Save $$$ with Family Sharing

Parents, if you will have more than one child in Years 4, 5 or 6 next year, you may be able to save on school apps via Apple's new iOS feature, "Family Sharing". 

What is Family Sharing?

With Family Sharing, you nominate one Apple ID account-holder as "head" of the household. This Apple ID account-holder invites up to 6 family members to share apps owned by the "head" account. The "head" Apple ID must be owned by an adult but as all our parents effectively own and manage their children's school Apple IDs, there seems to be no reason why you can't nominate your eldest child's school Apple ID as "head". Apparently, all you need to do is turn on Family Sharing on each device. You can read more information about Family Sharing on the Apple website.

Does each of my children still need their own Apple ID?

Absolutely! Their Apple ID will link to their iCloud space and allow them to keep their iCloud documents, messages, photos and videos separate from other family account users.

Can I get my App Levy refunded?

If you choose to set up Family Sharing, you may request (from the school) a refund of the $40 app levy you have paid on the 2015 booklist. App levies will be refunded as credit on your school fee account. To apply for an App Levy refund you must email Maria and Anne BEFORE app redemption codes are distributed to students.
Maria: mmead[insert 'at' sign here]bne.catholic.edu.au
Anne: amkelly[insert 'at' sign here]bne.catholic.edu.au

Will the school be 'out of pocket' if I do?

The school has already purchased the paid app codes required for our 2015 iPad students. Once app redemption codes are redeemed they cannot be refunded or transferred to a different Apple ID. However, if you let us know that you won't need the app codes for second and/or subsequent children in the program BEFORE we email them out, we can hold these codes back until they're needed for the following year's group. They will not expire.

Is there a catch?

The catch is, several apps are new on the "Paid Apps" list this year so you will need to purchase those yourself at full price. Cost details and links below. The apps listed below are required in addition to the paid apps required (and purchased by the school) in previous years.

Unfortunately, you have an 'all or nothing' choice. Administrative processes are laborious and we are not able to have families pick and choose which app codes are needed for each child from the list. The school can only access Volume Purchasing discounts when purchasing 20 or more licenses in one transaction. So, you have the following two options:

A) Set up Family Sharing, ask to have your $40 app levy refunded for subsequent children in the program, and purchase the additional apps (in the list below) at full price for the "head" Apple ID account.

OR 

B) Leave the arrangement as is and have all required paid app codes emailed by the school as planned.

NEW "Paid" apps for 2015

• 30 Hands Pro - currently $7.49
• Scan - currently $2.49
• Protractor Tool - currently $1.29
• Calculator (7th Gear) - currently $1.29
• Spelling Notebook - currently $1.29
• Sock Puppets Complete - currently $4.99

iPad Setup Guide updated for iOS8

The Parent Handbook - iPad Setup Guide has now been updated for iOS8. The changes are minor but procedures may be easier for you with access to the updated screenshots and information in the newest version of our Setup Guide. Please visit the Documents page on the Launch Pad blog to preview the Guide, or click this link to view, download and/or print required sections.

For those families who may have young members unwrapping iPads from Father Christmas, the new Setup Guide will enable busy minds to start setting up and downloading school apps over the long break. Please see the Free Apps List for 2015 on the Documents page of the Launch Pad blog. You will not have to have ALL of these downloaded in the first week but many may be of interest for exploration over the Christmas break. The class teachers will let students know in the first few days of school, which apps will be required for the first few weeks.

New iPads purchased some weeks or months ago (depending on the model and vendor) may have shipped with iOS7 installed (Apple's previous mobile operating system). It is advisable to upgrade to iOS8 as soon as possible for the best app performance and features. Go to Settings > General > Software Update. The iPad must be plugged into power and connected to internet via wi-fi. As a rule, always keep your iPad's operating system up to date. All Apple's OS upgrades and minor updates are free.

Check for iPad software updates in Settings > General

For those families hiring a school iPad, rest assured your child's iPad will be installed with the latest updates and ready for pick up at the first iPad Boot Camp event on January 27th* (if that is the evening you plan to attend) or from the school library on the first day of school. You might like to send a sticky label with your child's name so the iPad can be labelled immediately in the style they prefer. If your child does not bring their own name label, the school library will print a plain label with the child's name and class.

*Parents, there will be a second Boot Camp event held on the evening of the first school day (January28th). You only need attend ONE of these events, WITH your child - it's the same program both nights. The evening's program starts at 7pm sharp and will conclude by 8.30pm.

