St Matthew's Catholic Primary School

Parish Priest: Fr Florentino (Boy) Galdo

School Principal: Mr Bob Brown

Deputy Principal: Mrs Carmela D’Amato

RE Leader: Mrs Helen Howden

School Email: principal@smfawknernth.catholic.edu.au

School Phone: 0393595423 

Hello to Students, Parents, Staff and Friends of St Matthew’s,

A Warm Welcome Back to all our current students and families and a Warm Welcome to all our new students and their families as well. I hope you all had a most enjoyable Christmas and relaxing holiday break.                                                                                                                                     

 2021 PREP STUDENTS

What a great start we got off to last Friday with our 2021 Prep students attending school for their very first day. There were only a few tears and these were from more parents than students. They had a great first day and even though it was a shortened day I am sure they went home quite tired after all the excitement of commencing their Primary Schooling. Yesterday saw them tackle their first full day and by all accounts their teachers Miss Vanessa Piscitelli and Miss Jenna Pedersen were very pleased with how they handled the day.                          

*******Prep Parents please remember that there is no formal school day for this Wednesday 3rd February and the two following Wednesdays 10th & 17th February. All students in Prep will be expected to attend one of these Wednesday sessions for some assessments.      

YEARS 1 – 6 KICK OFF 2021

Yesterday also saw the Year 1 – 6 students commence their 2021 school year. As they arrived at school it was obvious that they were also very excited about returning to school. Catching up with their buddies, being in a new Grade level with a new teacher are somethings to really look forward to. The grades I had a chance to visit looked pretty happy with themselves.

NEW START & FINISH TIME

Please remember the new start and finish times for school as listed below:                                 

8:30am ~ School gates open and students come in and wait in their line up area. ONLY PREP PARENTS are allowed to accompany their children into school.                                               

8:40am ~ The First Bell rings and students walk into their classrooms.

 8:50am ~ The Second bell rings. All students are expected to be at school by this time.

9:00am ~ All lessons commence including Specialist classes.

9:00am – 11:00am ~ Morning session.

11:00am – 11:40am ~ Morning Recess time.

11:40am – 1:40pm ~ Middle  Session.

1:40pm – 1:50pm ~ Lunch eating inside time.

1:50pm – 2:30pm ~ Lunch Time Play 

2:30pm – 3:15pm ~ Afternoon Session 

Gates will open at 3:10pm and all Parents are able to come on the school site as of Monday 8th February, next Monday.

All adults must wear a mask as it is impossible to keep 1.5 metres apart.

STAFFING SCHEDULE FOR 2021

On page two you will find an extensive list of all our staff members and their various roles. As you will see there are many full time staff, but also quite a few part time staff. We welcome those teachers in Red and Bold print – Miss Jenna Pedersen (Prep B), Mrs Connie Costa (Grade 1A), Mrs Jackie Fleischmann (Student Wellbeing Leader) and Mrs Sarah Auld-Callinan (Visual Arts Teacher). We warmly welcome all four Ladies and wish them every success in their time at St Matthew’s.

PLEASE NOTE: PUPIL FREE DAY                                                         

On Friday 26th February there will be a Pupil free day, so there will be no school for all students. All Staff will be attending a Professional Development Day at school which we are very fortunate to have facilitated by Mrs Sue Larkey. Sue is unashamedly passionate about her mission – to inspire parents and educators and teach them how to Make it a Success. Sue Larkey is uniquely positioned within the education system having taught both as a primary school teacher and a special education teacher. She is a highly qualified educator who has taught students with autism spectrum disorder in the mainstream and special schools. She combines practical experience with extensive research having completed a Masters in Special Education and currently undertaking a Doctorate in Education. She is an authority on Autism and Students and we are looking forward to an informative and practical day.

Once again Welcome Back one and all as we all look forward to a wonderful year at St Matthew’s.  

All the very best

Bob Brown

Principal                 

2021 TERM DATES

TERM 1   Friday 29th January        -         Thursday 1st April

TERM 2   Monday 19th April           -        Friday 25th June

TERM 3   Monday 12th July           -          Friday 17th September

TERM 4   Monday 4th October       -        Friday 17th December

Easter: 2nd April –5th April 2021 (DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS)

Dear God,

This week we come to you in prayer Lord, asking you to help our students experience peace this year. We pray they will not worry about things they cannot control, but you will guide their hearts and minds and keep them trusting in you.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Welcome back everyone,we are happy to invite and encourage families to come to our playgroup every Monday and Thursday from 9am-11am. In the Family Room at st Matthew’s primary school.

Playgroup is an effective program to engage families and children from 0-4 years of age with the school community. There are many many activities that can benefit your children in many different ways.

For further information and bookings, please call Bushra (Playgroup Coordinator) on 0451474773 or call the school office on 0393595423.

Due to current restrictions there will be a limit of a maximum of 10 parents with their children for each of these sessions.  Please be aware that all adults will need to wear a face mask during the time they are at playgroup. We thank you for your understanding regarding this. We are looking forward to meeting you very soon!