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 Picnic

What a fantastic way to begin our year together. Thank you to all the families who joined us for the Welcome Picnic. It was a beautiful afternoon with a wonderful atmosphere, full of smiles and laughter. It was so lovely to meet many of our new families and reconnect with familiar faces. We truly are a special community.

A heartfelt thank you to our incredible P&F who, as always, went above and beyond to make the event such a success. They do so much behind the scenes for our school and we are very grateful. Thank you also to the families who contributed drinks or generously gave their time to help. It is this spirit of generosity that makes our community so strong.

Speaking of volunteers, I also must acknowledge and sincerely thank our P&F Executive and Class Representatives who have offered their time this year. Your willingness to serve and support our community is deeply appreciated. Thank you!

Communication Flow Chart

Clear and respectful communication is vital in any strong community. To help streamline how we manage parent communication and concerns, we have introduced a Communication Flow Chart. This ensures that questions and concerns are directed to the right person in the first instance, allowing matters to be addressed promptly and effectively. We encourage all families to follow this process so that we can continue to work together in a positive and solution-focused way.

Footy Goals

A big thank you to the Mansfield family for making our new footy goals possible. We now have brand new goals on the senior oval, along with a generous supply of footballs and pumps. The students are absolutely loving them already. We are so grateful for the support of families who help enhance opportunities for our children.

The Year Two’s are excited to be included in the roster to use the Senior Oval, to play footy using the new goalposts on a Friday. Yay!!!

Keeping Safe Curriculum

All schools are required to teach the Keeping Safe Curriculum. You may have already heard your child talk about their “trusted network”, the group of safe adults they can go to if they ever need to talk or seek help. We encourage you to have a conversation with your child about who is on their trusted network. These conversations at home are important and reinforce the learning taking place at school.

Please keep in mind that every child learns and develops at a different pace. While this is absolutely okay, consistency between home and school is essential. Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to nurture confident and safe young people.

Term 2

Please remember to regularly check our school’s online calendar for all upcoming dates and events. The full year is available, making it easier for families to plan ahead.

A quick heads-up: next term will be a long 11-week term. To support staff and students, we have scheduled a 5-day break from 29 May to 2 June, which coincides with the public holiday. We hope that providing this notice early assists families in planning for a mid-term break.

https://stlawbal.wa.edu.au/parents/calendar/

2027 Three-Week Winter Holidays

Catholic Education WA (CEWA) has announced it intends to implement a three-week mid-year break across its 150 schools from the 2027 academic year. The implementation of this initiative will not only bring our school in line with practices at other Independent Catholic Schools but is based on significant research into how the change will positively impact teaching, learning, and wellbeing. I want to stress that there won’t be any changes to the hours of instruction your child receives as a result of this initiative, however small adjustments to individual term calendars and school timetables may be required. Please see the link below for frequently asked questions regarding the implementation of the three-week break.

FAQ - 3 Week Break

Mrs Sarah Williams

Principal

2026 School fees have now been issued to all families. Please check your email inbox for your account statement. The Payment option form is to be returned to the school by email or to the front administration office by 6 March 2026.

If you have any queries in relation to your fees or the payment options available, please contact Alica Mayo at finance@stlawbal.wa.edu.au.

Please click on the link below for important information regarding the 2026 Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection Notice.

Please Click Here

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

• Thursday 26 February - 9am Yr 1-3 attend Mass
• Monday 2 March - Labour Day Public Holiday
• Tuesday 3 March - Student Free Day
• Thursday 5 March - 9am Yr 4-6 attend Mass
  
• Wednesday 11 March - Thursday 12 March - Yr 3 & Yr 5 Naplan
• Friday 13 March - Assembly: Merit Certificates & Lawrie Bear Award

WELLNESS WEEK

This week is Wellness Week . During this week we promote the health and well-being of students, teachers and staff. It is a special time to focus on physical, mental, and emotional health through fun activities.

During this week there are no meetings for teachers after school, and no homework for the children (only reading). It is an opportunity for families to spend the time they would have dedicated to homework and other school centred activities and spend time with each other.

PROJECT COMPASSION

Project Compassion is Caritas Australia’s annual Lenten appeal, raising both funds and awareness to support communities in need. Each year, millions of Australians unite in solidarity to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold human dignity.