In order to ensure roughly even numbers at both events, bookings will open via our online booking system in the week leading up to these events. 

Student Email Account Details

Parents we sent home BCE student account details for the following classes today (Tuesday):

• 3 Blue
• 3 White
• 4 Blue
• 4 Orange

Please check school bags if you haven't received the note. 

Account details for students in 3 Orange and 4 White will be sent home on Wednesday.

You need your child's student account details for the Apple ID creation process for two reasons:

1. You must use their BCE email address (ending in @mybce.catholic.edu.au) create the Apple ID. Students cannot use a family or shared Apple ID for their school program.
2. You need to login to your child's email account (with the username and password provided) to access the verification email from Apple. Click the link in the verification email to complete the Apple ID creation process.

If your child already has their own Apple ID you may be able to change the primary email address to their school email. Click here for instructions.

We strongly discourage the students from using their email accounts over the break. Once school begins next year we will have more time for specific instruction about appropriate use. If your child is using their email account, we ask that you please monitor their activity at home.

Important documents now available for download

Thanks to those parents who have responded this weekend, it has come to our attention that documents hosted on the Scribd website can no longer be downloaded by users without paid accounts.

We are now in the process of moving all supporting documents for St Catherine's Contemporary Learning program over to SlideShare, so you will be able to easily view them online and download the documents for printing at home if necessary.

All supporting documents can be found embedded on Launch Pad's Documents page (visit the Launch Pad blog and use the tabs to switch pages). These documents include:

• iPad Setup Guide for iOS 7 (an update for iOS 8 will soon be available)
• Parent Frequently Asked Questions about our 2015 program
• Parent Handbook - Policy & Guidelines (soon to be updated for new Privacy Legislation)
• iPad Hire Agreement form (due date has been extended to Friday, November 28th)

Please also note the links to quality Digital Citizenship resources for students and parents in the right hand pane. You will not see these if you are reading this as an email update. You need to visit the Launch Pad blog to access these links.

A final reminder that you will need students' school email account details to create Apple IDs. These will be sent home before the end of term. Thank you parents, for your patience and continued cooperation.

Apple IDs for Students

Parents we have just received word from Apple that introduction of the new process to streamline creation of Apple IDs for schools has been delayed. It now seems highly unlikely that Australian schools will be able to create Apple IDs for students under 13 years of age before Term 1 begins next year. This process, which has been available to schools in the US for the past year, is yet to be introduced in Australia. 

Why am I only hearing about this now?

When we held our information night for parents in early August, indications from Apple that the new Apple ID creation process would be accessible to us for next year’s program were very positive. We delayed our Setup Night events and held off on providing information about email addresses as we believed that we would be able to streamline this process for you. Now that we know this will not be the case, we must ask you to create an Apple ID on your child’s behalf, as parents have done in previous years.

When do I need to create my child's Apple ID?

Ideally your child will start school in 2015 with their Apple ID set up. If families can take care of this at home, any delays to classroom learning in our 1 to 1 classes next year will be minimised. Please email Maria at mmead[insert at sign here]bne.catholic.edu.au if you anticipate any difficulties.

Why does my child need an Apple ID?

An Apple ID is a secure account with Apple that allows the user to purchase and download apps, books and music. There are also many free apps available. Students will need to install school apps under their own Apple ID so that they can be kept separate from family recreational apps that may be owned by a family account. Some apps that are only temporarily required may also be distributed via managed licenses through the school's Volume Purchasing account. This is best achieved using the student email addresses which we have on file. An Apple ID account also includes free access to iCloud, which is Apple’s online (cloud) storage facility.

What do I need to create an Apple ID?

You need a computer or iPad with access to the internet. You can create an Apple ID using:
• The Apple website
• The iTunes program on any computer (Mac or Windows):
• Settings > iTunes & App Store on the iPad
• The App Store app on the iPad
(Note - click the links for more detailed information)

The step-by-step instructions provided in the Parent Handbook – Setup Guide will be useful if you are using the iPad.

Do I need to use a credit card?

You will be asked to enter payment details to create the account. This can be a valid credit card or an iTunes card. However you will not need to pay for school apps through the App Store. Most of the apps required for school are free. Paid apps are purchased by the school on your behalf. The cost of these is covered via the booklist levy.

There are ways to avoid entering payment details when creating Apple lDs, documented here on the Apple website.  If you do enter your credit card details to create the account, you can immediately edit the account details to remove the card by clicking the ‘None’ button under Payment details.

