2025 - Term 2, Week 9

Welcome to the Term 3, Week 9 Newsletter

What a busy and exciting term it has been at Emmaus, full of rich learning and community events! One of the standout moments was our inaugural STEM Fair last week—a fantastic evening that showcased curiosity, creativity, and innovation in action.

The success of the event was due in large part to the outstanding coordination by Kieren Gulpers, along with the incredible teamwork and support of our dedicated staff. Special thanks to Andrea de Dezsery for setting up the beautiful art exhibition, which added colour, depth and creativity to the evening.

To our wonderful Parents and Friends (P&F) community—thank you! A heartfelt thanks to Courtney and Nicole for your amazing organisation of the pizzas and drinks. The atmosphere was vibrant and filled with energy, and it was so heartening to see such strong community support. We are truly grateful to have such an engaged and generous parent community.

Another highlight of recent weeks was our Instrumental Music Showcase—a joyful celebration of the musical talents our students have been developing. It was a wonderful opportunity for families to witness the growth, confidence and skill students have gained through their hard work and dedication.

At Emmaus, we strive to offer a broad range of programs and activities that support every child—the creative child, the sporty child, the artistic child, and, of course, the academically inclined child. This holistic approach is a priority for us because we know that wellbeing is essential for learning. If a child does not feel safe, secure and supported, they will not be in the right frame of mind to learn—just as we, as adults, struggle to focus at work when we’re overwhelmed or unwell. We continue to place student wellbeing at the heart of all we do.

I’m incredibly proud of our teachers and staff for their dedication and hard work throughout the term. Together, we have navigated a great deal of change with perseverance, determination, and a smile on our faces—and it has led to significant, positive outcomes for our students.

We also take this opportunity to farewell our much-loved Music teacher, Cindy Buckley, who will be sorely missed by staff, students, and families. Over the past four years, Cindy has made a significant contribution to the life of the school, aligning the Music program with our Strategic Plan and vision to ensure that every child has access to a musical instrument during the primary years. We thank her for the care and commitment she has shown our students, particularly through her work with the choir and instrumental groups. On a personal note, we have deeply valued her flexibility when things haven’t gone to plan, and her openness to change and continuous improvement. Our Music program is undoubtedly in a stronger position because of her leadership, passion, and creativity. We wish Cindy all the very best for what comes next.

We are currently advertising for a new Music teacher to continue the strong foundation Cindy has built. Music remains a priority at Emmaus, and we are committed to offering rich and creative learning experiences for every child

In other staffing news, we are delighted to welcome Cristina Vaudo, who will be joining us as the new Italian teacher. Cristina comes to us from Cardijn College and brings with her a wealth of expertise and experience in the field. She will officially begin next term but will join us in Week 10 for a handover and to meet the children. We look forward to seeing how Cristina shapes and enriches our Italian program.

On a sad note, we will also be farewelling Rhiannon White at the end of the term. Rhiannon has accepted a mid-year teaching position at Catherine McAuley School—a long way from Emmaus. While her heartstrings are certainly pulled, she is excited about the opportunity to have her own class. Rhiannon has done an outstanding job continuing to deliver the Italian curriculum this term and has shown great dedication to her students. We are grateful for her time with us and wish her every success in her new role.

Wishing all of our students, families and staff a wonderful and restful term break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in two weeks' time, along with 24 new Reception children and 10 new students across years 1 to 6.

Take care and see you soon!

Warm regards,

Suzanne Budd

Principal

Important Reminder for OSHC Families – Payment of Fees

We kindly remind all OSHC families that fees must be paid in full by the end of each fortnight.

OSHC statements are generated fortnightly, and you will receive a notification via email with a link to your Fullybooked account to view your most recent statement.

Unfortunately, we are seeing a growing number of families falling behind on payments. This places significant strain on our OSHC service and impacts our ability to operate smoothly.

To avoid disruption to your child’s care, please ensure your account is up to date. Unpaid accounts may result in suspended access to OSHC and cancellation of existing bookings.

Payments can be made via QKR! or direct deposit:
BSB: 066-782
Account Number: 100002617

We greatly appreciate your attention to this matter and your ongoing support in keeping our OSHC service sustainable for everyone.

This year, student reports will be distributed differently. Families will be able to access their child’s Semester 1 report via SEQTA Engage on the last day of Term 2.

