Term Four Week Eight – Commencing Monday 1st December 2025

Christmas & Edudance Concert and Staff Farewells
This Thursday is the moment you have all been waiting for, with the biannual Christmas and Edu-Dance Concert taking place on the Senior Oval. This is the time when the children will join together to share The Navity, with each class performing a song.  We will finish the evening with our Edu-Dance spectacular. 

This year, on Thursday evening, in place of the usual Community Morning Tea at the end of Thanksgiving Mass, we will also be farewelling staff who are moving on from our community at the end of this year. This will provide a great chance for our whole community to thank these staff members for their service to our school. 

Below is a brief outline of the evening, with a detailed note to be sent out on Monday afternoon with more specific information, e.g. parking, etc… 

Children need to arrive at their class by 5:00pm at the latest, wearing their EduDance clothes. Kindy children must arrive by 4.45 pm to finish getting into their costumes as per the letter sent by the teachers. 

To avoid disappointment, it is very important that parents take note of the timings below.  

• We will be starting the concert promptly at 5.15 pm and hope to finish by 7:00 pm at the latest. 

• Please note that there is no intermission and that once delivered to teachers, children are expected to stay until the end of the concert, under the supervision of staff.  

5.15 pm 

• Welcome & Housekeeping 

• Acknowledgement of Country 

Approx 5.25 pm The Nativity  

• Kindy – “The Angels Sing Christmas Song”
• Year Two – “The Little Donkey” 
• Pre-Primary – “Oh, What a Special Night”  
• Year One – “Christ the King of Christmas”  
• Year Five – “We Three Kings” 
• Year Four – “Mary, Did You Know?” 
• Year Three – “Let’s Go Let’s Go (Shepherd’s Song)” 
• Year Six – “Testify” 
• Whole School – “Oh What a Glorious Night”  

Staff Farewells  

EduDance Concert 

• Year Five – “That Song on the Radio”  
• Year Two – “Groove is in the Heart” 
• Year One – “Let’s Get Loud” 
• Year Three – “I Ain’t Worried” 
• Year Four – “Good Feeling” 
• Pre-Primary – ”Jitterbug” 
• Year Six – “Seven Nation Army” 

7:00 pm 

      Thanks & Close  

Kindy children are the first act of the Christmas Concert. When they finish their item, they will be taken back to the classroom, and parents are to pick them up from there.  

Parents can decide to take their child home at this point OR to have them sit with themselves to watch the rest of the concert. 

Children from Pre-Primary to Year Six will return to their classrooms at the conclusion of the evening to be collected. 

More detailed information for the evening will be sent home to families on Monday.

Farewells to Staff  @ Christmas & Edudance Concert 
On Thursday, evening at the Christmas & Edu-Dance Concert, we will be farewelling Mr Ben Hewitt and Mrs Sarika Srivastava. These farewells usually take place at morning tea after Thanksgiving Mass, however, due to low numbers of parents and carers able to stay for morning tea, the decision has been made to farewell these staff members publicly at the concert. 

2026 Year Level Reps
Last week, a nomination form that invites those in our community to nominate for the position of Year Level Rep for the various year levels across the school for 2026 was sent home. The Year Level Rep positions as part of the P & F structure are vital in continuing to build our community here at St Emilie’s. 

The role of the Year Level Reps are: 

• Lead by living by our school motto of Growing in Grace in word and action – inclusive, welcoming, kind. 
• Vital and essential conduit between the parents in a year level and the P & F Executive and school staff. 
• Assist in enhancing the connectedness of a year level cohort through organising social opportunities. 
• Assist with the sharing of information. 
• Positive advocate for the school and the staff in that year level. 
• Facilitate the year level Facebook group. 
• Organise end of year gifts of appreciation for teachers 

For each year level across the school, we aim for two Year Reps to work in tandem with one another, however, we are more than happy to have more than two people in the role. If you are interested but would like some further information, please feel free to reach out to the school. 

Nominations are due by Friday, the 5th of December. 

Parent Contact Lists
Today, families received an email inviting them to update their parent contact details to be shared with other families in their cohort for 2026. We will aim to share the Parent Contact Lists for 2026 by the end of this school year, as well as share who your year groups’ Year Level Reps are. I would like to reiterate that this list is invitational; however, it does assist parents and carers with being able to organise play dates and birthday parties across the Summer holiday break and into next year. 

Uniform Requirement – Black Shoes and Haircuts
With two weeks left of the term, it is vital that between school and home that we continue to have high expectations of how our children wear their school uniform. A reminder that children are required to wear black shoes only at school throughout the week. Please avoid shoes having any other colours or logos on them. Although we realise that at times children may aim to persuade parents and carers that other types of shoes are appropriate, plain black shoes are the requirement at St Emilie’s. 

We also ask that for the next two weeks that hair styles remain modest and in line with our uniform expectations. Styles that excessively go from long to short are not acceptable, nor are hairstyles with lines or designs shaved into the hair. When we all hold the expectations as a community, it is easier to keep our high standards, which many parents and carers cite as a positive point of difference at St Emilie’s in comparison with other local schools. 

Christmas Accesorries
Coming into Christmas, we understand that the excitement levels are high. Some children have asked if they are allowed to wear some Christmas accessories with their school uniform. During Week Nine (week commencing Monday, 8th of December), we will nominate a day or two where children can wear some festive accessories to complement their school uniform. Until those days, we ask that the Christmas accessories stay at home. 

Christmas Cards & Sweet Treats
Toward the end of the year, it is beautiful to see the children acknowledging their classmates in many different ways. Often, there are very lovely handwritten Christmas Cards that come into the school where the children share some meaningful words with their peers. 

As has been the case in previous years, we ask that children do not bring in sweet treats for their friends at school. Given the number of allergies to various foods across the school, this becomes very difficult to manage and can be very dangerous for some of our children.  

Three Year Old Kindergarten Meet & Greets
In a very historic moment for our community, this week, we commenced with Three Year Old Kindy Meet & Greets for children entering the program in 2026. All of the children and families who have come through for their Meet & Greet are current members of our school community, and it has been beautiful to welcome these children to school. 

We look forward to welcoming the children in our Three Year Old Kindergarten to school in Term One of 2026. 

Road Safety – Please Check In With Your Children
During the week, I was informed by one of our parents and carers about a near miss involving a child from St Emilie’s while walking home from school. I would ask that if your child walks home from school, please speak with them about being ultra aware when they are near the road.

Movember
Over the course of the month, you may have noticed that some of the gentlemen at school have developed a very odd, hairy line on their upper lips. Yes, that is right, the ‘St Em’s Mo Bros’ are back in 2026 and raising funds for men’s health through Movember, which is a great cause. 

Personally, I am glad that it has not been windy this week, as I have been concerned that my attempt at a moustache may blow away, however, I live in hope that the moustache will develop over the course of the month. 

If you would like to donate to the St Em’s Mo Bro’s, please visit our Movember page here. 

Social Media Ban – Article for Parents & Carers
The ban on social media for children under the age of 16 will come into effect on the 10th of December. These changes may have an impact on your child. To find out more about the ban, including some ways for parents and carers to navigate this change with their children, an article written by Paul Litherland can be found here.