Do I have to lie about my child’s age?

Your child will use their Apple ID throughout the three-year program, and most probably throughout their lives, so it is strongly advised that you enter their personal details during the setup process. However, due to child privacy legislation, children under the age of 13 are ineligible to own and manage an Apple ID in their own right. For this reason we ask that you enter your own year of birth, rather than your child's. This may seem irregular but technically the Apple ID account is owned and managed by you until they come of age. The practice has been accepted by our educational representatives within Apple and is currently undertaken by many schools implementing 1 to 1 programs.

Parents do need to be aware that Apple stores user data offshore.

What email address should I use for the Apple ID?

You will be asked to enter a primary email address. This must be your child’s BCE email address. Student email addresses and passwords will be sent home with the students before the end of this term. The Apple ID must be verified via your child's email address, which means you need to be able to receive an email in their BCE account. Instructions for setting up an email account in the Mail app on the iPad are in Section 3 of the Setup Guide. Alternatively, you can access your child’s BCE email account from the School Portal.

For further information about Apple IDs:

Apple Help Links

• iTunes accounts for Students
• Apple IDs for students
• Changing your Apple ID (primary email address)

Year 3 CyberSafety sessions

Parents, we posted a few weeks about about our Term 4 CyberSafety sessions with Year 3 and 4 students. You can read that post here, to find details about the Year 4 session material and some useful Australian cybersafety resources for parents and families.

Year 3 sessions began this week and will continue through until Week 7 of term. Feel free to watch the videos below with your child again at home and start some conversations. You will have your own valuable experiences and advice to add. Every year we find students more aware of the pitfalls of online activities and better prepared for safe and responsible digital citizenship. It's wonderful to know families are talking about this important subject!

Topics addressed in these sessions are:

• Information Privacy: What information is OK to share? What personal information should NEVER be shared online?
• My Digital Footprint: Everything I do online leaves a 'trail'.  How can I make sure I'm leaving a positive digital footprint?
• Cyberbullying: How should I deal with it, as a victim or as a bystander? The importance of reporting cyberbullying to a trusted adult.
• Uncool Content: How to recognise and avoid scams, phishing and malware.

For Year 3 students:

Today we viewed the first of the adventures of Faux Paw, the Techno Cat from the iKeepSafe Kids website: "Adventures in the Internet". This is a US website however the cartoon format is appealing and reinforces the messages we are aiming to convey.

"Hector's World" is a series of short animated videos available on the Federal Government's CyberSmart website. There are also some very useful resources there for parents if you take the time to explore the site.

Parents you will also see links to some useful resources for families in the right hand pane of this Launch Pad blog. Please note: If you receive posts via email updates, you will not see these extra features. But you can always visit the Launch Pad blog by clicking the link in the email footer (in tiny pale print). You may also need to 'allow' images to load in your email application, before you can view any visual content in these email updates.

Thanks always for your email subscriptions and your support! Keep spreading the word about the importance of subscribing to Launch Pad.

School iPads for Hire

Those families who choose not to purchase an iPad for their child may hire one from the school for as long as they need it at St Catherine's. There will be some restrictions on the use of a school iPad, for example, it must be stored securely at school over the Christmas break. Information regarding the hiring of a school iPad is covered in detail on the Hire Agreement itself. This document can be previewed, downloaded and printed from the link on the Launch Pad blog.

Please note: If you are receiving this post as an email update, you will need to allow images to display to view the document below. You may need to click the "Launch Pad" link at the bottom of your email to visit the Launch Pad blog to interact with the embedded document and access features such as print and download.

Parent Agreement FINAL - iPad Hire St Catherine's Wishart

The school iPads are 32GB iPad Airs. They will be fitted with a heavy duty cover and screen protector but can otherwise be completely personalised by the student.

Families which decide to hire an iPad from the school must lodge a completed Hire Agreement with the non-refundable insurance fee of $50 at the school office by the close of business on Wednesday 19th November. The iPad will be ready for your child on the first day of school in 2015.

Price Drop on special offer iPads

Parents there has been a drop in the price of the 32GB iPad Airs offered by Harvey Norman for St Catherine's parents. These iPads are now available for $525.00 including GST. Please contact Megan Patane if you'd like to take advantage of this special offer. The closing date for orders has been extended to COB on Tuesday 28th October. Those who have already placed an order with Megan will pay the reduced price. Details as follows:

32GB iPad Air 

Wi-Fi only

Model number:  MD789X/A

Special Price: $525.00 including GST

supplied by Harvey Norman

only by arrangement with Megan Patane

If you would like to secure one of these iPads at this special price, 

please contact Megan on 0402 241 957 

before close of business on Tuesday 28th October. 