If you have already logged in to SEQTA Engage, simply use your account to access the report when it becomes available. If you have not yet logged in, please check your primary email inbox (including spam/junk folders) for the welcome email containing your unique login link. If you cannot locate a valid or working link, please contact Kate Thompson at kthompson@emmaus.catholic.edu.au to have a new link sent to you.

Please remember that grading may look different from what many of us are used to. In line with the 2013 Education Act and Education Regulations, Catholic schools use an A–E Grade Scale to report student achievement from Years 1–10:

Note: Parents/carers will be contacted prior to reporting if a student receives a D, E, IE, or N/A grade.

Dr Emily once again brought some brilliant insights to The Imperfects as they discussed harmony in relationships, and how sometimes compromising our needs to keep the peace can lead to more issues. This is just as relevant for the parent-child dynamic and highlights the importance of mindfulness or taking time out to look after yourself first to be able to show up better for the kids.

Within our school community there are students who shine brightly, displaying exemplary dedication and academic talent. They deserve to be recognised and this year we are giving them the opportunity to showcase and celebrate their talents in the world-renowned ICAS competition.

What is ICAS?  

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies. ICAS results are in-depth and meaningful, and ICAS evaluates student performance against other competition entrants across the state and nation. The data reveals student strengths and weaknesses and can help you recognise and support your child's academic journey. Learn more about ICAS here. 

ICAS results and certificate

Every student who participates is celebrated and recognised with a printed certificate in each subject area, and an online results report to track development each year. Top performers are eligible for one of the highly coveted ICAS medals.

Your child’s ICAS certificates will show their results and the login details, “TAP ID and Pin”. - Use these to enter the Results Portal https://orti.icasassessments.com/ortiStudent

How to participate in ICAS  

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please go to the Parent Portal to register for your chosen subjects.

You can do this in one of two ways:

1. Direct login link – faster!

Use this link to log directly into the shop and start registering:

https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/parent-payment/XQB557

2. Log in using the PPS code

Visit our shop and use our PPS code to log in:

Shop link: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

PPS code: XQB557

Registration for all subject areas closes on Monday 28 July at 11:59pm.

This year, our students can elect to sit the following assessments:

Please note, we cannot facilitate refunds or make alterations as all money is paid directly to ICAS Assessments.

Read the terms and conditions here.

Privacy collection statement  
The following information is a privacy notification about how your child’s data is kept private and secure.
ICAS Assessment is owned by Janison Solutions Pty Ltd (We, Us, Our).
To deliver assessment products, Janison will require your child’s School to obtain your consent to provide Janison with certain personal information of students. Janison will collect, store, use, disclose and otherwise deal with such personal information in accordance with its privacy policy (below). We are aware of our responsibility to protect personal information related to children and students from being disclosed when we deliver an ICAS Assessments product. Unless you, as the child’s legal guardian consents, we will not:

• collect any personal information or data of children other than the information we need for the successful completion of an assessment, test, or exam.
• transfer any personal information we obtain from a child in the delivery of assessments and tests to any jurisdiction outside of Australia.
• share any personal information relating to children with any third parties (except for those third parties necessary for us to carry out our Services or provide our Products e.g., medal engraving).
• use any personal information or data relating to children for marketing purposes.

You can view our full privacy policy here.

We may retain personal information and data relevant to a child for their future purposes or for research purposes by Janison for the duration of the school life cycle of the child. However, if you or your child at any time wish to have their personal information or data removed from our systems, they or you may opt out by simply contacting our Privacy Officer at privacy@janison.com or by contacting icasassessments@janison.com.

We are proud to be offering ICAS to our students this year and encourage you to consider entering your child. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you have any questions.  

Kate Thompson

Assistant Principal

Learning and Wellbeing

Are you looking for a rewarding way to give back to the community? We’re currently seeking enthusiastic volunteers to support charitable work at our school. While this role does not involve working directly with children, appropriate checks are required.

Some of the tasks may include:

• Assisting with online record keeping and ordering
• Light manual handling tasks

Time commitment: Just one day per fortnight, for approximately 2 hours.

Your support will play a valuable role in helping us serve others and uphold our school’s mission of compassion and community.

If you’re interested or would like to know more, please contact Emily Simunsen at: esimunsen@emmaus.catholic.edu.au

We’d love to have you on board!

