Principal Communications, 1 December 2023
Dear Parents and Carers
As our students leave today for the summer break the staff and I wish you and your families a blessed Christmas. May you know the Prince of Peace and the stability knowing him brings to our world.
Many of you have thanked the staff for the ‘above and beyond’ moments with your children. I am privileged to lead a College where the staff are so deeply committed to the holistic growth of every child. In 2024 we look forward to sharing with you more about the Character Virtues Framework that informs our Character and Faith Formation for each child, and we look forward to partnering even more fully with you in the implementation of the framework. You can find the overview at the link below.
UNIFORM
Uniform – particularly the new uniform items and their availability has been on everyone’s mind of late. The wharf issues and other logistical challenges have impacted our uniform supplier. We anticipate new items will be available from mid-January. As soon as we have confirmation that items are in store, I shall pass this information on to you. I am working with the supplier in an effort to make things easier for you by having samples of each size of each formal uniform item at the Carbrook campus for you to come and try. Following this you can make an online order and have these delivered to the College for an easy pick up for you.
The sports uniform has NO CHANGES and Heads of School have made the decision to have all students wear sports uniform only for the first week back. I hope that will ease the pressure on you to equip your child for the start of the year. While the situation we find ourselves in is not ideal for all who like to be organised and avoid the January crowds, we are working to give you the best outcome we can.
SPORT – particularly UPNA netball teams
Over 2023, we have expanded our sports programs and in support of this we have employed our Phys Ed teachers fulltime in the Junior Schools to ensure all students have good exposure to opportunities within the curriculum to develop skills in sport and recreation. This flows over into a co-curricular program which then extends to involve teachers who commit time to coaching and supporting our athletes. Parents and alumni play an important role in the community of support that stands around our students in their sporting endeavours. Continuing to upgrade our sporting facilities remains on our agenda next year. Added to the co-curricular program is extra-curricular sport. This operates beyond the confines of the College and with our support. Recently we communicated with parents whose children participate in the UPNA Netball program on Saturday morning at Underwood Park.
Following changes to some staff commitments, the College notified parents whose children participated in this program in 2023 that we no longer have a staff member who can coordinate this program. There is a parent body who is looking to continue to provide this service to students. Please see the expression of interest form below and return it if you are interested in being part of this venture. Next year a final decision can be made about whether this Saturday Netball club can continue to operate for 2024.
Next week as staff finish up and leave for their summer break we will be saying farewell to a number of staff. Over the semester I have communicated these changes as they arose. I am very thankful that we have a full complement of high calibre staff for 2024 and I also want to thank those listed below for their faithful service to Calvary. We wish them everything of the best in the future.
Mercia Armstrong leaves us following the successful completion of further study and will be pursuing a different direction in her career. We are pleased to have been able to support Mercia in her studies and wish her well in her future career path.
Jess Short has served as a nurse on the Carbrook campus and we are appreciative of the processes she put in place to improve our students’ health hub experiences. Her skills were of particular value during the first year of COVID!
Casey Dickson confirmed her resignation recently and we wish her all the best as she moves on to a new adventure in teaching. We will miss her.
We also wish Anna Glen a successful and happy year as she embarks on a year’s leave.
The following staff end contracts with us and all have indicated a willingness to provide relief for us in 2024. We thank them for their service as they helped us meet staffing needs and look forward to their ongoing participation in our community.
Chiara Davey, Tania Nicholson, Sonet de Jager, Ros Murray, melissa Handley and Kate Ziegenfusz.
Over the break our Carbrook office is open between 9am and 4 pm except for the Christmas shut down from Friday 22 December. We re-open on Tuesday 2 January.
Enjoy the summer, and I look forward to welcoming you back to our 40th anniversary celebration year in 2024.
Yours sincerely
Cherylynne Gostelow
Principal & CEO