Alternatively, by email at meganpatane[insert 'at' sign here]gmail.com

iPad Air deal: Deadline approaching

Parents, you may recall a post last term, "AMAZING deal on brand new iPads", which contained details about reduced iPad Airs, organised by Megan Patane exclusively for St Catherine's families.

The cut-off date to arrange an order with Megan is approaching. Please contact Megan on or before Monday (October 20) if you wish to take up this offer. Details again are as follows:

32GB iPad Air 

Wi-Fi only

Model number:  MD789X/A

Special Price: $634.40 including GST

supplied by Harvey Norman

only by arrangement with Megan Patane

If you would like to secure one of these iPads at this special price, 

please contact Megan on 0402 241 957 

before Monday 20th October. 

Alternatively, by email at meganpatane[insert 'at' sign here]gmail.com

CyberSafety Sessions in Years 3 and 4

Parents, this term we will be running a few intensive online safety sessions, to help prepare the students to be wise and responsible users of a personal internet-enabled device.

Topics include:

• Information Privacy - Keeping personal information private and managing your digital footprint
• CyberBullying - How to deal with inappropriate communications 
• Internet Security - Avoiding spam, scams and other harmful content

Year 4 will start their sessions THIS week (Week 2) and Year 3 classes will start in Week 5.

Learning everything there is to know about good digital citizenship cannot be achieved in a few weekly sessions at school. In a constantly evolving digital world, that process will take a lifetime. Our aim this term is to present some age-appropriate material to start conversations and raise awareness of some simple guidelines for safe online practices. The students will continue learning 'on the job' over the next few years. They will gain a great deal from conversations at home and by observing parents and family members modelling and articulating good practice.

Below you will find links to the content used during these sessions as well as additional resources to help  families to support students in developing and maintaining safe online practices....

For Year 4 students:

Students will view and discuss several short animated videos from the "CyberQuoll" program on the Federal Government's CyberSmart website. The CyberQuoll program includes some resources for parents that you may find useful.

For Year 3 students:

Stay tuned for more details about Year 3 content, closer to the session times.

For ALL Parents and Families:

We will not have time to view all the videos from each series in class but you may like to view them at home with your child. This is a great way to kick start conversations with your child about safe online practices and to keep those all-important lines of communication open.

The Stay Smart Online website is another excellent Australian Government resource for parents and families. We particularly recommend the Protecting Your Children page as background information for what we are aiming to achieve this term. Please note that this page is aimed at adults and is far more explicit about potential online dangers than the material we will be using in class for this age group.

Finally, you can download a free copy of the Federal Government's Parents Guide to Internet Safety - 'Practical, issue-focussed information and advice for parents of children of all ages.'

Why iPads in Year 4? (Part 2)

Welcome to the final school term, which always feels like the fastest!

This week we continue our responses to Frequently Asked Questions about next year's program, to clarify for current Year 3 parents why your children need iPads for school next year...

(If you haven't yet read the previous FAQs post, you'll find it here)

Why iPads, not laptops or another tablet?

As we discussed at the parent meeting, iPads provide all necessary functions for primary students at around half the price of a laptop. iPads are more compact and lighter than a laptop and therefore more mobile for smaller primary students. With no hinged screen, iPads are more robust than laptops. The iPad camera is more versatile than a laptop’s as it can be easily carried around and aimed at the subject. The screen on a flat tablet device facilitates collaboration more readily than a hinged laptop screen.

Will the students use the iPads too much?

The iPad will complement the existing school curriculum by providing an appropriate digital learning tool in balance with traditional learning tools. Curriculum goals are supported, not supplanted, by the use of 1 to 1 devices. Students will use their iPads when appropriate, where they serve a real purpose, for instance, in research, record keeping, data analysis and creating presentations. They will not be using them for extended periods on any given day. There may be days occasionally when students may not need to use them at all. Digital health and wellness is part of our digital citizenship program so students learn about appropriate posture and the importance to eye health of regular breaks during screen use.

With their own personal device, students will be able to access their school files, tools and projects at home and be able to easily collaborate with their teacher and their peers on various projects.

How will Year 4 classrooms look different in 2015?

