Term 2, Week 3 Newsletter 2025

From the Principal

School Survey: Tell Them From Me

I know people cringe when they hear the word ‘survey’ but please help us out if you can! 

We are inviting parents to provide feedback on their experience of our school using an online survey. This week students from Year 4-6 completed their survey as did teachers. The surveys are an important part of our whole school evaluation and planning process.

After the survey from parents, students and staff, with the same process last year, we have since acted upon feedback and achieved:

• Two new classrooms are up and running.
• A first class library has been established with support from a trained librarian.
• An excellent After School Care and Vacation Care program operates out of the school hall.
• More sporting opportunities are now available, new sports uniforms purchased and we have appointed a designated school sports coordinator.
• Lunchtime library, chess, drawing and board games now available each day.

We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at St Finbarr’s.

The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL below:

Mothers Day
Our Mothers Day Liturgy and Breakfast last Friday was, once again,  a special occasion. Thanks to Mrs Piccoli who organised a beautiful morning service as we prayed for all Mothers and special family members. It was wonderful to hear new and old  families of St Finbarr’s singing praise for the spirit and welcoming culture present at the school. Thank you to those who were able to come along and we look forward to celebrating our Dads on their day in September. Also special thanks to our wonderful staff who set up, cooked and served the food for the morning.

ANZAC Day
During the holidays we had a representation of students and families who braved the wet weather to join the ANZAC Day ceremony in Byron Bay. Attending the ANZAC Day march is important for our children as it helps them develop a deeper understanding of Australia's history, values, and sense of national identity. By being involved, they honor the sacrifices made by past and present servicemen and women, learning about the importance of courage, mateship, and resilience. It also fosters respect and gratitude from a young age, connecting them to the broader community and ensuring that the legacy of the ANZAC spirit is carried forward by future generations. Thank you to all families who were able to attend and especially Eva Brook and Darcy Stone who read so confidently and Libby Poulsen who presented the wreath at the ceremony. Our Year Six students are doing a wonderful job of being role models and leaders this year.

Welcome
Kinder enrolments close this week and we have had a great deal of interest and positive feedback from our school tours thus far. There are still waiting lists in some years, however we’ve been excited to welcome a number of new families this term who have chosen St Finbarr’s as their choice of school. A big, warm welcome to Tux, Henry, Reuben, Archie, Ivy, Annie, Baltazar, Florence, Arlo, Sonny, Amara, and Poppy and we look forward to you being an important part of our school community.

Running Club
One morning each week before school this term students have the opportunity to join in the fun at Running Club on the school oval. It’s a great way to start the day with relay races and games as we encourage fitness and fun. It certainly helped our Cross Country team last week with a great overall performance from the school bringing home the Champion School trophy. We usually have around 30 children attend Running Club and this term our focus is on preparing for our school athletics carnival on 16th June.

School Photos
School photo day is often an exciting distraction to the school routine. Thank you parents for having the children so beautifully presented. It is getting easier with each year as we continue to hold high expectations for all students with our uniform policy. There were still a few reminders required today with children asked to remove non- compliant jewellery and a number of students wearing their hair out. Whilst we undertand this looks lovely its important that we maintain our school presentation and uniform guidelines every day of the year. Teachers do a wonderful job managing the excited children and keeping them out of mud or puddles for the day as we aim to ensure the photo keepsake is worth the investment. The company we use are very professional and take on any feedback received from the school or parents.

Message from the School Photographer:

School Catchup Photo Day will be on Friday 23 May, this will be for individual and siblings photos only. Any Parents who have not yet paid but know that their children's Sibling photo was taken should go to our website https://store.theschoolphotographer.com.au/ to place their Sibling photo order.

The order code required to be entered online to order any of your School's photos is:  X6081P53S 

If you have any future enquiries please send an email to: enquiries@theschoolphotographer.com.au 

Mary McEvilly-Butler to Speak at EDUtech Australia 2025
We are so excited that one of our dedicated St Finbarr's team members, Mary McEvilly-Butler, will be a featured speaker at EDUtech Australia 2025, taking place on June 11–12 at the International Convention Centre in Sydney.

