St Lawrence Primary School

386 Albert Street, Balcatta 6021

Phone: 08 9344 4944

admin@stlawbal.wa.edu.au

https://www.stlawbal.wa.edu.au/

The vision of St Lawrence Catholic Primary School, Balcatta is to share the message of God’s love and friendship in a community of learners, developing the full potential of each child.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the beginning of a new school year. I hope the holidays provided your family with time to rest, reconnect and enjoy being together. It is with great joy that I welcome you back to our school community for 2026. There is always something special about the start of a new year: a sense of hope, possibility and the excitement of what a new school year will bring.

As a Catholic community, we are grounded in our faith and guided by the values of Joy, Courage and Unity. We are called to live these values not just in words, but in our everyday actions. This year, I invite us all to hold closely the simple but powerful reminder:

In a world where you can be anything, be kind!

This is something I constantly remind our students of each time we come together as a school. As adults, we too can live this message by showing each other in our interactions with each other because every interaction matters; the conversations we have at home, the way we speak to our children, to other parents, and in our interactions with our hardworking staff. Whether by email or in person, please remember to be kind and considerate, as everyone is doing the very best they can.

Speaking well of others is not a small thing. It shapes the culture of our community and models for our children how to live with integrity, compassion and respect. We are proud to be a community that looks out for one another, supports one another, and treats each person with dignity. This is what makes our school such a special place.

As we look forward to 2026 and what lies ahead for our St Lawrence community, please read your class memos and the fortnightly school newsletter to stay on top of the exciting happenings and events in our school.

This year we have a bustling P&F with many members joining! Thank you to everyone who has stepped up this year to volunteer in some capacity, whether on our P&F Exec Team, as parent reps, Fathering Group Coordinators, helpers for sport days, or in the library. You are all so valued and appreciated – thank you! If parents or grandparents are able to volunteer at the school in any capacity, please complete this form so we can contact you to find out when you are available to assist. Thank you!

Volunteer Register

I encourage all families to support our P&F throughout the year. The P&F plays a vital role in building connection and community, and their efforts directly benefit our children. A wonderful opportunity to come together this year will be our Welcome Picnic on Friday, 20 February 2026. All community members are warmly invited and I hope to see many families there. If you see any new families in our community, please be sure to say hello and make them welcome. Please RSVP here for catering purposes:

Welcome Picnic RSVP

Thank you for the trust you place in us each day. I look forward to working in partnership with you as we journey together through 2026 united in Joy, Courage and Unity.

Warm regards,

Mrs Sarah Williams

Principal

Please note: All dates and events are subject to change.

• Thursday 12 February - 9am Yr4-6 attend Mass
• Friday 13 February - 9am Whole school mass
• Monday 16 February - 8.40am Thank you morning tea for class reps & volunteers
• Tuesday 17 February - Shrove Tuesday
• Wednesday 18 February - 9am Ash Wednesday Whole School Mass
• Thursday 19 - 9am School Tour
  
• Friday 20 February - 5.30pm Welcome Back Picnic

Welcome back to a new school year at St Lawrence. A warm welcome to the new families joining our community. It has been wonderful to see the children return refreshed, enthusiastic and ready to learn. As we begin the year, we are reminded of our school motto, In God’s friendship and love, we grow, a guiding message that shapes the way we learn, support one another, and live out our faith each day.

Loving God,

As we begin this new school year, we give thanks for the chance to learn, grow, and work together as a community.

Bless our students, families, and staff with patience, kindness, and a spirit of cooperation.

Guide us to make our school a place of safety and belonging for every child.

Guide our students to have open hearts and minds ready to learn.

May we face the year ahead with Joy, Courage, and Unity.

We ask this in Your holy name

Amen.

YEAR 6 LEADERS

On Friday, our Year 6 students will be presented with their leadership badges following Mass. As part of this special occasion, they will pledge to uphold our gospel values and to be positive role models for all students at St Lawrence. We congratulate each of our Year 6 leaders and look forward to seeing them lead with kindness, responsibility and integrity throughout the year.

PARENT MEETINGS

Educating children is a shared partnership between home and school. At the beginning of each year, parent meetings are held for families with children in Years 1–6, with PK–PP meetings having taken place at the end of last year. These sessions provide a wonderful opportunity for parents to meet their child’s teacher/s, gain an overview of the year ahead, and develop a deeper understanding of classroom routines and expectations. We sincerely thank all parents who attend these meetings and appreciate your ongoing support in helping us create a positive and engaging learning environment for all students.

