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Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back, we are all looking forward to another exciting year at St Clare’s. I hope this newsletter finds you feeling refreshed and ready for the many experiences and opportunities that lie ahead.
I extend a warm welcome to our returning students, new students, parents, and staff. The beginning of the school year is a time of anticipation, new opportunities, and the promise of growth. Today, it was a joy to welcome back all of our Year One to Year Six students, and tomorrow we eagerly look forward to welcoming our new Kindergarten students to St. Clare’s.
This year, we welcome new staff members to our community. Mr. Joel Jarrett joins us as Assistant Principal. He brings with him a wealth of expertise and dedication, and we look forward to his contribution to our school’s future success and positive atmosphere. We also welcome Mrs. Mel Lewis, a wonderful addition to the front office staff.
Our staff have engaged in two staff professional planning days in preparation for the return of the students. In the coming weeks, you will have the opportunity to meet your child’s teacher. These meetings will provide an important chance for parents to share information about their child’s learning and well-being, ensuring we work together to support their growth.
As we begin the school year, we’d like to remind families of a few important procedures:
Morning Procedures:
To help ensure a smooth start to the day, parents will be asked to say their goodbyes at the gate in the morning. Students will then walk to their designated areas, marked by grade flags, to line up. We appreciate your cooperation in this process, as it helps us maintain a calm and orderly beginning to the school day.
Afternoon Dismissal:
For the first few weeks of school, the gates will open at 2:35 pm for parents. After this time, the gates will open at 2:25 pm for parents who would like to join us for prayer and to be present for dismissal. As we continue to settle into our routine, we will be reminding students of our dismissal procedures. We ask for your patience and support as we ensure every student is safely and efficiently dismissed.
We encourage you to stay informed about everything happening at St. Clare’s by reading our fortnightly newsletter and COMPASS reminders, as well as, following us on social media. These platforms will keep you updated on important announcements, student achievements, and all the latest happenings within our school community.
Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding as we implement these procedures. Together, we will create a supportive and engaging environment where our students can thrive. We are grateful to have you as an integral part of the St. Clare’s community.
Let us all pray for a successful school year and for the continued guidance of our Lord in all that we do.
Yours in partnership,
Marg Foldes
Principal
I am thrilled to introduce myself as your new Assistant Principal and to join this vibrant, faith-filled community. As we embark on this new school year together, I am filled with a deep sense of excitement and anticipation for all the possibilities that lie ahead.
At St. Clare’s, we believe that every student is a gift, and it is my prayer that this year will be one of growth, achievement, and shared success. I am eager to work closely with the dedicated staff, committed parents, and the wonderful students who make this community so special.
As we start this new chapter, I’d like to share a Bible verse that reflects the hope and drive we bring into this year:
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
– Jeremiah 29:11
This verse reminds us that each new beginning is part of a divine plan, one filled with hope and opportunity. With this in mind, let’s approach this school year with enthusiasm, determination, and a shared commitment to success. I look forward to working together to create an environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, and spiritually.
Uniform Expectations
At St. Clare’s, we take great pride in our school uniform as a symbol of unity and respect. It is important that all students return in the appropriate uniform, and the Uniform Policy for Term 1, 2025 is as follows:
- Long hair to be tied back using appropriately coloured bands or ribbons (green, black or white)
- Hair should not extend to cover the eyes or touch the shirt collar
- Hair should be pulled/pinned back if it covers the eyes or touches the shirt collar.