Mary is not only one of our amazing teachers at St Finbarr’s but also a passionate Science and Technology Teacher and Digital Technologies Coach. Her session at EDUtech will help other educators to explore innovative ways to embed digital technologies in the classroom, helping them to foster creativity, engagement, and critical thinking in their students.

We are proud to see Mary represent our school community on such a prominent national stage!

 Yours in Partnership,

Tim Bleakley
Principal

Catholic Faith & Identity

Welcome Pope Leo XIV 

A Leader of Love and Justice!

We are joyful to welcome Pope Leo as the new leader of the Catholic Church! Pope Leo is known for his kind heart, his love for all people, and his strong voice for fairness and justice. He cares deeply about helping the poor, protecting the environment, and making sure everyone feels welcome in the Church.

What Does the Pope Do?
The Pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He is based in Vatican City, a small independent country inside Rome. Catholics believe the Pope is the spiritual successor to Saint Peter, one of Jesus’s closest followers. His role is to guide the Church, teach its beliefs, and speak out on moral and social issues. While he has no political power outside the Church, many people—religious and non-religious—listen to what he says because of his global influence.

Pope Leo reminds us that Jesus wants us to care for one another—especially those in need—and to treat everyone with respect and love. As he begins his journey as pope, let us pray for him and be inspired to live out our faith with open hearts and helping hands.

Please read below Bishop Greg's message regarding the election on Pope Leo XIV

School and Parish Mass

You are warmly invited to join us for a special Combined School and Parish Mass this Saturday evening, the 17th of May, 6pm at St Finbarr’s Church.

This celebration is a meaningful occasion for our entire community, as we come together in prayer and fellowship. It is also an Enrolment Mass for students preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, a special night marking the beginning of their continued sacramental journey.

We would love to see as many of our families and friends there as possible, united in support and spirit. Your presence would mean so much to our students and to the whole St Finbarr’s community.

Let’s fill the church with faith, love, and community spirit.
See you there!

St Andrew's Visits

We’re excited to share that St Finbarr’s students will soon begin year-level visits to St Andrew’s Nursing Home in Byron Bay. These visits are a wonderful opportunity for our students to build meaningful connections with the elderly in our community.

Through a range of engaging activities, students will bring joy and companionship to the residents, while gaining valuable life experiences in empathy, communication, and service. These visits help foster a strong sense of community and intergenerational connection—something we value deeply at St Finbarr’s.

Permission for these visits will be sent out via Compass as each year level’s visit approaches.

We look forward to the positive impact these visits will have on both our students and the residents of St Andrew’s.

Confirmation 2025

This year there are 21 candidates in our Holy Spirit Parish preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. We invite you to keep these  candidates and their families in your prayers as they continue their sacramental journey.

The Confirmation ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 4th June at 6:00 PM at St Finbarr’s Church, Byron Bay, and will be celebrated by Bishop Greg Homeming alongside Father David Gilbey.

We warmly welcome all St Finbarr’s families and friends to join us for this special and sacred occasion.

Parish Bulletin

Inclusion & Diversity

Join the World's Largest ADHD Parenting Summit

Parents are invited to register for the FREE International ADHD Parenting Summit, featuring leading global experts, practical strategies, and real-life advice to help children with ADHD thrive. Accessible online from anywhere.

 Understanding the NCCD

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) is an annual process in which schools collect information about the support provided to students with disability. This helps ensure all students receive the adjustments they need to participate fully in their education. The data helps schools, education departments, and the government to better understand and plan for the needs of students with disability, while protecting student privacy. Please see below a fact sheet and as always, please contact the school if you have any questions.

Yours in Partnership,

Mrs Sonya Piccoli
Assistant Principal Mission-Inclusion & Diversity

Learning & Teaching

Semester One Reports

You will receive your child’s Semester One Student Report at the end of this term (accessible on Compass) and we wish to draw your attention to important aspects of our assessment and reporting practices that will be reflected in the achievement grades.  We hope this clarifies how teachers are assessing and reporting on the learning evidence, in particular what a C grade means.

