Dear Parents and Carers, 

I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all the students, parents, and teachers for making the Three-Way Conferences such a success this week. Thank you to those parents and carers who embraced the online booking form. Effective communication with parents, especially regarding children’s progress at school, is a high priority at St Clare of Assisi. At any time during the year parents are encouraged to request a meeting with class teachers to discuss their child’s progress. Teachers ensure that parents remain informed about any issues that arise in the school context. We believe that it is much better to address concerns, celebrate successes and for parents to feel reassured and confident in what is happening in the classroom when there are open channels of communication between home and school. 

Our planned forms of communication this year include: 

• Class program overviews sent home each term. 
• Interim Reports sent home. 
• Three Way Conferences offered at the start of the year. 
• Semester Reports provided at the end of each semester. 
• Optional Parent-Teacher Interviews offered on a termly basis. 

• General news through our emailed weekly School Newsletter, the school website, our School Calendar, and our COMPASS app.

Please do not hesitate to contact teachers as the need arises either in person or via email. All parents are encouraged to download the COMPASS app, as messages and notes are communicated this way. 

God bless. 

Rachel Smith 

Principal  

Principal’s Notes 

COVID Update 

Thank you to our community for your commitment in adhering to COVID restrictions and procedures. 

The ACT Government is making some changes to the way rapid antigen tests (RATs) are distributed to ACT school communities for the remainder of Term 1. RATs will continue to be available through our school but will be provided to staff and students on an as-needed basis - or in response to increased cases as necessary. If you require additional RATs, please contact the Front Office. 

You are reminded that staff and students cannot attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19. These include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, loss of smell/taste, muscle/joint pains, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting, extreme tiredness, unexplained chest pain or conjunctivitis (eye infection). 

If symptoms occur at any time, you should not attend school and should undertake a Rapid Antigen Test. If a Rapid Antigen Test is positive, you/your child should isolate as someone who has tested positive to COVID-19. If you cannot access a Rapid Antigen Test, you can attend a PCR (nose and throat swab) testing clinic. 

Please remember to inform the Front Office if there are any positive cases, and a reminder that further information can be obtained from the ACT Health website. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher/s directly if you have any concerns or questions. 

School Car Park 

When using the car park of a morning and after school please be mindful of all the members of the community and proceed with caution. Whilst the dropping off and picking up of your children is your priority, I ask that you are aware of the children and families accessing the school and the car park at that time. Please drive slowly through the carpark and be aware of those around you before leaving your car park. 

Uniform 

Thank you to the many parents who have ensured their child is wearing the correct uniform. Enrolment at St Clare of Assisi indicates that each child will abide strictly with our school’s dress code. This code states that each child will wear full and correct uniform to school each day. The only exceptions to this are when the school holds an “out of uniform” day or special dress up day. Parents are asked to strongly support this rule making sure that shoes are of the correct type - BLACK LEATHER school shoes and the school bag has the school’s logo. All aspects of a student’s appearance are gender inclusive i.e., apply to both girls and boys.  

• Student’s hair should be clean and neat; fashionable extremes, including head patterns shaved into head are not permitted. Shoulder length hair or longer must be tied back. Only natural, all-over hair colour is acceptable. The Principal or Assistant Principal will contact parents if other hair styles are of concern.  
• Accessories are to match school colours (maroon and navy blue).  
• No jewellery may be worn other than small, plain (silver or gold, no colour) ear studs, a watch or medical alert identification. Only one stud per ear (i.e., earlobe). 
• Nail polish and make-up in any form are not part of the school uniform.  
• Students out of uniform are required to bring a note from home on the day.  
• If a student is out of uniform, parents may be contacted and requested to give a commitment to resolve the problem. 

Term Two Starting Date – Wednesday 27th April 

Monday 25th April is ANZAC Day and a public holiday. Tuesday 26th April is a pupil free day in all Catholic Primary Schools in Canberra. Teachers will be continuing their work with the Catalyst program that we began last year. All students will return to school on Wednesday 27th April.