Welcome to 2025

We warmly welcome all children, teachers and families especially those families who are commencing at Clairvaux for the first time. On Wednesday our Year 1- 6 students commenced school. There were many happy faces at school and it was tremendous to see how well they adapted to their new class group and acquaint themselves with their broad range of friends. 

Today we welcomed our new Prep group.  There were lots of smiles and laughter (and some apprehensive parents and children) as we welcomed our Prep children who begin the seven year journey at Clairvaux. To our new families commencing at Clairvaux, we are thrilled that you have chosen Clairvaux where they will grow and develop in our Catholic school.  

For many of you, this is a new chapter in your family’s life. If you have any questions about how school works for a Prep child, please ask. Our office staff and teachers are always ready to support you in helping with even the smallest query.  

We did expect a smooth start today and that is largely due to the days of transition late last year and this week's quick check in with the child's class teacher.  Bianca, our Prep/1 Middle Learning Leader, has been exceptional in reaching out to families and the kinders so that we have information about each child and how best to support each family.  This information is vital in supporting each child and family.

Vicky, Prue, Caitlyn, Siobhan and Bianca are excited about teaching your little one. It was a memorable day.  All Prep children will continue to enter  through Gate 3 for one week. 

Prep Information night: The Prep Information night will be held next Tuesday 4th February at 6.30pm in the Foley Centre.

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This year the Catholic Church’s focus is calling us to Pilgrims of Hope.  

As a school, our hope for our children, our world, our parents and our teachers is that we come aware of the hope that we can instill for ourselves and each other.  Our world is hungry for hope, especially at this time.  In all that we can do to bring about hope,  we are also seeking compassionate leadership from our political  leaders to promote compassion and concern for the other.  Education for our young people is where the hope business starts.

Catholic education has always been grounded in ensuring Catholic school communities promote hope.  Our history as Catholic schools in Australia by our early Catholic religious pioneers was founded on hope. Throughout this year let’s focus on being a prophets of hope in all that we  say and by our actions

God of new beginnings, new ideas, new creations and new hopes, 

We come to you at the beginning of this year with many choices, expectations, anxieties and dreams.

Help us to recognise that we are given daily opportunities to hope.

Help us to speak with hope-filled energy, with hope-filled words.

Help us to have the strength to begin new journeys of hope

Help us to identify signs of hope when all seems lost.

Help us to hear appeals for hope from others and act on them.

Help us to become anchored in hope - to look with positivity to the future and influence others to do the same.

This we ask through Christ our Lord

AMEN

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Deputy Principals
Christine Brennan (Learning Diversity) and Kat Quinn (Wellbeing)

Religious Education Leader
Julie Routley

Middle Learning Leaders
Bianca Giampaolo (P/1), Michelle Owens (Year 2/3), Kat Bohan (Year 4/5) and Scarlett Storey (Yr 6)

Admin
Vanessa Watts, Kylie Vautier, Chelsea Smith (Medical Officer), Andrew Rayson (ICT and Compliance), Sam Lester (Counsellor and Mental Health Leader)

Classroom Teachers
Prep: Prue, Vicky T, Siobhan, Caitlyn
Yr 1: Elly, Holly, Emma, Leanne
Yr 2: Andy, Alyssa, Ngare
Yr 3: Sarah T, Angela, Rhiannon, Molly
Yr 4: Cyndie, Micheal, Sydney, Jordan
Yr 5: Jake, Vicky R, Trinity, Lauren
Yr 6: Damian, Marg, Isabelle, Rod

Specialist Teachers
Visual Arts: Lia, Mady, Louise
Performing Arts: Sarah F, Allison, Lucy, Mariska
LOTE - Italian: Gabriella, Karen, Sue
Physical Education: Simone, Cathy, Amy

Learing Support Officers and Education Support
Kylie VG, Kat I, Tayla, Conique, Blaza, Ella, Layla, Kate, Amy C, Trish, Nettie, Lizzy, Matt, Mel, Nicole, Bre, Maddy, Bec, Tom, Dylan, Ruby, Rebecca, Jacqui, Rheannon P, Sam G, Sineade, Flynn, Jo (Speech Pathologist)

School Timetable

8:35 am First bell (Students are supervised outside)

8:50 Second Bell (School begins - students come inside, unpack bags)

9:00 Third Bell (Class begins)

9:00 - 10:50 Learning Time

10:50 Eating Bell (First Lunch)

11:00 Playtime

11:20  Inside Quiet Play begins

11:35 MUSIC (students and teachers move to lines-no playing)

11:40 Bell & Take-A-Breather (all students to STOP & breathe)

11:40 - 1:40 Learning Time

1:40 Eating Bell (Second Lunch)

1:50 Playtime

2:10 Inside Quiet Play and alternate activities begin

2:25 MUSIC (students and teachers move to lines-no playing)

2:30 Bell & Take-A-Breather (all students to STOP & breathe)

2:30 - 3:30  Learning Time

3:30 End of Day Bell 

School Safety.

At the end of the school day it is important that children and parents wait and walk away from school in the designated areas. Please wait for your child in areas that do not have cars. The yellow lines and the school crossing are safe paths of departure. Teachers are concerned that our children are eager to see Mum and Dad and vice versa that we do become forgetful of safe pathways. We definitely do not want an accident before or at the end of the school day.

Uniform

It is always pleasing to see fresh uniforms on the first day of school and everyone presenting well. We do expect students to be in full school uniform every day and if not, a note provided. The little things can sometimes let us down such as incorrect earrings, long hair not tied back, socks with brand logos or shoes that are not entirely black or students wearing necklaces. We are confident our parents will support their children to appear at school in correct uniform.

