Dear St Clare's Community,

Welcome to Week 6! This does mean we have only 4 weeks left until the end of the school year. Term 4 is always so very busy with events and often finishes before we are ready. We have been extremely fortunate to have a number of events already, such as Day for Daniel, Crazy Sock Day, Mini Fete and the Melbourne Cup Hat Parade just this morning... It is wonderful to see students and staff connecting on these special occasions, this sense of community is part of what makes St. Clare’s such a special place. We have a few more of these opportunities to gather on the horizon, with the swimming carnival and concert and BBQ ahead.

School Fees

Thank you to all families who have made their school fee payment. Please ensure that fees are finalised prior to the end of the term. If you wish to discuss outstanding fees, please contact the office to make an appointment.

For those who pay their fees by direct debit or Bpay we appreciate if payments continue over the holidays to ensure there will be no outstanding fees starting 2024.      

Enrolments 2024

While we do not like to see our families leave St. Clare's, we understand that circumstances change, and families can relocate and move away. We currently have families on waiting lists across year levels. If your child will not be returning to St. Clare's in 2024, please contact the office as soon as possible.

Seeking New Board Members

We require two Board Members to fill positions being vacated due to families reaching their final year at St. Clare’s. The Board meets once per term and the main focus for the Board is the future direction of St. Clare’s and dealing with policy and procedures. If you are interested in serving on the Board in 2024, please contact me, either by phoning the office or via email - principal.tully@cns.catholic.edu.au

Attendance data to date - 76.7% of students have attended 90% (or more). Our goal is 90% of students attending 90% of the time. 15.5% of student absences are unexplained. Our goal is 0 unexplained absences. Our unexplained absences have reduced from around 20% - thank you very much and please continue to notify the office if your child will be away from school.

 

Attendance Matters (why it’s important)

✔ A bright future for your child starts with good school attendance every day, all day
✔ Good attendance doesn’t guarantee positive outcomes for students, however, positive outcomes are unlikely to occur without good attendance.

Every day counts

✔ A day here or there may not seem like much, but your child missing one day a fortnight will miss four weeks in a year, and nearly 1½ years of school by Year 12.
✔ If your child misses 3 weeks of school a year, that’s a year of school by the end of Year 12.

Every minute matters

✔ Being just ten minutes late every day adds up to nearly half a year of lost schooling from Prep to Year 12.
✔ Good time keeping means making sure that your child is at school and ready to learn before the school bell rings.

Good habits start early

✔ It is important that children develop regular attendance habits (over 95%) at an early age. The pattern of attendance in Year 1 is highly predictive of what patterns of attendance will be in subsequent years. Let’s work together
✔ Our attendance goal is 90% or more of students attending 90% or more of the time and 0% unexplained absences.

The main reasons for absence and what we can do

✔ Sickness – Naturally there are times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick, and setting good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can make a big difference.
✔ Holidays – It is vital that holidays are planned during school holidays where possible, and not during the term if it can be avoided.
✔ ‘Day off’ – Think twice before letting your child have 
‘day off’ as they could fall behind their classmates – every day counts.

SAVE THE DATE: Sunday 12th November

On behalf of the CYM, an invitation is extended to all to come and celebrate Father Kerry Crowley’s 50th year Anniversary of Ordination, at St. Clare’s Catholic Church, Tully. Mass will be held at 9am, followed by Brunch. Everyone is asked to bring a plate to share (savoury or sweet) for brunch and BYO drinks. Tea and coffee supplied. This will also be an opportunity to hold a reunion of all past members of the CYM and come together to celebrate and share memories of the past. If anyone has any photos, please bring them with you. Please spread the word

For further information contact Lou Crema on 0427 669 635

Best wishes for the week ahead,

Karran Burzacott
Principal