitchell
Leader of Pedagogy

Parent Connect