Term 4, Week 10 - Monday 16 December, 2024
What's On This Week
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School Holidays
21 Dec 2024 - 24 Jan 2025 |
Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
December is a wonderful month. It is a momentous time in our calendar. This time centres around love, generosity and togetherness, rooted in the birth of Jesus. It is a time of Faith and reflection, community service, Liturgical celebrations and has been a time of teaching core values to our students. Our Parish Mass times are included in this Newsletter - I encourage you all to please read the St Raphael’s parish bulletin for further information about services during December.
To our students, well done on a fantastic year. Your teachers feel extremely blessed to teach you, and feel a sense of loss as you go to your new year level and teachers. At the end of the year staff reflect on your growth within the year. Many of you exceed one year's expected growth in your learning. This is through perseverance, application and commitment. Next year we encourage all students to strive for more than one year's personal growth. Imagine the potential for learning if students exceed one years growth every year of their education.
Next year we will commence our Extension Program for students in Years 5-10. We have a group of fantastic teachers who have begun planning for our Extension Program. They have identified measures to determine a student's giftedness or very high levels of ability in one or more given areas. Next students and their staff will be given notification of selection. We are aiming to give numerous students exposure to the Extension Program over the year.
To our staff, thank you for the outstanding commitment each of you have to our school; your love for our community certainly provides our students with a strong foundation for developing each student holistically. I often comment to our staff that I have worked in all systems in my 33 years in education, and that I have absolutely never seen staff work as hard in any school. We are blessed to have our wonderful staff.
To our parents, we wish you a blessed Christmas filled with love and family. Don’t forget our Christmas services at St Raphael’s Church. Our parent support certainly compliments the learning our students undertake every day. Thank you for all you do.
Finally thank you to the P&F, parents and students who have been involved in numerous fundraising throughout the year. It will be great for the P&F to put their hard earned money to some great initiatives for our students next year, and in turn leaving a family legacy.
In particular, thank you to Alison Rutledge for your many years of P&F service to our students. You have provided wonderful learning and care for our environment. Thank you!
To all have a safe and blessed Christmas and Happy New Year!
God Bless,
Michelle Deschamps - Principal
From the Assistant Principal
Welcome to the final edition of the Assistant Principal’s Report for 2024.
I spoke to the students on Monday during Monday Muster about the power of reflection. To reflect on what you have achieved, what you could have done better, your successes, these are all important practices that we should employ to not only become better educators but better people. To this end, I have been reflecting on my first year at St Raphael’s and I cannot help but smile. This smile is due to the wonderful community that is St Raphael’s, whether it be the interactions with students and developing relationships with them, talking and getting to know staff and building a “first choice” school or also developing positive relationships with parents and carers so that we are all headed in the one direction. All facets of the school make me smile!
Could we do better? Of course we can, but this only happens with the power of reflection and wanting to move forward. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but we cannot dwell in the past but use lessons from it to move forward. So on that note I am looking forward to 2025 and continuing to develop St Raphael’s into a learning community that continues to develop outstanding young men and women.
So on that positive note I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
David Wickham - Assistant Principal
Faith, Mission & Learning
Third Week of Advent: Joy
This week, we light the third candle of the Advent wreath, the pink candle, we celebrate joy, a deep and abiding sense of happiness that comes from the knowledge of God's love and the fulfillment of His promises.
The joy of Advent is beautifully reflected in Luke 2:10-11, where the angel declares to the shepherds:
"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord."
This joy is not based on fleeting circumstances but on the certainty of Christ's presence in our lives. It reminds us to trust in God's plan, even in the midst of difficulties.
As we reflect this week, let us ask ourselves:
- Do I take time to rejoice in the simple blessings God provides each day?
- How can I share the joy of Christ with others, especially those who may feel burdened or alone?
Let this Advent season be a time to embrace and spread the joy of knowing that Emmanuel - God with us - has come and continues to walk with us.
Gabrielle Bruin - Leader of Faith, Mission & Learning
End of Year Activities
Kindy to Year 5 Class Parties
It’s 2024 party time! Time to celebrate a wonderful year of learning!
Tomorrow, Tuesday the 17th December, all Primary classes will be celebrating the year that was, by holding a class party.
All students have been asked to bring $4 to school for their class party. Class teachers will then purchase celebratory food for the class to share. We will also be holding our Infants disco (2.00pm in St Brigid’s Hall) and Primary disco (2.00pm Saint Raphael’s) on this day.
Everyone is encouraged to wear Christmas themed mufti for this celebratory day. Thank you for supporting our efforts to end the year with Christmas Cheer.
Volunteer Appreciation
As a token of our appreciation we would like to invite all school volunteers to attend our End of Year School Mass followed by a morning tea in our Convent Courtyard. Our Mass begins at 9:30am on Wednesday 18th December. Thank you to all volunteers, you certainly enhance our school community and more importantly our students' learning and well-being.