- Hair is to be neat and tidy at all times
- Hair is required to be its natural colour
- Hair styles should be moderate with no extremes such as to draw the attention of others or invite comment (for example undercuts, steps or shaved lines within the hair)
Boys Summer Uniform:
- Mint green short sleeve open neck over shirt embroidered logo on pocket
- Grey Scags 108’s shorts
- Black shoes, grey ankle socks
- Bottle green legionnaire hat/bottle green slouch hat with school logo
- Bottle green fleece or jumper with logo
Girls Summer Uniform:
- Green/white check dress –Peter Pan collar
- Bottle green legionnaire hat/bottle green slouch hat both with school logo
- Black shoes (lace or buckle), white ankle socks (no anklets)
- Green, black or white hair ribbons/scrunchie (no fancy headbands)
- Bottle green fleece or jumper with logo
2025 Meet and Greets
Our 'Meet and Greet' sessions will take place from 10th to 14th February and 17th to 21st February (Weeks 3 and 4). These 15-minute one-on-one appointments provide a great opportunity to meet with your child’s 2025 teacher, discuss your child's needs, and receive grade specific/class information about the upcoming school year. A variety of timeslots will be available each day, with parents able to choose from sessions between 7:30 am - 8:15 am or 2:45 pm - 5:00 pm within the specified date range.
Meet and Greet appointments can be made via the COMPASS Parent Portal. Bookings will open on Tuesday, 4th February and close on Friday, 7th February.
Parent Information Session
A Parent Information Session will be held on Monday, 17th February at 5:00 pm in the school hall. This session will provide key information about school policies, procedures, and our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) program.
Grade Newsletters
The Grade Newsletters for Term 1 have now been released! These newsletters provide an overview of the curriculum for each year group, along with important details such as Sports Day, Library Days, and Rotation Days. I encourage all parents to take a moment to review these documents as they contain key information to help you stay informed and support your child’s learning journey.
St Clare's Bicycle Policy
If your child is in Years 3 - 6 and intends to ride a bicycle to school, please ensure they collect a Bicycle Users Permission Note from the Parent Handbook or the school office. This form must be completed, signed, and returned to the office before your child can ride their bike to school.
Mr Joel Jarrett
Assistant Principal
Blessings for a new school year,
Pope Francis has announced that 2025 will be a Holy Year of Jubilee, a sacred time for grace and spiritual renewal, marked by prayer, pilgrimage, and sacramental repentance. This event, typically celebrated every 25 years, aims to inspire the faithful to lead holier lives, strengthening the Church’s role as a witness to God’s loving mercy in the world. The theme for the 2025 Jubilee Year is "Pilgrims of Hope." In Choosing the motto ‘Pilgrims of Hope', Pope Francis said - We must fan the flame of hope.
“We must fan the flame of Hope that has been given to us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and a far-sighted vision.’
Pope Francis wrote that ‘Everyone knows what it is to Hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future will bring.’
The Penance program has recommenced. Families are asked to have their child/children’s attendance at Mass recorded by one of the attendants and to pick up an envelope containing the three prayers that they will need to learn. Children will need to be able to recite confidently and without hesitation these three prayers at one of the Prayer Assessment evenings scheduled for 11/12 March.
We are looking forward to coming together as a community to celebrate the Opening School Mass at St Paul's Parish Camden on Friday 21 February, at 11:30am. Parents and carers are most welcome to attend however please be advised that there is very limited seating.
Have a wonderful week.
Mrs Jennifer English
Religious Education Coordinator
SYMPATHY
Please keep in your prayers, the family of Talara (Year 3) and Cody and Aaliyah (past students) whose mother passed away suddenly in the holidays.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
~Amen~
St Clare's Prayer Box
At St Clare's, we have introduced a Family Prayer Box for families to use during Term 4. This will continue in 2025. If your child is interested, they can speak to their classroom teacher about bringing it home.
The box includes a white cloth, coloured ribbons, a flameless candle, a cross, prayers, and a workbook for personal reflections. To set it up, simply cover the box with the cloth, arrange the ribbons based on the Liturgical season, and add the candle, cross, and prayers. Feel free to include a family photo or flower to make it personal.
Praying together strengthens family bonds and deepens your relationship with God, supporting your child's spiritual growth and your own connection to faith. Thank you to the beautiful families who have sent through some photos of their prayer space set up in their home.
We would love to see your home prayer space setup! Please feel free to share a photo by sending it to info@scnvdow.catholic.edu.au so we can celebrate it with the wider community.
