Term Three Week One – Commencing Tuesday 21st July 2026

Dear Families, 

On behalf of the staff here at St Emilie’s, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all back to school for Term Three. 

Term Three promises to go quickly, with many exciting opportunities for the children being made available on top of the usual teaching and learning program here at the school. 

Term Three is a terrific time of year. While the term commences with fairly rainy and cold days, toward the end of the term, the smell of fresh cut grass fills the air as the Nyoongar season of Kambarang commences. Of course, with the season of Kambarang and Spring come warmer days with more daylight hours, and of course, AFL Finals, which is especially exciting in 2026 for all our community members who barrack for Freo. 

This term, our community will involve themselves in First Holy Communion, Masses, Feast Days and House Days, The Catholic Performing Arts Festival, of which we have several staff and children representing our school on Thursday for the Opening Mas at St Marys Cathedral, as well as House Carnivals, Interschool Sports, the URSTRONG International day of Friendship, various themed weeks and events, and our Fathers Day BBQ & Open Classrooms event. There is so much happening at our school to be excited about. 

At the back end of last term, we welcomed some children to our school across various year levels, and once again, to start this term, we once again have new faces joining us here at St Emilie’s. To our new families in the community, I know you are in good hands, and you will be made to feel very welcome here at St Emilie’s. This is The St Emilie’s Way. 

Late last term, there were several updates sent to families in individual year levels explaining some staffing changes for the term. Please check your email inbox in case there was an update concerning your child’s year level. 

This term, we welcome back Mr Paul Davis, who returns from Long Service Leave to lead the school once again in Health and Physical Education. We sincerely thank Mr Michael Lowry, who did an outstanding job last term while Mr Davis was away. This term, I am delighted to share that Mr Lowry will remain at the school teaching in Year Three Gold (Wednesday) and Year Three Blue (Friday). 

I would also like to advise that Mrs Gill Norris, who you will know as one of our School Finance Officers, will be taking some Long Service Leave throughout the term. We wish Mrs Norris a terrific time on her very well-deserved time away from school. Mrs Norris will be covered in the Admin Office by Mrs Karen Cousins as well as Mrs Edwina Piotto at various times. 

This term Mr Jack Cameron and Ms Jessica Mucciacciaro will be joining Mrs Bull, Ms Fallo and Mrs Green as they complete their Bachelor of Education teaching practicums in Year Four. Welcome, Jack and Jessica. 

Pupil Free Day – Monday 20th of July
A reminder that the children will commence school on Tuesday, the 21st of July. Staff will be onsite at the school on Monday, the 20th of July, but the day will be a Pupil Free Day for the children. 

Year One to Year Six House Cross Country Carnival – Friday, the 24th of July
The House Cross Country Carnival for children from Year One to Year Six will take place on Friday, the 24th of July. Parents and carers are welcome to attend throughout the morning to watch the children run. 

Races will commence at around 9:00am start after children from Year One to Year Six gather for Prayer and Acknowledgement of Country. This year’s House Cross Country Carnival promises to be another exciting day. 

Mid-Year Reports
Mid-Year Reports were sent home for all children between Pre Primary and Year Six on Thursday, the 2nd of July via the Seqta Engage app. If you did not receive your child’s Mid-Year Report via the Seqta Engage app, please contact the school as soon as possible to ensure we can assist you on the Seqta Engage app. 

Mid-Year Report Celebrations & Goal Setting – Before Two Way Interviews 
On Wednesday the 1st of July, an email was sent to all families of those children receiving a Mid-Year report. Within this email were links to a FAQ document to assist parents and carers with reading their child’s report. 

Also contained in the email were links to Mid-Year Celebration & Goal Setting Forms for each family to guide them in a conversation with their child about the celebrations from their report, as well as to set a goal for next semester with their child. We kindly ask that this online Form is completed by Monday, the 27th of July. The Forms will be closed after this date. These Forms will be referenced by teachers at the commencement of your Two Way Meetings. 

Two Way Interviews (Kindy to Year Six) 
Two Way Meetings will be held on Friday the 31st of July. Please keep an eye on your email inbox for an email detailing how to electronically select a time for the meeting.  

In 2026, Specialist and Support Teachers will be available for Two Way Meetings. This will provide parents and carers with an opportunity to meet with any of the Specialist and Support Teachers who work with your child in Digital Technologies, Physical Education, Health and Japanese, as well as in Mini Lit. 

Spaces for these meetings will be limited, and further information will be provided in an email shortly. 

