From our Principal
Dear Families
Important communication to St Roch’s School Families
Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement
Change to School Practices
A new enterprise agreement covering teachers across most of the Catholic schools in Victoria, including ours, has been approved and is in effect.
The new agreement delivers several positive changes for both our dedicated staff and the overall functioning of our school, including improved pay and employment conditions. One key aspect of this agreement is the inclusion of new time-in-lieu provisions, which will enable our teachers and support staff to accumulate additional time off when they are required to work more than their regular 38 hours per week which might include overnight camps and supervision at evening and weekend activities.
This change is a recognition of the considerable extra work our teachers are asked to do and will enhance their work-life balance and well-being, along with hopefully further enticing aspiring teachers to our profession.
However, implementing these changes will mean that students will finish up a couple of days earlier than usual, on Thursday 14 December at 1.00pm. This will limit any disruption to students throughout the year and enable our staff to avail themselves of their earned time off during the holiday season, rejuvenating themselves for the upcoming year.
We make families aware of this change to give you ample notice of the new finishing up date to accommodate any changes to your schedules or arrangements at what is a busy time of the year.
Implications of Time-In-Lieu
The changes to time-in-lieu will also require us to make some adjustments to school events that take place throughout the year. With time-in-lieu provisions now in place we will need to be mindful of the out of school hours demands we place on school staff. A change to our practices took place this week where we hosted Parent/Child/Teacher Interviews over one evening from 1.30pm as opposed to previous practice where Semester 1 Interviews were scheduled throughout 2 evenings. For the remainder of the school year, and when setting the 2024 school calendar, we need to be mindful of the additional time required of staff out of the hours of the school day.
Please note that these are practices now implemented for all staff in Catholic and Government Schools in Victoria.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding and support in this matter. By prioritising the well-being and work-life balance of our dedicated staff, we are fostering an environment that promotes excellence in teaching and learning.
If you have any questions or concerns about the new enterprise agreement or the revised finishing up date, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Thank you for your continued partnership as we strive to provide an outstanding education for our students.
Program Support Group Meetings and
Semester 1 Parent-Child-Teacher Interviews
Thank you!
Thank you to all parents for your attendance at our Parent Support Group Meetings (PSGs) and the Thursday evening Parent-Child-Teacher Interviews. We hope that the interviews gave you a good insight into the progress of your child/ren throughout the first semester. Please know that our staff are available outside of these interviews if you have any questions at all or would like to discuss your child’s wellbeing or learning.
My thanks to each staff member for the level of care and preparation as provided to each child for the reporting process and throughout the first semester. Special thanks to Nadine Bolton for all of her work with the Program Support Group Meetings.
Congratulations!!!
Parry Family
Wonderful news from Bridie McKenna Parry and Ed Parry with the arrival of your gorgeous boy, Blake Edward Jude Parry born on Monday, 19 June 2023. We look forward to meeting him soon. We know that his sister Scarlett (2M) is very excited.
Kimmy Cheng
Congratulations to Kimmy in Year 4 for coming first place in the National Badminton Championship (under 11) junior team. A great result!
Working Bee
Sincere thanks to our Year Prep, Five and Six families who attended our Working Bee on Sunday. It was a buzz of activity and we are very grateful to the following families Iin no particular order); Phillips, White, Sadri, Mathias-Coleiro, Fernando, Jackson, Moore, Raju, Biondo, Joyce, Guiney, Nichols, Burke, Eckardt, Dhanjee, Athauda, Tiganis, Ivancic, Rzechowka, de Sousa, Lynch, Pugliese, Bartal-Wilson, Maslen, Smarrelli, Kulesza, Briglia and Mount.
Holidays during School Time
We encourage families to always plan holidays for students during gazetted school holiday periods and pupil free days but understand that this may not always be possible. A gentle reminder that If you would like to take your children out of school during the term for a holiday that you will need to request this in writing to the principal principal@srgleniris.catholic.edu.au Wishing you all a wonderful holiday and we look forward to another exciting term - kicking off with our Major Fundraiser on 15 July and our Production - ‘The Sound of Musicals’ amongst many other learning opportunities and events. Safe travels! |  |
Warmest regards
Angie Mastoras
Principal