Newsletter 17

Dear Parents and Carers

Sunday 30^th November is the beginning of Advent, the preparation time leading up to Christmas.  The word Advent comes from the Latin advenio which translates as “to come to” and refers to the coming of Christ in celebration of his birth at Christmas, coming of the grace of Christ into our lives and through the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

This Saturday November 29, all students and their families are invited come together to attend the WCPS Family Mass at Our Lady of the Mission Church at 6.30pm. Many of our students will be participating in the Mass and we thank them for volunteering to be part of this celebration and contributing to building strong relationships between the school and parish.

Thank you to all community members who attended the Annual Community Meeting and Sundowner last week.  As part of the evening, we heard reports from the Catholic School Advisory Council Chairperson and Treasurer, the P&F Executive President and Treasurer, and the school annual report.  Each of these will be available on the school website shortly https://whitfordcatholicps.wa.edu.au/about/policies/reporting/. We thank members of our Advisory Council, Ryan Eales and Suzanne Healy, and Emma Corcoran and Shaun Francis from our P&F Executive, who conclude their terms at the end of this year. Their leadership, service, and commitment to our school have been outstanding.

Our Catholic School Advisory Council for 2026 includes:

Stacey Brown

Peter Westneat (Parish Rep)

Kristabel Rosario

Jamie Cariddi (P&F Rep)

Ceri Lamb

Ryan White

Jason Ovens

Ola Sommer

Our P&F Executive for 2026 includes:

Jaime Cariddi

Hayley Fellowes

Sine Ovens

Laura Robertson

Debby Vencuillo

Holly Wyss

Demand for places at Whitford Catholic Primary School is very high.  Early next year, we will commence interviews for Kindergarten 2028.  If you have younger children (born July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024) that you intend to send to our school, please complete an application form as soon as possible to ensure current families do not miss out on a place.

Thank you to families who have brought in items for the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal.  Baskets have been placed in each classroom.  If you can, families are encouraged to donate goods to help those in need in our community to celebrate Christmas.  Items need to be in by this Monday December 1.  These items will be packaged as hampers and distributed through the Parish St Vincent de Paul group.  Each class is asked to provide different items which are listed in this newsletter. Supporting this charity is a way that we can demonstrate faith in action, promoting the Mercy values of our school and looking after those who are most in need.

Students will find out their 2026 class during the transition session on Monday 8^th December so that they are aware of these in preparation for next year.  Whilst we have attempted to satisfy genuine parent/carer requests, it is impossible to accommodate all of them.  Staff have worked hard to place children in the class in which they are most suited and have considered student friendship groups, challenges that students may face, student combinations that will allow students to grow academically and socially, and parent requests. Sometimes parents have asked for students to be separated from a particular child due to past social issues and sometimes this is the best course of action in the short term, however for students to develop their social skills and their ability to work with all people, as would be expected in high school and in the workplace, it is important that students work through these differences in a supportive environment.  What can also occur is that a parent may request that a child is with a particular child and the parent of the other child may request that they are not together.  This is a somewhat interesting circumstance.  It is important that you are positive about your child’s class placement to give your child the best opportunity to learn and to succeed in achieving our school values.

Reports will also be available at this stage from Friday December 12.  When discussing and sharing these with your child, celebrate some strengths and growth and also identify an area of focus for 2026.  Please acknowledge the effort your child has put into each area not focusing on simply the grade.

This year, our Year 6 students have been outstanding leaders of our student community and have led various ministries and roles that assist in setting the tone of our school. On Wednesday morning December 10, these students will graduate from Whitford Catholic Primary School.  We take this opportunity to thank them for their dedication to our school and for the way they have conducted themselves this year.  Our Year 1-6 students also attend the graduation ceremony, to support the Year 6 students and to give thanks for the year that we have experienced together.  Also at the graduation, nominated student leadership positions for 2026 are announced.  As part of building our student leadership culture, students who held each position in 2025 present the 2026 aspiring leaders with their badges.  Whilst we have nominated leadership positions, all Year 6 students will have leadership responsibilities.

Wearing the uniform correctly and with pride includes wearing the correct elements of the uniform on the correct days.  It also includes tucking shirts in and being presentable.  Please note that part of uniform includes hair.  The following is from our Uniform Policy:

• Hair longer than the collar is to be tied back, clean, brushed and kept off the face.
• Hair must be a natural colour only, with extreme hair colours and styles not acceptable. This also includes lines and patterns in hairstyles.

On Thursday December 4, there will be a Carols Evening including Our Lady of the Mission Parish, Whitford Catholic Primary School and Padbury Catholic Primary School.  As we are all part of one parish, it is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the joy of Christmas together.  Our school Arts (Music and Dance) Showcase will take place on the same afternoon just before the Carols.

This is a hectic time of the year and there are many events, tasks and dates in our minds.  Despite all this, we need to ensure that we take the time to do the important things with patience and with the right attention to detail.  The most important of these is how we treat each other.  Students are tired, parents and staff are very busy, and in this time, we can help each other immensely by being kind and being thankful for having each other in our lives.  A happy supportive community is one where children feel safe to grow. Please keep an eye on the school calendar as many events including our Family Mass, Carols Night, Arts Showcase, Kindy Christmas Concerts, Year 6 Final Assembly and more are fast approaching.

Congratulations to Mrs Hales and the Year 4 and 5 iHots students who recently represented the school in The Contraption Cup competition, with the Year 4 team taking out first place.

Finally, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mr Carter on his recent wedding. We send our very best wishes to Tim and Gracie on celebrating this special and exciting occasion.

Best wishes and God Bless