Kind regards,
Miss Ally Carter
Catholic Life & Mission
Each fortnight we focus on a particular area of our school expectations. Students and staff collaborate on ways to support each other in meeting these expectations. Thank you for supporting us in helping our students to be the best they can be. To begin our year in 2025, our fortnightly focus for Term 1 - Weeks 2, 3 & 4 is 'I know and follow the school behaviour expectations and routines.' Please take some time to view the table below so that as parents, you have a full understanding of what is expected of students, teachers and parents this fortnight. When we all work together, we achieve great things.
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2025 |
Any additional dates will be updated on the Compass parent calendar and future newsletters |
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January |
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Monday 27 |
Australia Day Public Holiday |
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Friday 31 |
Staff Development Day (no school for students) |
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February |
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Monday 3 |
Staff Development Day (no school for students) |
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Tuesday 4 |
Students in Years 1 - 6 commence school |
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Wednesday 5 |
Kindergarten 2025 commence Year 6 Leadership day with Explore, Discover, Act |
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10 – 21 |
Meet and Greets |
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Monday 10 |
St Benedict’s visiting Year 6 |
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Tuesday 11 |
Safer Internet Day St Patrick’ and St Gregory’s visiting Years 5 & 6 P & F Annual General Meeting 7 p.m. in the school hall |
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Thursday 13 |
National Apology Anniversary |
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Monday 17 |
Magdalene visiting Year 6 Parent information session 5 p.m. |
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Friday 21 |
Opening Whole School Mass at St Paul's Camden 11.30 a.m. |
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Monday 24 |
School evacuation drill |
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Thursday 27 |
Primary Western Region Swimming Carnival |
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Friday 28 |
School Cross Country Principal’s awards 1.45 p.m. in the school hall |
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March |
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Tuesday 4 |
Shrove Tuesday Caritas Project Compassion launch at Warrawong P & F Annual General Meeting in the hall at 7 p.m. |
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Wednesday 5 |
Ash Wednesday |
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Friday 7 |
Primary Swimming selection trials |
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Wednesday 12 – 24 |
Naplan for Years 3 & 5 |
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Monday 17 |
St Patrick’s Day |
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Wednesday 19 |
Feast of St Joseph |
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Thursday 20 |
National Closing the Gap Day |
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Friday 21 |
Harmony Day |
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Friday 28 |
School Photographs |
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April |
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Friday 4 |
Principal’s awards in the hall at 1.45 p.m. |
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Sunday 6 |
Daylight Saving ends |
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Monday 7 |
School photographs back up morning |
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Wednesday 9 |
School Lockdown drill |
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Friday 11 |
Last day of term 1 |
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Friday 18 |
Good Friday |
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Saturday 19/Sunday 20 |
Easter Saturday/Easter Sunday |
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Friday 25 |
Anzac Day |
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Monday 28 |
Staff Development Day (no school for students) |
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Tuesday 29 |
Term 2 commences |
TUITION FEES FOR 2025
CENTRALISATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL FEE MANAGEMENT - ADVICE TO FAMILIES
From the commencement of the 2025 school year, the management of certain aspects relating to school fee accounts in Primary Schools has been transferred to the School Fees Liaison Office at the Catholic Education in Wollongong.
What does this mean for families:
- Your school’s administration office is your first place for enquiry regarding school fees. School staff will provide information regarding instalments, methods of payment, giving access to an Application for Fee Concession and attend to other general enquiries.
- If you are experiencing financial difficulty or need to make an arrangement for payment of your school fee account, please email sflo@dow.catholic.edu.au with your name and the school in which your children are enrolled. The School Fees Liaison Office will then contact you directly to offer assistance.
- Please note that each school has a dedicated School Fees Liaison Officer to provide a personalised service to individual families. This Officer will also have a close relationship with your school.
If you require further information about this initiative, please do not hesitate to contact your school’s administration office.