Last week, each family received a Project Compassion pamphlet along with a mission box. Please return the mission boxes to school at the beginning of Term 2.

Thank you for your generosity and for helping make the Spirit of Jesus present in our world.

BICYCLES

It is great to see more and more children riding their bicycles to school.

On the recommendation of safety authorities, we have a policy that only children 10 years and above are permitted to ride to school without a supervising adult. Riders must wear an approved safety helmet and keep to the bike paths.

Bikes should be parked in the bike racks and chained for security and helmets secured to bikes. Children must walk bicycles in the school ground.

UNIFORM POLICY REMINDERS:

Hair:
Hair must be neat and tidy, and tied back if it is shoulder length or longer, or if it falls across the face. Hairstyles should be conservative (no tracks, hawks, undercuts, etc.). Only natural hair colours are permitted (no tints, streaks, tips, etc.).

Hair Accessories:
Hair ribbons must be in school colours only:
– Blue or white with summer and winter uniform
– Gold, white, or red with the sport uniform

Jewellery:
Students may wear plain small sleepers or small gold, silver, or small stone studs—one per ear, worn in the earlobe only. A cross or Christian religious medal may be worn on a chain and must be tucked under the shirt or blouse. Rings and bracelets are not permitted.
Medical bracelets and chains are allowed.

Watches:
Watches/Fitbits may be worn at the owner’s risk. Smartwatches must be switched to Schooltime Mode.

Make-up:
Nail polish and make-up are not permitted.

Ms Kathleen Tranquille & Mrs Gabrielle Brennan

Assistant Principals

PRE PRIMARY CHANGE OF DAYS

Due to changes in the timetable, Pre Primary library sessions have been moved from Wednesday mornings to Friday mornings.

LIBRARY BAGS

We are aware that there is a delay from the supplier for library bags that were ordered at the beginning of the year. Students are permitted to use any suitable bag for borrowing until their library bags are received.

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 orders have now been processed. Orders will take approximately 2-3 weeks to arrive as all orders are shipped from the Eastern States. Once orders have arrived they will resorted and sent to the classrooms for distribution.

LEXILES

A very big thank you to everyone who has already helped to cover the new Lexile readers. Your prompt assistance has meant that the books have been made available to students as quickly as possible.

PARENT VOLUNTEERS

Thank you to parents who have volunteered to help shelve library books. I will be in touch shortly. We are still seeking parent volunteers to help cover new library books throughout the year. Books can be covered either at school or at home and all materials will be provided. If you are able to assist please email me at louise.frenzel@cewa.edu.au

Ms Louise Frenzel

Library Officer

YEAR 2

The Year Two students had a wonderful surprise!

They were delighted when a party scene popped up in the classroom, inspired by Ms Christensen’s surprise birthday celebration she enjoyed with her family. The room was filled with excitement, balloons, streamers, and even cupcakes!

This was used as a Hook for our Talk for Writing lesson, sparking enthusiastic discussion and imaginative thinking.

Ms Paula Christensen

Year 2 Teacher

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/

SHROVE TUESDAY

On Tuesday the 17th of February the PnF made Pancakes to celebrate Shrove Tuesday at St Lawrence. Parents were busy shaking, flipping and sweating up a storm in the kitchen. The children eagerly approached the canteen with smiles beaming, licking lips and buddies by their side all ready to answer the big question, plain or jam what to choose.

Volunteers served over 200 pancakes to the staff and students to mark the last day before the Lenten season begins. A big thank you to all the volunteers for dedicating their time and skills in the kitchen as well as the staff and students for their organisation and support in making the day a success.

WELCOME BACK PICNIC

Thank you to those who came to the welcome picnic – we hope you enjoyed the evening as much as we did!

I would also like to thank the school for all their support and our incredible P&F team who helped bring this event to you.

EASTER FUNDRAISER

Please note the Cadbury Easter Fundraiser form has been sent out – could you please be sure to RSVP before Monday the 2ndMarch 2026.

This year we are excited to offer you the option between a Cadbury Freddo Frog/Caramello Koala box OR The Natural Confectionery box.

Each box sells for $60 total.

Please note - if you do not use this form to RSVP - you will automatically be given a random box to sell.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Link to respond below:

google.com

P&F TEAM

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.