Fee statements

Families will receive a Fee statement next week for your child's 2025 school year tuition. Our School fees and levies are charged for the following reasons: 

(a) recurrent fees/levies: to assist in meeting the day to day operating (recurrent) costs of the school 

(b) capital fees: to assist in the purchase of assets (capital equipment and buildings) or the repayment of loans for capital purposes.

Consideration is given to providing a range of payment options that may assist families. We do accept payment of fees in instalments on a fortnightly, monthly or annual basis. Instalments may assist our families to budget for and pay school fees, compulsory tuition charges and other levies.

A range of payment methods including direct debit, EFT and cash( not our preferred method). Monthly or fortnightly direct debit set up on enrolment is the preferred method of payment.

If any families are experiencing financial difficulties, you may wish to apply for a fee concession. To do this please make an appointment with myself through our Business Manager, Vanessa Watts on 52437102. Fee concessions operate on an annual basis and must be applied for each year. 

Geelong Youth Choir

In today's newsletters you will see information about the Geelong Youth Choir.  This may be of interest to some families.

Geelong Youth Choir is a small community group that has been running choir programs in Geelong for over 35 years.  

There are currently recruiting new singers for all our choirs, including:

• Vivace Choir for 5-7 year olds
• Prelude Choir for 8-10 year olds
• Cantore Choir for children aged 10+ with some music/singing experience
• Voices of Geelong (choir for adults, conducted by the talented Kym Dillon)

They have also restarted our popular preschool program "Let's Make Music" which may be of interest to some members of our community.

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This our first newsletter of the school year.  There will be further information next fortnight on our 2025 school structures.

Brendan

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Please note the following dates in your diary:
2026 dates are set as best as possible at this point in time.
Please be mindful they may be subject to change and continue to check.

2026 Term 2

Week 10 Monday 22nd June - School ends at midday 12pm to allow for Parent Teacher Meetings Monday 22nd June - Parent Teacher Meetings Midday - 6:30pm Tuesday 23rd June - Yr 6 Italian Kitchen day Wednesday 24th June - Parent teacher Meetings 3:40pm - 7:00pm Friday 26th June - Assembly 9:10 am - CSC semester two badge presentations Friday 26th June - Last Day of term 2 - 2:30pm dismissal

2026 Term 3 Week 1 Monday 13th July - Student free day - staff PD day Tuesday 14th July -  First Day of Term 3

Week 2 Monday 20th-31st - Book Fair in the library Monday 20th-Whole School Indigenous Immersion Day Friday 24th-City to Surf Athletics-Selected student

Week 3 Thursday 30th-Special Treat Day  Thursday 30th - prep 100 days of school Saturday 1st - Year 5/6 social event - Clairvaux Connect

Week 4 Tuesday 4th -Day 1 School Improvement Day-Review Wednesday 5th - Day 2 School Improvement Day-Review Friday 7th - Yr 6 multicultural Melb. excursion  Friday 7th - Yr 1 grandparents day mass 12pm

Week 5  Tuesday 11th-Prep Ambulance Visit Friday 14th August - St Bernards Day Mass (9:15am) and Mannya Lapathon

Week 6  Wednesday 19th August - Confirmation Preparation Day  Friday 21st - Year 5 incursion market manoeuvers

Week 7 Monday 24th - Teeth on Wheels, Monday 24th - Year 3 democracy Incursion Friday 28th - Teeth on wheels Sunday 30th - Confirmation Mass 1pm and 3:30pm

Week 8 Monday 31st - teeth no wheels third visit Tuesday 1st - year 1 Sovereign hill excursion  Tuesday 1st -Division Athletics Wednesday 2nd - Yr 2 wool museum and bollard walk Thursday 3rd - Father’s Day Stall  Friday 4th - Father’s Day open Morning

Week 9 Tuesday 8th - year 4 bodyworks evening  Thursday 10th - RUOK Day

Week 10 Tuesday 15th - Minty’s Birthday Friday 18th - Book Week Parade and final day of term - we will incorporate a brief assembly into the book parade - 2:30pm dismissal

2026 Term 4 Week 1 Monday 5th October - First Day of Term 4 Saturday 10th October - Parents social night

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4 Friday 30th - Icypole day Friday 30th - World Teachers day

Week 5 Monday 2nd - Student Free Day Tuesday 3rd - Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

Week 6 Wednesday 11th - Yr 5 Leadership incursion

Week 7 Monday 16th - Junior Aths Day Year 2/3 Tuesday 17th -Junior Aths Day Year Prep/1 Friday 20th - Icypole day

Week 8 Monday 23rd - Closure day

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11 Tuesday 15th - Last day of school for 2026

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Meet the Teacher appointments are open for bookings for all students in year P-6. These sessions are held in person in your child's classroom.

They will be held on the evenings on Tuesday 11th February and Wednesday 12th February between 3:40pm and 6:30pm.

Please book your 10 minute session via https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/t9246 (if you are prompted for a code please use t9246).

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If you or someone you know could use a helping hand with meals or essentials, Feed Geelong offers valuable support to our community.

An initiative of the Give Where You Live Foundation, Feed Geelong exists to address food insecurity in the G21 region.

Through the support of donors and partners, Feed Geelong provides funding to local food relief agencies. In addition to this, they work to bridge the gap between hospitality businesses and food relief agencies through their Community Choice program and also provide vouchers for prescription medication and material aid.

Their aim is to ensure everyone in our community has access to a wide network of agencies that offer a diverse range of food relief options, including groceries, pre-cooked meals, community meal events, and culturally appropriate options.

Their services provide fresh meals and assistance to those in need, ensuring no one goes without.

We encourage families to reach out if they could benefit from this support or to share this information with others. Please see the attached map and list of services for more details.

Feed Geelong Website 

Map of Geelong Services

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