Hello Families and Friends,

FAITH, MISSION and the SACRAMENTS: Last Tuesday a group of parents gathered for a presentation about the Sacraments. Fr Gerard, Robin Smith and myself led the session where we revisited our own experience of celebrating the sacraments and how we might re-engage with them. We were fortunate to have Sonya, Darren and Margaret share their experience of how they continue to engage with the sacraments through their own commitment to life in the parish. It was a great opportunity for parents to consider how they might support their own child to make connections between the sacraments, the mission of God and how parish can support us to connect to and encounter God in very real ways.

Whilst the adults were in the Discovery Centre, our Year 3s, 4s and 6s were exploring the sacraments in class with Nina Grieve, Kathryn Fitt and Tremain Lynch. Afterwards, children met their parent for a faith walk and reflection in the church. 

Today l have spent the day working with Tserlin Hetherton- our IT consultant and Bronwyn Seedeen. We are redesigning our website, creating some new marketing/promotional material and l can't wait to share it with you over the coming months.

Our school tours continue to be fun opportunities to show off our school and the learning that is so evident. I'd love to keep finding great ways to promote St Luke's out in our local community and my latest idea is personalised tote bags. Let's grab one and leave it in the car so it will be the first bag you pick up to take into the supermarket, to the green grocer or butcher, to Forest Hill Chase or to Doncaster. See details below about how to get one.

In a couple of weeks, we hope to have some new flyers to distribute. We will be calling on each family to drop a flyer into the letter boxes of the other houses in your street. We know you will be impressed with the artwork and approach we're taking.

On Wednesday, it was wonderful to celebrate International Women's Day with the fabulous women we have on staff. I hope your child came home and thanked you or expressed their gratitude of another significant female in their life.

We were very fortunate to have a visit from Julianne Kelly on Wednesday. The children were thrilled to see her and she had the opportunity to thank them for their support, prayers and love over the past weeks. She reassured them that she is looking forward to returning once her treatment concludes. Year 1-2 E have Marie Kennedy in class on Mondays and Tuesdays, which is great.

Finally, I am thrilled to introduce some of our student leaders below... they are an exceptional group of Year 6 children who have a wonderful sense of fun, of confidence and pride in being a St Luke's student leader.

Make sure you enjoy a lovely, long and leisurely weekend.

Clare

A reminder that parents and carers are welcome to attend our weekly Monday school assembly.  In good weather we gather in the middle playground, and when it's not so great weather, we meet in the Discovery Centre or the hall.  Assembly starts at 3.10 pm and concludes prior to the end of day bell.

This year, Catholic Education Week will be celebrated across the Archdiocese of Melbourne from Sunday 12 March to Sunday 19 March.

The week is an opportunity for our school to join all 334 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese to celebrate our distinctive Catholic identity, our achievements, and the role our school plays within our parish and local communities.

The theme for this year’s celebrations is ‘Forming lives of faith, hope and love in the light of Christ’.

Catholic education seeks to provide students with a high-quality education that is inspired by the example of Jesus Christ and fosters the development of the whole person, forming individuals with more than just skills, but with the virtues to live life as transformative agents in our communities.

Some of our Year Six Leaders will attend the Mass of St Patrick for Schools held on Friday 17 March and celebrated by Archbishop Peter, followed by the Concert in the Park for primary school students.  We look forward to photos and a report in our next newsletter!

Hi everyone!

Sport is off to a flying start at St Luke's in 2023.  We are two weeks into our Classroom To Court tennis program for Year 3-6's, and wow, the response has been so positive!  Kish from Advantedge Tennis Academy has been guiding our students through proper forehand and backhand technique and everyone has loved practicing over the mini nets.  We have one more week of tennis in PE lessons and then a fabulous excursion to Kish's home courts at H.E Parker Tennis Club on Wednesday 29th March.

Another exciting development in Year 3-6 Sport has been the announcement of our St Luke's students progressing through to the Syndal District Athletics Carnival on the 31st March.  Congratulations to our 51 competitors, lunchtime practice commences next week!

And finally, National Ride2School Day is happening next Friday 24th March to raise awareness about healthy habits, and we as a staff encourage everyone to throw on their runners and walk, scoot, skate or ride part of their journey to school.  More information will be coming out soon!