COMMUNICATION

Clear and respectful communication between parents/guardians and teachers is essential in supporting the learning and wellbeing of our students. We encourage parents to contact their child’s teacher directly with any concerns. While staff are committed to maintaining open communication, they are not expected to respond during the school day. Please be mindful of the following procedures:

• Parents/caregivers should allow up to 48 hours (Monday–Friday) for a reply to communication.
• Staff will respond to emails between 8.00am and 5.00pm (Monday–Friday).
• There should be no expectation for staff to send or respond to emails outside these hours.
• Response delays may occur due to staff absence, illness, part‑time working hours or staff seeking information from third parties.
• Parents/caregivers must outline the reason for requesting a meeting so teachers can prepare appropriately.
• The time between 8.30am and 8.40am is not suitable for discussions, other than brief housekeeping matters, as teachers have duty-of-care responsibilities during this period.
• For urgent communication, please contact the school office directly on 9344 4944.

SCHOOL UNIFORMS

Thank you to parents for sending their children back to school smartly dressed in their summer uniforms. Our uniform is a sign of our community, and all families are expected to support it. Summer uniform is worn in Terms 1 and 4 and winter uniform in Terms 2 and 3. Please refer to our School Uniform Guidelines on our school website. A uniform infringement note will be sent home with children who are not wearing the correct uniform.

MOBILE PHONES/WATCHES

If students must bring a mobile phone to school, they are asked to drop it off at the office each morning and pick it up at the end of the day. This includes watches with communication features to be handed in the office or put into 'school mode'.

CHURCH PICK UP

For the safety of all our children who wait to be picked up on the Junior Oval, a reminder that parents are not permitted to ask their child to walk across the oval to a parked car. Parents will need to leave their vehicle and collect their child.

PICK UP

To help streamline our afternoon pick‑up routine, we are introducing laminated family name signs for cars. The signs will be sent home on Wednesday. Clearly displaying your family name on the sun visor or dashboard will help staff identify vehicles quickly, which in turn speeds up the flow of traffic and reduces congestion around the drive‑through areas. If your family requires additional signs for grandparents, carers, or other regular pick‑up arrangements please email Mrs Austin at gillian.austin@cewa.edu.au. Thank you to Mrs Austin for her time and organisation in coordinating and preparing all of the signs for our families.

Mrs Gabrielle Brennan & Ms Kathleen Tranquille

Assistant Principals

WELCOME TO LIBRARY!

Students in Kindy and Pre Primary will borrow on Wednesdays and students in Years One to Six will borrow on Fridays. All students require a library bag in order to borrow. We understand that there has been some delays in library bags that were ordered being delivered. In the meantime we ask that students who awaiting the arrival of their library bags please bring another bag to use in the mean time.

LIBRARY LUNCHTIMES

As the library is now a shared space with both music and science the library will only be open Friday lunchtimes. Students wishing to come to the library are asked to wait in the undercover area, to the side of the double glass doors, where they will be collected at 1.50pm.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB

Scholastic Book Club brochures have gone home this week. All orders need to be returned by 3pm Tuesday, 17th February. Orders can be made either online via the Loop system or can be returned to in an envelope along with the cash. If returning the order in an envelope, please ensure you include the child's name and year level on the front of the envelope.

All orders help to provide resources for the school.

LEXILES

A very big thank you to our P&F, who on behalf of the school community, very generously donated $3000 at the end of last year to assist with the purchase of nearly 300 hundred new Lexile reading books.

We are asking for volunteers to help with the covering of these new books, the sooner we can get the books covered the sooner they will be available for students to borrow. You are welcome to come to the library to help cover or alternatively , we are happy to send a bundle home with your child along with all the stationery required.

If you would like to assist please email me on louise.frenzel@cewa.edu.au

Many thanks to the parents who have already volunteered.

Ms Louise Frenzel

Library Officer

Bentornati a Scuola! Welcome back to School!

Benvenuti a tutti! Welcome everyone!

I wish everyone a wonderful and productive 2026.

I look forward to students increasing their use of the Italian language.

Some useful Italian words or expressions we can use in our daily lives are:

Buongiorno -Good morning Arrivederci – Goodbye Ciao! – Hello/Hi! /Bye!

Signora ___ – Mrs __/Madame Signorina-Miss ___ Signore – Mr

Per favore/ Per piacere - Please Grazie – Thank you Prego- don’t mention it/you’re welcome

Mi chiamo______________ - My name is ______

Buon lunedì -Happy Monday Buon mercoledì – Happy Wednesday

Buon Anno Scolastico a tutti! Happy school year to everyone!

che Dio vi Benedica!