Volunteers play a vital role in our school community, and we welcome your support! To ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students, all volunteers must have:

•  A current Working With Children’s Check
•  A current Catholic Clearance
•  A current Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse, and Neglect in Education and Care (RRHAN-EC) Certificate
•  Completion of the volunteer induction

⚠ Reminder: The RRHAN-EC certificate expired last year, so please check that yours is up to date with an expiry of 31 December 2027 to ensure you are compliant.

For more information or to get started, please download your volunteer pack here. Thank you for making a difference!

Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students is a top priority here at Emmaus. As such, we would like to remind all parents and guardians of the multiple avenues available to report student absences or late arrivals.

To report your child's absence or late arrival, please use one of the following methods:

Reply Text to 0417 038 063. Please note that direct messages to this number will not be received.

Phone (08) 83227211: Speak to our friendly staff or leave a message on our answering machine if calling before 8:30am.

Email: Send an email to absent@emmaus.catholic.edu.au or information@emmaus.catholic.edu.au.

We kindly ask that you contact the front office for any absenteeism notifications. Due to the morning activities in classrooms, it may not always be possible for teachers to relay messages to the office before 9 am.

For extended leave requests of 5 days or more, please complete the absenteeism form at the front office.

Late Arrivals and Early Departures:

If your child arrives late to school or needs to leave early, they must be signed in/out via the iPad at the front office by a parent or guardian.

It's important to note that if a student is late to class and the arrival hasn't been reported to the front office, they will be marked as absent, and a text will be sent to parents from 0417 038 063.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in ensuring the safety and well-being of all our students.

We kindly remind all families that the Emmaus Staff Carpark is designated for staff parking only and should not be used for OSHC (Outside School Hours Care) drop-offs or pick-ups.

To ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families, we ask that parents and caregivers use the appropriate visitor carpark and designated kiss and drop zone when dropping off or collecting children from school (including OSHC). Using the staff carpark for this purpose can create congestion, limit staff access, and pose potential safety risks.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in keeping our school community safe and ensuring that staff have access to their designated parking spaces. Thank you for your ongoing support!

The Kiss and Drop zone is the yellow marked area as you enter the carpark from Todd Street, that enables you to drop off and pick up your children safely and quickly.

The intention is that drivers do not wait in these zones and that you stay in the vehicle to ensure traffic is streamlined and traffic queues are minimized.

In reality, it only takes one or two inconsiderate drivers to overstay in the zone and the system breaks down, leading to frustration and delays.

Please familiarise yourself with our Kiss and Drop guidelines:

• Kiss and Drop zone is a NO PARKING zone. If your child is not ready and waiting for you, please continue to lap the carpark. Alternatively, park your vehicle in a carpark and wait. Please do not park in the kiss and drop zone to wait for your child as this builds up traffic on Todd Street where accidents have occurred. The aim of Kiss and Drop is for free flowing traffic.
• It is an expectation that drivers continue to the end of the kiss and drop zone, to allow room for others.
• For safety, it is recommended that students exit and enter the vehicle kerbside only. Children should have their schoolbags on their lap to ensure the driver does not need to exit the vehicle.
• Do not get out of your car.
• If you are required to get out of your vehicle to assist your child with their bag or seatbelt, please do not use Kiss and Drop. Park your vehicle so you can assist your child safely. 
• Staff will be on Kiss and Drop duty to assist with free flow of traffic and child safety from 8.30am - 8.45am and 3.05pm - 3.25pm. Please ensure your child is collected by 3.25pm.
• Please use the pedestrian crossing when walking between the carpark and the Kiss and drop area.
• Please ensure you remain under the speed limit of 10km/h at all times.

Staff have been advised to remind all families to use the crossing correctly. If you choose not to use the crossing, you will be redirected by staff on duty. Please do not take this personally; it is their job to keep everyone safe.

A message from SAPOL: "Students and families are reminded to be wary of approaches from strangers, especially when they are unaccompanied or travelling to and from school. If they are approached, students should not respond and should not accept offers of rides or gifts.

Students should seek the assistance of other nearby adults if they feel unsafe and should report the event to a trusted adult (parent or school staff member) as soon as possible. 
SAPOL advises that taking out a mobile phone and calling police can deter the offender and they recommend the student making a formal report to their closest police station."