We invite all families to complete an enrolment form for our Prep 2024 intake.  Please either visit the school office for a hard copy or contact Debbie via email:  schooloffice@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au for a digital copy.

If you know of family or friends who are looking to move into the area OR are considering moving schools for their child OR want to  commence their child at a great primary school, please encourage them to come by for a tour. A quick phone call to Debbie in the office or email via our website will get the ball rolling. 

From time to time, lunch boxes are left at home and accidents happen at school where sandwiches land in the dirt.  If this does occur we will be able to provide a vegemite, cheese or butter sandwich to children who are not allergic to bread or dairy.

Hi Everyone,

The St Luke’s Parents and Friends (P&F) are running an AFL Footy Tipping Competition and we’d love you to participate!

To be part of it:

1. Please sign up at www.footytips.com.au
2. Find the Competition named: “St Luke’s Tipping Comp”
3. Password is: stlukes3130
4. Sign up as a family or individual
5. Please contribute $25 to the P & F bank account:

              Name: St Luke the Evangelist Parents Association

              BSB: 083 347

              A/C: 9089 65814

Start tipping and Good Luck!

Terms and Conditions:

Sign up to www.footytips.com.au and payment to the P & F Account which needs to be confirmed by Wednesday 15th March, 3.00pm, in order to be a participant.

• Winner of the Tipping Competition will win 30% of total monies

• Second prize winner will win 15% of total monies

• Wooden Spoon participant will receive 5% of total monies

Remaining contributions are for the P&F as a fundraising activity.  There will also be five nominated rounds where the top weekly tipper will win a prize!

This is a P&F organised fund raising activity, for St Luke’s families and St Luke’s parishioners only.

Good luck everyone!

St Luke’s Parents & Friends

As part of our wellbeing care of children at St Luke's, every class engages in a morning routine at 8.50 am. This quiet, calm time allows children to gather together in a circle, to greet each other by name, to pray and/or enter into some Christian meditation and get ready for the day. Please make sure you allow enough time to get your child to school BEFORE the student entry doors close at 8.50 am.

If children arrive after the gate and student entry doors are locked, parents/carers are required to walk their child/ren to the school office and sign them in on the VPass iPad.

If leaving early (before the end of the day), parents/carers are required to sign their child/ren out on the VPASS iPad.

Families with a health care card may be eligible for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF), provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF.  A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

If you wish to apply for CSEF please contact the school office to request an application form.   All completed forms must be returned ASAP.

Health care card holders are eligible for the MACS fee concession, application forms are available from the school office.

As part of promoting our school in the local community, we have a supply of St Luke's promotional shopping totes, available from the office with a limit of one per family.

But...there is a catch.  To secure your free shopping tote, we are asking that you grab this bag as your first choice when out and about in the community... at the supermarket, at the green grocer, around Forest Chase or Doncaster... wherever you shop.

Please visit the school office next week for a free family bag or send a message through to Deb or Clare at schooloffice@slblackburnsth.catholic.edu.au requesting that one be sent home.

Kelly Club is excited to extend an invitation to St Luke families to join the  School Holiday program at St Scholastica's Primary School, Burwood. 

The program will run Monday 10 April through to Friday 21 April 2023 between 7am and 6pm.

Please see the document attached to the SkoolBag email for program, program and registration details.

Please ensure that your child/ren have their school hat (no caps) with them each day in Term 1 2023, as they must wear it outside during breaks, sports and if lessons are held outside.  If they forget to bring their hat it will be No Hat No Play.

It is school policy and child safety requirement to wear hats in Terms 1 and 4

If your child has lost their hat or it is damaged, you can purchase them along with other uniform garments from Spartan School World (https://www.spartanschoolworld.com.au/collections/st-luke-the-evangelist).  With Click & Collect, Home Delivery or School Delivery options. 

"Live Your Best Life in Love"

Every relationship is a journey and the grind of everyday life can cause you to lose touch with your spouse.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends are simply a series of presentation topics given by a specially trained team of three couples and a priest.  Most of your time is spent learning and developing a technique of communication called dialogue.

This experience gives married couples the tools to keep your passion alive in a gentle, nurturing environment, away from pressures and distractions of daily living.

The weekend is based around Catholic values and couples of all faiths are welcome.

Please visit the Marriage Encounter website for more details: wwme.org.au

Information/Bookings: Phone Mercy & James 0409 183 676 or Email: vicbookings@wwme.org.au