The 2009 school year has commenced well for both students and staff. The students have settled in to the routines of their classroom and have established new friendships.

The arrival of another year is always exciting as staff are working hard to develop new and challenging programs and topics for the children.
As a school, this year we will focus on continuing to improve our literacy and numeracy results further, by developing the strengths of our teams, as well as, how feedback occurs within the school. Much research tells us that these two areas have a very important impact on the quality of teaching and hence improved results, as the level of professional dialogue increases. A second emphasis on our learning this year is to investigate how we can better engage boys, especially in the area of literacy.
We have this year been very fortunate to secure the services of one of Australia’s most highly regarded authorities in the area of education, Ms. Lynn Watts, who has had extensive experience both as a teacher, a principal and now as a facilitator of educational change. Lynn will be working with us on two PD days, as well as, four staff meetings during the year.
The catholicity of the school is very much embedded in who we are and how we ‘live’ together and is expressed strongly in our weekly assemblies where we listen to God’s Word. We provide a quality education, relevant for tomorrow’s world, catering for individual differences to ensure a sense of wellbeing and success for each child in our care. We have, as the only catholic school in Australia, secured a third grant for the Commonwealth Government for our work in the area of Values Education – this year focusing on developing high quality relationships between staff and student – once again leading to improved learning outcomes for the children.
As a school community and very closely linked with our Christian Values a focus has been the adoption of a Restorative approach to solving indiscretions and problems amongst the children. This approach is aiming at restoring relationships by acknowledging what has happened and setting in place agreed action, as well as, exploring ways the situation could have been handled better.

Early this year will see the commencement of the development and building of our new Discovery Centre, comprising of a new School Library, as well as, Computer Centre. This facility is expected to be completed around mid-year and will complete the wonderful facilities we already enjoy, thanks to our new school building completed in June 2006. A new playground design will be incorporated as part of this development, as well as shade and a garden design.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you and your child to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Primary School and the Parish of St. Kevin’s. At St Charles we have created a community that has at its center the person and teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. From the first moment your child enters our school they will be nurtured and formed within the ethos of Catholic Education that: respects the individuality of each person created in the image and likeness of God, integrates faith, life and culture; focuses on the total development of the child’s spiritual, moral, social, emotional and intellectual development; values difference and, celebrates all the moments of life with compassion and understanding.