This is a difficult question to answer before the teaching team has had a chance to meet and plan for their 2015 school year. We know you will see some new classroom furniture, to suit more contemporary and individualised styles of learning. The video below (duration 11 mins) will give you some idea of the changes from the perspective of current Year 5 and 6 students. 

You might like to take a stroll past the current year 5 and 6 classrooms to see for yourself how they look. Learning continues, as stipulated by our national Australian Curriculum, but different teaching teams take different approaches to suit their own teaching styles and the needs of their students. Year 4 next year may look similar to either of these current models, or it may be slightly different again.

As always, your child will have one "home group" teacher who meets the pastoral care needs of their class, manages classroom administration, collates data on achievement and academic progress and prepares school reports.

When year level teaching teams work closely together, sharing planning, teaching and classroom spaces, your child benefits from positive relationships with more teachers and can benefit from a wider range of teaching strengths. All students across the year level cover the same curriculum at the same time and are exposed to the same learning opportunities. A collaborative approach to year level teaching can more effectively cater for diverse learning needs. If your child either struggles or needs extension in particular areas, they may join a smaller group for specialised activities.

As always, if you have any questions or require further information, please contact Maria (email mmead[insert 'at' sign here]bne.catholic.edu.au) or Paul (email pleeson[insert 'at' sign here]bne.catholic.edu.au).

AMAZING deal on brand new iPads

Are you planning on purchasing an iPad for your child to use next year?

One of our parents has negotiated a deal with her employer to help out St Catherine's families who are in the market for a new iPad. Check this out:

32GB iPad Air 

Wi-Fi only

Model number:  MD789X/A

Special Price: $634.40 including GST

supplied by Harvey Norman

only by arrangement with Megan Patane

If you would like to secure one of these iPads at this special price, 

please contact Megan on 0402 241 957 

before Monday 20th October. 

Alternatively, by email at meganpatane[insert 'at' sign here]gmail.com

Megan can also tell you about various different Zest iPad cases available for $10 to $30. You can browse the collection online.

Thank you Megan, for all your efforts to secure this price on behalf of St Catherine's families!

Why iPads in Year 4 next year? (Part 1)

Dear Parents of current Year 3 students,

The Contemporary Learning program at St Catherine’s, supported by 1 to 1 iPads, has been running successfully for two years now in Year 5 and Year 6 classrooms. In 2015 we will extend the program to include our three Year 4 classes. Those of you who could not attend the information night on Monday 4th August might be a little unclear about this decision. The following Frequently Asked Questions, may help clarify things for you...

Are Year 4 students too young to have iPads at school?

Students who started school in Queensland’s first full time prep year in 2007 are now in Year 7. This means that all Queensland primary students are now 6 months older than they were prior to the implementation of the Prep year. Since 2011 at St Catherine’s we have used and valued iPads as learning tools in all of our classrooms, from Prep to Year 7. As students progress through school, the need for access to digital tools increases significantly.

By Years 3 and 4, the level of technology that the school can provide is simply not sufficient for students' curriculum needs. Teachers frequently find that each student in a class needs to be working on a device. Currently in years 3 and 4 classrooms, teachers and students face long wait times for equipment, which has to be booked and borrowed from other year levels. This is not an efficient use of our precious class time and students are missing out on valuable learning opportunities when they have to wait their turn. Daily learning tasks would be streamlined and information needs satisfied with no delay if sufficient digital tools were readily available.

Facing similar demands, an increasing number of Catholic Schools are implementing 1 to 1 programs each year. Some schools, such as St Thomas’ at Camp Hill or St Columba’s at Wilston, begin 1 to 1 iPads in Prep. St Joachim’s at Holland Park introduces 1 to 1 iPads in Year 3.

Why the demand for technology in classrooms?

Increased digital access for students is required by several guiding documents: St Catherine’s strategic renewal goals, Brisbane Catholic Education’s (BCE’s) teaching and learning framework and our national AustralianCurriculum.

The adoption of a national curriculum in 2011 brought unprecedented demand for access to digital tools in primary schools. Never before have schools encountered explicit requirements for technological skills and knowledge, or teaching standards in digital technologies. From their first years in formal schooling, today’s students have specific entitlements to digital access, mandated by curriculum. Deconstruction and creation of multimodal texts is required from Prep in a number of learning areas. Skills in using electronic tools and multimodal texts, presenting and analysing data digitally, critical thinking about digital and online content, and responsible and ethical use of technologies are just some of the skills mandated by our curriculum. We simply cannot satisfy students’ curriculum entitlements without access to digital tools and technologies.