Kindergarten Performance at End of Year Mass
Kindergarten will be doing a performance on the last day of school (Wednesday 18th December) at the End of Year Mass in the church. This starts at 9:30am (Our performance will be first up and Kindy will leave directly after their performance). Parents and families are all welcome to attend and watch their wonderful performance. All costumes are provided, we just ask that they wear their sports uniform as per usual on a Wednesday. Please note - Please ensure your child has arrived at school (unless catching a bus) no later than 8:45am on the 18h of December so we have time to get them changed into their costumes. If any child will not be attending the performance on the last day of school could you please let us know as soon as possible.
Secondary Notices
Summer school uniform (NOT sport uniform) is to be worn on Wednesday for K-12 End of Year Mass. Students may add Christmas bling to to their uniforms after Mass, for participation in the End of Year Trivia celebrations.
Lockers need to be completely empty! If you put stickers on the locker door, then remove them too!
Library books are now well overdue and need to be returned immediately!
2025 School Year -Key Information
2025 School Requirements
A reminder that all school uniform items may be purchased from Mr Embroidery, Redfern St Cowra, in accordance with the St Raphael’s Catholic School Uniform Requirements.
Additional stationery purchases will be required as per:
- Infants & Primary Equipment List
- Year 7 Equipment/Book Requirement List
- Year 8 Equipment/Book Requirements List
- Stage 5 Equipment/Book Requirement List
- Stage 6 Equipment/Book Requirement List
Provided here are the School Bell Times for 2025 – please note the confirmation of school start and finish times (8:50am – 3:10pm) and a change to class/period durations to bring Secondary and Primary bell times in line.
Families are reminded that there is to be no general student access to school grounds before 8:20am.
2025 School Fees
Please see attached the following in relation to 2025 school fees:
Year 7 2025
For Year 7 2025 students, their first day will begin at 8:20am on Wednesday 5th February with a welcome breakfast and gathering in the Mother Scholastica Learning Centre (MSLC). All Year 7 students and their families are invited to attend this event, to celebrate the commencement of Secondary School, meet with teachers and other families and to join us in wishing all Year 7’s well as they embark on their very exciting year.
The school day then commences at 8:50am, and Year 7 students will be introduced to Secondary Life at St Raphs, and as such are to wear their sports uniform (including hat) for participation in a range of activities over the course of the day. There will also be a BBQ lunch provided for each student. Students are to bring their own recess.
Regarding technology and any required electronic devices, in 2025 all Year 7 students will be provided with their Chromebook device by the school. It is a 'Take Home Device’ for use at both home and school, however it will remain the school's property. There is no payment required, and no requirement to purchase any other device. Students will be issued with their Chromebook device in Term 1, 2025, pending signing of the Student & Parent/Carer Take Home Chromebook Device - User Agreement. Further information regarding the distribution of these devices will be provided in the New Year.
Kindergarten 2025
Please note the following key information regarding the commencement of Kindergarten 2025 at St Raphael’s Catholic School.
The First Day of School for our Kindergarten students is Thursday 6th February 2025.
A reminder that all school uniform items may be purchased from Mr Embroidery, Redfern St Cowra, in accordance with the Kindergarten Requirements
St Raphael's School Bags are an optional purchase, but are highly encouraged as a functional and standardized option for your child's needs. These may be purchased from the school office at any time.
Kindergarten students are required to supply their own Paint Smock, Library Bag, Headphones (plug in, not wireless) and a Box of Tissues for the Classroom (per Term).
For those families new to St Raphael’s, in the New Year you will be sent an email with your Login details to access our Compass Parent Portal communication App. Once you receive your Login details, all communication regarding Kindergarten 2025 will be distributed via Compass.
Community Connections
The Bathurst Catholic Development Fund is celebrating 60 years in 2024!
At the Catholic Development Fund, our mission is to financially support the 17 parishes that make up the Diocese of Bathurst. We do this by offering great investment opportunities to our parishioners, and any profit that we make after you've been paid interest, goes straight towards supporting and funding great projects like building schools, restoring churches, and offering services. To find out more about banking with the CDF - view the video here.
Support for the Bishop's Christmas Appeal - helping our neighbours in Santo, Vanuatu
Dear Parents and Staff,
As we approach the season of Advent and prepare to celebrate the joy of Christmas, we are reminded of the call to extend our love and generosity to those in need. This year, the Bishop's Christmas Appeal will support a very special cause: the rebuilding of a school in Santo, Vanuatu, which has been significantly impacted by hurricanes and an influx of families seeking refuge from a nearby volcanic eruption.
The school in Santo plays a vital role in the local community, providing education and stability to children whose families have been displaced. However, recent natural disasters have left the school severely damaged, making it challenging to provide the necessary facilities for learning and growth.
Your support for this appeal can make a meaningful difference, helping to build classrooms, provide essential resources, and restore hope for a brighter future for these children and their families.
Every contribution, no matter how small, is a step towards bringing joy and opportunity to those who need it most this Christmas. Donations over $2.00 are Tax Deductible and can be made through the Diocesan Website https://bathurst.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to share the spirit of Christmas by supporting our neighbours in Vanuatu. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of many.
A short video is available here with more information https://youtu.be/