The Common Grade Scale, developed by NESA, is used to report student academic performance for students in Years 1 to 6. Students are given an A to E grading which summarises the standard or quality of achievement and describes the depth of knowledge and understanding and the range of skills that students working at that standard typically show.  Each grade level describes three important elements — the learning contexts, the quality of knowledge and understanding, and the quality of skills. Use of the Common Grade Scale enables our school to report consistent information about student achievement and supports teachers in their planning for the next steps in the learning process.  

Teachers are engaged in rigorous processes to collect and analyse student work samples and assessments to inform the learning and teaching. Teachers use a range of evidence to assign A-E with the following in mind:

Kindergarten students will not be graded A-E.

Kindergarten students receive a written report based on the three levels of achievement:

• Working Towards the stage outcome
• Working At the stage outcome
• Working Beyond the stage outcome

At St Finbarr's our goal is to develop expert learners who are more able to transfer what they learn and apply it successfully in new situations.  Evidence of learning is not just in books or files, as we engage students in more collaborative learning; more focus on students slowing down and thinking more deeply; more focus on students processing and explaining their learning.  Teachers  and students  are striving to develop new and improved ways to record and share evidence of learning.

Student reports are snapshots of each student’s learning at this time, based on evidence from a range of assessments.  The reports do not stand on their own, but are an important element of the learning and teaching cycle and our reporting and communication practices. There should be no real surprises in your child’s report.  The learning goals in the reports identify your child/rens next steps and are the focus moving forward and they will be monitored and adjusted routinely.

ICAS Assessments

We know our students are amazing, so we’re giving them the opportunity to showcase and celebrate their talents in the world-renowned ICAS competition this year.

 What is ICAS?  

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies.

Every student who participates is celebrated and recognised with a printed certificate in each subject area, and an online results report to track development each year. Top performers are eligible for one of the highly coveted ICAS medals.

 How to participate in ICAS  

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please go to the Parent Portal to sign up to your chosen subject areas using the link below. You will require the code: QVL747

Registration for all subject areas closes on Monday 28 July at 11:59pm.

Yours in Partnership,
Lauren Magnus
Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching

Help Your Child Thrive: Reading at Home Information Session

(K-2 Parents)

Discover how to make reading at home a rewarding and effective experience for your child. Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 parents are invited to join us for an informative session:

When: Thursday, May 29th, from 8:15 to 8:50 am 
Where: St Finbarr's hall

We'll explore the research that underpins successful reading development and share practical, enjoyable strategies you can use at home. Student supervision will be available in the playground from 8:15am. We hope to see you there!

Celebrating writing.

Tahlia - Year 5

Yours in Partnership, 
Rachel Mitchell
Leader of Pedagogy

Sports News

WINTER SPORT TRIALS:
Congratulations to these talented students who represented our school in the following sports.

POLDING 
Polding Soccer (Bathurst)

• Luca Watson 

Polding Rugby League (Bathurst)

• Roley Cohen 

Roley now progresses to NSWPSSA State as part of the Polding Team for Rugby League.

State Tennis (Bathurst)

• Frankie Smith
  Frankie was the number one seed in her team which came 4th overall out of 12 competing teams

CROSS COUNTRY 
Congratulations to these talented students who represented our school at Zone Cross Country

12s Boys + Girls

• Jake
• Roley 
• Oka
• Connor
• Spencer
• Billy
• Luca
• Grace
• Zara
• Libby
• Millie
• Indie-Rose 

11s Boys + Girls

• Hayden 
• Henry
• Raff 
• Lennie
• Angus
• Jackson 
• Lisiane
• Tahlia
• Bonnie

10s Boys + Girls

• Jonas
• Taj 
• Levi 
• Otis
• Wyatt 
• Mia
• Coco
• Izzy 
• Alaska

8/9s Boys + Girls

• Blue
• Levi
• Billy 
• Marcus
• Zephyr
• Marlo 
• Violet 
• Esther
• Billie 
• Alexandra

St Finbarr’s won the Tweed Zone Championship Trophy.
Congratulations to those students who made it through to the Diocesan Cross Country Championships in Grafton in 2 weeks

Joe Keane - Sports Coordinator

Library News

For families that haven't seen inside our new school library. Come in for a look around at anytime! Library open: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 8:30-3pm.  Here are some images of fun learning time in the library.

Parent Connect