UPDATED MEDICAL PLANS
Please note that if your child has a healthcare plan (medical plan) e.g. Asthma, Anaphylaxis, Allergy, Emergency Medical these need to be updated annually. If you have an updated healthcare plan, can you please send a copy in to school so we can update our records as soon as possible. If your child requires medication at school e.g. Ventolin, you will automatically receive a notification via Compass when it has reached its expiry date.
VOLUNTEERS IN OUR SCHOOL
The Catholic Education Office has introduced a new onboarding system for volunteers and contractors supporting our school. If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, we encourage you to complete the new process in advance. This will ensure you are ready to help whenever needed!
For more information or to begin the onboarding process, please refer to the instructions below.
Thank you for your willingness to contribute to our school community!
SCHOOL STUDENT TRAVEL FOR 2025
BUS COMPANY & RELEVANT TRANSPORT INFORMATION
Transit Systems phone number is 02 9123 8620 if you have any inquiries.
OPAL CARDS
If you are applying for an Opal Card you need to add Transit Systems as your bus company.
A reminder from Transit Systems
Please help us supply appropriate bus services by reminding students to tap on and tap off with their School Opal cards.
I am writing on behalf of Transit Systems NSW, the bus operator that provides your school bus services, regarding student use of the School Opal card.
It is a condition of the use of a School Opal card that students must tap on at the beginning of a trip and tap off at the end of a trip at an Opal Card Reader, when they travel to and from school. Please refer to the Transport for NSW website for further details: https://transportnsw.info/school-pass-terms
Opal data gathered by tapping on and off is used to determine demand for bus services. If students fail to tap on and tap off, services for your school may be reduced or even cancelled due to the lack of recorded patronage.
With this in mind, we ask for your assistance in reminding your students that tapping on and off at the beginning and end of each trip is one of the conditions of using a School Opal card.
CURRENT TIMETABLE INFORMATION can be found below:
GO 4 FUN
YERONGA SCHOOL UNIFORMS
The accompanying link can be used to order uniforms, online, at Yeronga School Uniforms:
https://www.yerongauniforms.com/product-category/schools/st-clares-narellan-vale/
MATER DEI OPEN DAY
Western Region Swimming Carnival - Thursday 27 February 2025
The 2025 Western Region Swimming Carnival is to be held on 27 February 2025. A compass event with further information regarding events and relay teams has been sent home to successfully selected students.
St Clare’s Cross Country Carnival- Friday 28th February
When: Friday 28 February (approximately 8:30am- 11:45am)
Who: All St Clare’s students K-6, running in age based races.
Where: The school grounds and the Liquidamber Reserve.
Length (approximate):
Students who are 5-6 years old will run a 780m course.
Students who are 7-8 years old will run a 1.1km course.
Competitive 8 year olds, 9 and 10 will run a 1.6km course.
Students who are 11-12 years old will run a 3km course, however, as this is composed of 2 laps, they will have the option to run just one lap (1.6km)
The students will be training with their classroom teachers and sport teacher before the event.
Competitive 8 year olds: We are inviting Competitive 8 years olds to run in the 9s age division. This is a combined age group where both 8 and 9 year olds will compete against each other. This will only be for those 8 year olds who would like to try to be selected into the St Clare’s Cross Country team which will compete in Nowra in May. An Insight survey will be available later this week on compass to nominate your child.
Walking Event: Please note that there is a walking event for those children who cannot run in their age races due to a medical condition. Please notify us, via email info@scnvdow@dow.catholic.edu.au (attention Ann Madsen) if your child is unable to compete, in their age group, for medical reasons. Please supply your child’s name, class and reason for participating in the walker’s event. This will strictly be a non-competitive, walking event without any places awarded. The participants will still earn points for their House.
What to wear: Students may wear a coloured T-Shirt on the day representing their House Team, along with their school sports shorts and school hat. Please ensure they bring a safety pin for their name/age tag.
