From The Principal Week 9
Dear Families,
Under direction of Catholic Education, Canberra & Goulburn (CECG), St Clare of Assisi is migrating to a new finance system, which will integrate with the Compass Parent Portal and Compass App. It is anticipated that SCA will begin to use this system by the end of this term.
The move to the new system will increase the integration of the school finances into Compass, with parents/caregivers also having visibility of financial transactions within Compass.
There will be changes to the design of fee statements, which will include a newly assigned BPAY Biller Code and Customer Reference Number (CRN), that will be issued to you once the system has migrated on your Term 3 fee statements.
The payment of school fees directly into a school bank account will no longer be possible in the new system, and the school bank account is being centralised across CECG. If you make regular payment of school fees via Direct Debit, please note that these have been cancelled and you will need to ensure that you move to an alternative payment option.
From next week, BPAY will be the preferred payment method for the payment of student tuition fees and levies. Most banks allow for regular recurring payment to be made via BPAY. For more information on how to enable ongoing payments using BPAY, please speak to your bank.
To assist with a smooth transition to the new system, please ensure that the school is aware of any updated contact details for your family.
We appreciate your support during this transition. If you have any questions, please contact our school’s friendly front office team.
Thank You
Thank you to those who have sponsored me so far for the Sleepout. As a school we collectively raised over $1000 in cash donations today. Tomorrow night I’ll forsake my mattress and warm room for a sheet of cardboard and some concrete, and hopefully and eve, at the National Museum.
If, before the end of the financial year, you were thinking of throwing a few dollars towards a great cause, now is your chance. www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/mattegan-richards
Semester Reports
Individual reports will be available on COMPASS on Monday 26th June.
When reviewing the report with your child you may wish to use the following language. Though the grade indicators are printed on the report, the following may be more meaningful to children.
An E is a starting point, rather than a fail. It means a child is working on the same tasks as everyone else, but is finding Everything in that area a challenge.
A child receiving a D is Developing skills but needs some more support and Direction.
The child who receives a C in a given area is Consistently Coping well with work he or she Can do by themself.
A B is Brilliant because he or she can do a superb job, all By themself.
To get an A is Absolutely Amazing because a child’s work would have to be Awesome All the time.
I am sure that each child will be able to celebrate their successes as well as set goals for next term and beyond.
End of Term Awards
Next Thursday (29th June) at 9am we will hold our Awards Ceremony at which we recognise the efforts of students during this semester. These awards recognise achievement, school spirit, commitment to improvement and consistency of effort. Within each class there are four distinct awards that can be received by students –
- School Spirit - awarded to students who always: display manners and show respect to others; obey class and school rules; have a positive attitude towards school; willingly volunteer for extra duties; and try to do their best on most occasions.
- Academic Achievement - for exceptional achievement across all or specific areas of the curriculum.
- Effort - commitment to learning through excellent work habits and behaviour, and completing homework and set tasks to the best of their ability.
- Most Improved – for commitment to improving across all or specific areas of the curriculum.
Parents of award recipients have been advised and all other parents are more than welcome to attend the assembly.
Staff Absences
As winter has begun we are at that time of the year where there is a lot of sickness around. We have had a number of staff away in the last week and unfortunately, there are times when we are unable to provide relief teachers due to demand. In these times, we do our utmost to cover the class with other staff members, however there may be situations where your child may be placed in another class for the day with set work.
WWVP
Just a reminder to anyone coming in to the school to help that you must have your WWVP card on you. Although you sign in when you arrive and record the WWVP card number and we have a photocopy of this, if we are audited whilst you are in the school building, you must be able to show the card. If you are unable to, you will be given a personal fine and the school will also be fined. Thank you so much for your cooperation with this compliance.
Leaving SCA?
Don’t forget to let us know if you are planning to leave St Clare of Assisi at the end of the year. (Year 6 exempt of course!) We will soon commence the process of planning enrolments and class numbers for next year.
Preaching to the Converted – but can we do more?
If you are reading this newsletter, you probably do so each week. Family lives are busy; I know it is in my household, and it is important to keep up to date with what’s happening in your school.
Last week a parent complained that they weren’t told about an event for her child’s class. She was right; we didn’t call her on the telephone to let her know.
Instead we informed all families about it in every newsletter for three weeks. It was also on the calendar which is always accessible on the school website.
However, I know we don’t always get it right. If you can suggest ways in which we can improve our communication, please let me know. My email address is matthewer@cg.catholic.edu.au, our phone number is 6294 1860, or you could even drop in to have a chat. I’d love to hear from you.
Term Three Starting Date – Tuesday 18th July
Monday 17th July is a pupil free day in all Catholic Primary Schools in Canberra. Teachers will be working together to enhance our planning and teaching strategies. All students will commence Term Three on Tuesday 18th July.
It was once said…
Blessings to you and your family.
Matt Egan-Richards
Principal