Term Three Week Two – Commencing Monday 27th July 2026

Dear Families,  

‘I will never forget you’ Isaiah (49:15) is the theme that has been chosen by Pope Leo for this year’s International Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which takes place globally on Sunday the 26th of July. One of the many joys for our staff here at St Emilie’s is when we greet the children and families coming into school, as well as leaving school for the day. During this time, we have the chance to speak with many parents and carers, but we also have the chance to connect with the grandparents in our community. 

Grandparents are easily spotted in the morning and in the afternoon. Just look for those people with the biggest smiles when they see their grandchildren, and who beam with pride when the children are walking with them. It is also beautiful for us to watch how the children respond to their grandparents when they see them at school.  

Of course, days like this are difficult for those of us who have lost grandparents, and on this day, we think of those who have passed away, and for those left behind who miss them dearly. 

To our grandparents at St Emilie’s, we say thank you for your contribution to our community, and for making our community a special place. 

Cross Country
How good was today! 

What a beautiful day we all had at St Emilie’s today for our annual House Cross Country Carnival, which took place in picture perfect conditions between the Senior Oval and Junior Oval. A massive congratulations to all our students who participated. The winning House will be announced on Monday. 

This Thursday, our school will send a representative team to the Interschool Cross Country Carnival at Tomato Lake, where they will compete against other Catholic schools. We wish these boys and girls all the very best for Thursday. 

Thank you, Mr Davis, and to Mr Lowry for all your efforts in organising cross country in 2026. 

Pupil Free Day – Friday 31st of July
A reminder that there will be no school this Friday, the 31st of July, due to Two Way Parent Meetings. 

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. An email was sent with information on how to book last week by Mr Munro. 

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 Class Overviews
Going home with your child today or early next week will be their Term Three Class Overviews. Parents and carers are urged to please read over the information contained in the Term Overviews to ensure you are across the teaching and learning program for the term, as well as any other information that is necessary for the term to run smoothly. 

Religious Education Assessment (Year Three and Year Five)
Religious Education is the number one Learning Area here at St Emilie’s, with the children participating in daily learning on Religious Education, as well as concepts from this Learning Area being integrated across the curriculum. 

This week, children in Year Three and Year Five will take part in a practice for the annual Religious Education Assessment. This assessment, similar to other standardised testing that is completed here at the school, will provide a snapshot into the growth of the children collectively and individually. This data will be analysed by staff at the school to ensure we celebrate areas of growth with our children, as well as address any gaps that are evident. 

Thank you to the staff involved in organising this assessment for our children. 

International Day of Friendship – Thursday the 30th of June
This week, for the second year in a row, we will be celebrating the International Day of Friendship, in line with our commitment to the implementation of the URSTRONG Approach here at St Emilie’s. 

As in previous years, the colour for the day to represent friendship is green. During the day, the children will be involved in some special activities with the crew from URSTRONG, and will join with different cohorts for a rock painting activity, which will lead to an art piece installation somewhere in the school. 

Further details about the day are below in the URSTRONG section and will be emailed home to parents and carers during the week. 

Annual School Report – Now on Website
Each year, every school across Australia is required to prepare an Annual Report. This report can be found on our school website or by clicking here.

No Parking Signs – Amherst Road Lawn
Next week, those who drop children off at school will notice some ‘No Parking’ signs on the lawn adjacent to Amherst Road. I would once again remind parents and carers that you are not permitted to park on this lawn during drop off and pick up times in the interest of safety for our children. 

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.

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. 

Flu Vaccinations
The Department of Health (DOH) emphasises that annual flu vaccination remains critical to ensuring community protection against the flu. There have been recent changes made that aim to increase access to influenza vaccination for school aged children:  

• FluMist® eligibility has been expanded to include children and adolescents aged 2 to 17 years, including all Catholic Education school children in primary and secondary schools. 
• Free influenza vaccines have been extended for all Western Australians, aged six months and older, until 31 July 2026, providing an additional opportunity for families who have not yet been vaccinated.  

Further information can be found here.