Family Involvement: Families are welcome to come and cheer on the students, anyone attending will be asked to sit on the grass area in front of the school as this is where the finish line will be. The toilet facilities in the hall will be available for adults and toddlers. Please note that the school carpark will not be available after 8am on this day as the carpark will be used for the track and parent seating. We ask that you do not park in the carpark at the shops neighbouring the school.
Urgent request: For our carnival to run, we need many volunteers to act as marshals. If you or a family member can assist please complete the Insights survey that will be available on Compass later this week or email the school info@scnvdow@dow.catholic.edu.au (attention Ann Madsen and Megan Parkes)
A compass notification will be sent home with further information this week.
Upcoming Carnival Dates
All primary sporting event information and dates can be found on the Sport Events - Primary website- https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/student-experience/sport/primary-sport-events
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Western Region Swimming Carnival |
27th February |
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St Clare’s Cross Country Carnival |
28th February |
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Touch Football Boys and Girls Selection Trials (Approved students only - no new nominations) |
11th February |
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AFL Combined Wollongong, Canberra/ Goulburn Selection Trials (Approved students only - no new nominations) |
18th February |
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Hockey Selection Trials Boys and Girls (Approved students only - no new nominations) |
24th February |
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Netball Selection Trials (Approved students only - no new nominations) |
6th March |
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Swimming Selection Trials |
7th March |
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Cross Country Championships |
6th May |
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St Clare’s Athletics Carnival |
20th June |
Sporting Opportunities at St Clare’s
There are many sporting opportunities that students of St Clare’s Catholic Primary School, Narellan Vale have the opportunity to be involved in each year. Sporting opportunities range from fun gala days to competing and progressing through the representative levels in our Diocesan and pathway sports program through to Diocesan, MacKillop, NSWPSSA and National levels. This document’s aim is to show a clear picture of what sporting opportunities are available to the students of St Clare’s and the process in how to register, trial and participate.
Parents are encouraged to access sporting information and opportunities on the CEDoW Sport website. All primary sporting event information and dates can be found on the Sport Events - Primary website- https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/student-experience/sport/primary-sport-events
Wollongong Diocese Gala Days
Gala days are fun, round-robin style days designed primarily for student enjoyment of the sport, participation and for the promotion of exercise and a positive sporting experience. Each year St Clare’s participates in the following gala days - Netball Gala Day, Soccer Gala Day and Basketball Gala Day.
Most Gala days are open to students in Yrs 3-6 or in age groups from 9yrs and up. Gala days are lots of fun and there are usually many students that wish to participate. In some instances, the school may require to run trials or limit the participants to allocated grades. Eg only Yr 4 and Yr 6. As this will allow students in Yr 3 and Yr 5 to participate the following year.
As we usually have large numbers of students and many teams participating in each Gala Day we require many parent volunteers to help coach and manage teams on the day.
Netball Gala Day (Term 2)
Soccer Gala Day (Term 3)
Basketball Gala Day (late term 3)
Carnivals
Each year St Clare’s run a Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics carnival. These carnivals allow students to compete at a school level and serve as a selection process for Wollongong diocesan teams. Children may progress from school level, to Diocesan, to MacKillop, to NSWPSSA and ultimately national level in selected sports the representative levels. Please refer to the flowchart below for progression information for each carnival. The success of each carnival is dependent on the help of many parent volunteers.
Swimming Carnival - Term 4 (for team selection to compete in term 1)
Cross Country carnival- Term 1
Athletics Carnival- Term 2
Diocese of Wollongong Pathway Sport Trials
Opportunities exist within our school for students in Yr 5 and Yr 6 to access the representative sporting pathways. Students are invited to attend trials for positions in Wollongong diocese representative teams for the following summer and winter sports: AFL, Basketball, Tennis, Cricket, Touch, Softball, Football (soccer) Rugby League, Rugby Union, Hockey and Netball. These trials are held annually and link to the MacKillop selection trials.