Term Three Uniform: Shoes, Socks & Haircuts
Toward the end of last term, I noticed some children coming into school wearing the incorrect socks and shoes. A reminder to all families that children must wear black shoes only to school, and that socks should be white only, with no logos. 

Before school commences, children may go for a haircut before they return to school. A reminder that haircuts must be appropriate for the start of school. Hair longer than collar length must be tied up. Haircuts that have extreme changes in length are not permitted, nor are mohawk, mullet or spike styles, or styles with words or patterns shaved in. While I understand that children may want the latest and most trendy haircut, these styles are often not part of our School Uniform Procedures. 

For parents and carers of girls, please read the School Uniform Procedure for further information about hair accessories here.

At St Emilie’s, our school prides itself on the correct wearing of the school uniform. This standard that we are proud to uphold ensures that as a school we look neat and tidy, and that we have pride in the place that we come to school. 

As parents, when we all follow the procedures set by the school, the standards become easier to uphold. 

Please refer to the email about school uniform sent on Tuesday the 13th of July. 

Term Three Class Overviews 
As is the case at the commencement of each term at St Emilie’s, going home next week will be a Term Three Class Overview for your child’s class. This overview will share an overview of the teaching and learning to take place in your child’s class this term, as well as some key dates. 

CEWA Parent Code of Conduct 
At St Emilie’s, all members of our community are expected to conduct themselves in line with the School Code of Conduct, which essentially sets out a minimum standard of conduct for all here at the school. To commence Term Three, a Parent Code of Conduct will be introduced here at St Emilie’s which has been developed for all schools in the CEWA system. This Parent Code of Conduct will provide specific information for parents about how they can continue to support their child and the community here at St Emilie’s. 

In the coming weeks, the Parent Code of Conduct will be introduced in further detail. 

Striving for a Work Life Blend at St Emilie’s and a Right To Disconnect 
The staff at St Emilie’s are a very dedicated and committed group of professionals. The staff at our school show the utmost diligence in providing for the children they care for each day. Recently, there have been some changes to the working conditions for teachers and their workloads outside of working hours.  

Below is some information that is important for you to know in relation to legislation for our teachers as part of their updated employment conditions.  

As has always been the case at St Emilie’s and as indicated in the Parent Handbook, unless a matter is urgent, it is reasonable to expect up to a 48-hour turnaround time in response to emails from school staff. In most cases, staff are unable to respond during the school day because they’re teaching for the majority of the time and have a legal duty of care over the children in their class.   

Staff also have the right to disconnect from 4.00pm each day until 8:15am the following day as per the new changes. Along with this, staff have the right to disconnect on weekends and won’t respond to any emails on Saturday or Sunday. Part-time staff are not required to respond to any form of communication on their non-working days.   

Underpinning this change is the acknowledgement that our staff at St Emilie’s have lives outside of school also. Many staff are parents, family members and friends to their loved ones and it is important that after work hours, they have the right to fulfil these roles without interruption in line with the expectation placed upon other professionals.  

At St Emilie’s, we are blessed to have such a supportive parent body, and I know that you will continue to support our staff by keeping these changes in mind when communicating with them. 

St Emilie’s Car Park Safety: Advice from City of Gosnells 
Please see information from the City of Gosnells for those driving around school zones here.

P & F Purchases 
Late last term at our Community P & F Meeting, a wish list of purchases was presented to those in attendance that will continue to provide the resources that our educators require here at school to provide for the children in our care. This list of purchases was approved by those in attendance. 

As the purchases are made, we will aim to provide photos for our community so you can see how the P & F funds are supporting our community. 

WA Student Assistance Payment 
The WA Student Assistance Payment helps parents and carers with cost-of-living pressures associated with sending their children to school. All Western Australian school students in Kindergarten to Year 12, with a valid WA student number, are eligible for this cost-of-living payment. 

You can claim $250 for each secondary student and $150 for students attending primary school or Kindergarten. The payment will be available through the ServiceWA app, with parents and carers encouraged to set up or update their ServiceWA account and have an active Digital ID. Claims open on Monday 20 July 2026. 

All claims must be received by Friday 25 September 2026. For further information, please visit https://www.education.wa.edu.au/wasap/ 

Australian Government Census – 11th of August 
On the 11th of August, the Australian Government will be hosting its five-year census. The census aims to provide a snapshot of the demographics of the country. 

As a Catholic community, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference have asked schools to urge all Catholics within the community to identify themselves as Catholic people. This will provide the most accurate picture of the population of those people within Australia who are Catholic.