May God Bless you!

Signora Jenny Acquarola

Italian Specialist Teacher

YEAR 3

Miss Natasha Galley

Year 3 Teacher

St Lawrence Play Group – Sessions Commence Friday 13th February

I’m excited to share that our Play Group sessions for 2026 will begin on Friday, 13th February!

Play Group is a wonderful opportunity for children to become familiar with the school environment while enjoying time playing and socialising with their parents. It’s also a great way for parents to meet others in our community and build new relationships.

Session Details
🕒 Time: 8:30am – 10:30am
💲 Cost: $5 per family
📍 Open to: All families in our community – please feel free to share with friends or anyone who may be interested!
📧 Bookings & enquiries: gillian.austin@cewa.edu.au

I’m very much looking forward to another fun year of play, learning, and connection.

Mrs Gillian Austin

Play Group Facilitator

Rainbows is a peer support program for children, in Years 1-6, living in a single parent or stepfamily, or who have suffered a significant loss in their life. Children meet in small groups where they are helped to identify what they may be feeling and are given some strategies to help process those feelings. It provides children with an opportunity to express their feelings in a safe and confidential setting. Grief is a normal reaction to a significant loss. Often, children do not express their grief verbally, so it surfaces in their behaviour, schoolwork, as a physical ailment or it affects their emotional development.

If you would like to register your child/children for the Rainbows program or would like further information, please email me at louise.frenzel@cewa.edu.au

Ms Louise Frenzel

Rainbows Coordinator

QuickCliq – account closure

Following the closure of our on-site canteen service, the school will no longer be utilising Quickcliq for ordering.

Should you wish to close your Quickcliq account and have any surplus wallet funds refunded to you, please follow:

- Login to the QuickCliq account:

- Go to PROFILE TAB

- Account Balance Refund and Close Account (bottom of page)

- Select close account and follow the prompts.

Outstanding funds should be refunded to your account within 5-7 business days.

For our new canteen service please click here: https://stlawbal.wa.edu.au/parents/school-canteen/

Please join us for our Welcome Back Picnic on FRIDAY the 20th February, from 5:30-7:30pm

We have a Nacho Bar which will be fully Gluten Free plus options for people who are Vegetarian/Vegan.

We have an ice cream truck & kids entertainment lined up with prizes to be won. A gentle reminder that this is an alcohol free event. We are kindly asking for donations of juice boxes, water bottles and soft drinks.

Please click the link below to RSVP. We look forward to seeing you there!

St Lawrence P&F Welcome Back Picnic

One of our incredible P&F members has taken on the task of cooking pancakes with some parent helpers to provide pancakes for the school community on Tuesday the 17th of February.

Thank you to those who have offered to help.

P & F Committee

Welcome back to all our Fathers and Families!

We’re excited to kick off the new year with plenty of activities planned for our Fathers Group for 2026.

First up is our annual Fathering Camp in Guilderton, happening on Friday 14 March and Saturday 15 March. We’re really looking forward to another fantastic weekend, with lots of new faces joining us this year. It’s always a highlight for both fathers and kids.

We’d love to see as many fathers involved as possible. If you’re not camping overnight, you are still able to come up for the day on Saturday 15 March to join in the activities that the location has to offer. We’ll have fishing, swimming, and a range of fun activities for everyone to enjoy.

Because the camp has become so popular, we need to book the site a year in advance. If you’re not attending this year but would like to join us in the future, please reach out so we can start gathering numbers for next year’s camp.

To help keep everyone informed about this event and others throughout the year, we’ve created a Fathers Group WhatsApp community. This will ensure no one misses out on updates, and it will also be used when extra help is needed around the school—such as setting up for the school carnival or assisting with the Mother’s Day breakfast.

The WhatsApp community includes a general chat plus separate year-group chats.

Please scan the QR code to join.

When joining, please add yourself to the general chat as well as the groups for each year level your child is in.

We’re looking forward to another great year together!

Will Stevens 0413235448

Fathering Project

CHILDREN'S LITURGY

The Children’s Liturgy is offered at the 5pm Mass on the 2nd and 3rd Sundays of the month, during school term.

At the beginning of Mass, all primary school children are invited to join our Children’s Liturgy team, in the Parish hall, for activities tailored to help them better understand ‘The Liturgy of the Word’. The children return to church when the offertory gifts are taken up. Please encourage your kids to join in.

Visit balcatta.perthcatholic.org.au to read our bulletins and find out more

information about happenings in our parish.