Any student wishing to trial for a pathway sport needs to nominate and register for these events through the school Sport Coordinator at the start of Term 4 (October) for trials in the preceding year. These nominations will be advertised to the students of Yr 4 and Yr 5 through the Sport Coordinator and via the school newsletter. Nominations after the due date unfortunately can not be accepted.
The Diocese of Wollongong Pathway Sport trials are aimed at students that have adequate experience and training in the given sport. Representative experience is preferential. These trials are not for students wishing to give a new sport a go. There are many other sporting opportunities available for students to participate in a new sport such as the Gala Days.
Each Sport available has a set criteria for the nominees. Some sports such as netball and soccer are extremely popular, therefore proof of representative experience is needed to nominate for these trials. All nominations need to be approved by the Sport Coordinator and the School Principal before being sent to the event convenors. Nominations are then reviewed and finalised by the event convenors, who will inform the school Sport Coordinator of the successful and unsuccessful nominations. Successful nominees will be provided with the details of the Wollongong team trials.
Other Sporting Opportunities St Clare’s participates in-
- Mark Taylor Shield (cricket) (Term 1)
- Netball NSW Cup - 19th June
- Rugby League Gala Day (Term 2)
- Paul Kelly Cup - AFL - TBA
- Camden Tigers Shield (Soccer) (Term 4 - weekend)
- Sport Clinics
Mark Taylor Shield (cricket) (Term 1)
Each year St Clare’s participates in the Mark Taylor Shield. This cricket tournament begins in early Term 1 and depending on the teams’ success, the team progresses to play in further rounds.
Rugby League Gala Day (Term 2)
The Group 6 Primary All Schools Rugby League Gala Day takes place each year at Kirkham Park, Elderslie in Term 2 . The gala day is organised into Under 10 and Under 12 competitions. Students wishing to participate in the selection trial will need to bring an appropriate shirt or jersey, shorts, socks and boots. Please note that your child will not be permitted to trial without a mouthguard. (Headgear and shoulder pads are optional).
Camden Tigers Shield (Soccer)
Each year Camden Tigers Football Club hosts a football (soccer) tournament for Primary Schools to nominate and compete in four categories, being Junior Girls, Junior Boys, Senior Boys and Senior Girls. The day is Ron Dine Memorial Reserve, Camden and is usually held on a Saturday in the first week of Term 4 (October).
This Gala day requires parent helpers to coach and manage teams on the day.
- (2nd week of term two) - School Registration Forms will be sent
- (2nd week of term three) - Team/Player/Coach Forms will be sent
- (Week 8 of term three) - Team Forms Due
Sport Clinics
Each year our students are offered opportunities to participate in a number of sport clinics and programs. These are organised through different sporting organisations. Some programs are booked using ‘Sporting Schools Grant’ funding. Some programs and clinics that the school has used in previous years are: Afl Auskick, Hockey, Tennis, Basketball, Bowls, Athletics, Soccer and Macarthur Bulls in Schools.
Our school will continue to book programs to offer a range of different sporting opportunities to our students.
Upcoming Carnival Dates
All primary sporting event information and dates can be found on the Sport Events - Primary website- https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/sport/events-primary/
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Cross Country |
Friday 28 February (week 5) |
CLOTHING POOL
The clothing pool opening hours:
Monday: 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Thursday: 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Eftpos facilities are available
CLICK & COLLECT
FRESH START CANTEENS
Fresh Start Canteens run our school canteen. Details are included below.
Please ensure you have changed your child's class to their 2025 class, in Flexi Schools.
Tips for a smooth start:
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Update Your Child’s Details: Please take a moment to update your child’s Flexischools profile with their new class or year for 2025. This will ensure that any orders or payments are processed correctly, and orders go to the right place.
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Order in Advance: Plan ahead and use Flexischools to order lunch or make payments for upcoming events or uniforms in advance, saving you time and hassle during the busy school mornings.
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Explore Our Features: Flexischools offers plenty of great features designed to save you time. From automatic topping up of your parent wallet, to placing multiple orders in one go, make sure you take full advantage of everything Flexischools has to offer this year.