Catholic schools operate under BCE’s learning and teaching framework, which states that learning is linked with living. We believe that learning happens anywhere, that it should not be confined to the constructs of school or classrooms, that learning is personal, relational and communal. Because technologies are undeniably an integral part of the world in which our children live, we must provide meaningful opportunities to use digital information and communication tools in teaching and learning. If the learning opportunities we provide are not relevant to our children’s world, then they are obsolete and irrelevant.

Our school covenant (mission) too, has moral and ethical components that compel us to provide learning that is linked to children’s world. Teachers and parents have choices about where and when they can pick up and access digital tools. If a school program does not provide this choice for all students, it does not promote equity. Only when all students have equal access to digital devices can we achieve equity. This doesn’t mean all students will be using their device all day, or that they have to be doing the same thing at the same time. We are simply meeting our obligation to ensure the necessary tools for relevant and effective 21^st century learning are available to our students.

iPads at school on PhotoPeach

 

We will post answers to more "Frequently Asked Questions" in the next Launch pad post. Make sure you're following by email... and tell your friends!

Survey Time

Parents we need to obtain accurate numbers to negotiate pricing for school iPads for hire. Last week we emailed a link to a very quick survey to ascertain how families are planning to provide their child/ren's iPads for 2015. So far we have received 98 responses out of 156 students currently in Years 3 and 4.

Please, if you have not already responded, could you take a few moments to answer the two questions below and click "Submit". We would appreciate a response for each child entering the program next year, whether or not you plan to hire an iPad from the school.

Thank you very much!

iPad Bargains on offer

One of our St Catherine's parents, Laura El-Hani, works across a number of Telstra's retail stores in Queensland and has let us know about some clearance prices available on a range of iPad 4 models that she would like to make available to St Catherine's parents. These offers will make outright purchase of your child's iPad for 2015 much more affordable. As you can see from the list below, some of these iPad 4 models are even less expensive than purchasing the iPad 2 which is a much older model. Most of these models will make outright purchase more affordable than hiring an iPad through the school, even over a two-year period. The school will order only one uniform model for all families who choose to hire, at a total cost of around $600 per device, plus a percentage of the interest costs on the school's loan, over three years.

Please contact Laura (via phone or email) if you would like her to reserve one of these iPads for you. There are limited numbers available so they are offered on a "first in best dressed" basis. Laura has also offered to have requested models sent to the Mt Gravatt store for your convenience. She can also organise discounts on covers, screen protectors and other peripherals from the Telstra shop. Thanks for your help, Laura.

If any other parents notice good specials or offers, please let your parents community know about them via the Comments option below. This is YOUR space to interact about everything iPad Launch related!

Laura's contact details:

Phone: (07) 3455 2659 | Fax: (07) 3003 1243 | M 0418 585 228

Email: laura.el-hani [insert 'at' sign here] team.telstra.com

iPad clearance - available models (stock is limited):

Welcome to the 2015 Program!

Welcome to the launch of the 

2015 Contemporary Learning Program 

at St Catherine's!

If you are a parent of a current Year 5 student, receiving this post by email, you can Unsubscribe from the tiny link in the email footer. Thanks for your readership during your launch period last year. Please ensure you're subscribed to your current blog: 5Padwise.

If you are a parent of a current Year 3 or 4 student, a special welcome to you! This is the place where you will receive the latest news and information as we prepare for 1 to 1 iPads in Year 4 and 5 classrooms in 2015. Please complete the 'Subscribe by Email' field (upper right) to stay up to date. Once you subscribe, all future posts will go straight to your inbox. Keep an eye on the Documents tab (link above), where you will find all the documentation you'll need. Apart from the Parent FAQs, most of the documents have yet to be updated for the 2015 program so please note the dates if you are perusing these now. We'll let you know as the various resources are updated.

Thanks to all those who came along to the information night on Monday 4th August in the Nano Nagle Centre. A followup letter will be sent home to all Year 3 and 4 families with a summary, some links and further information. You will find more FAQs answered, on the Documents page on this blog. Please email Maria mmead[insert 'at' sign here]bne.catholic.edu.au if you have further questions.

We're looking forward to planning another great year of fun, relevant and contemporary learning at St Catherine's!

Boot Camp Reminder

Dear Year 5 Parents (2014), 

This will be final post for you on this Launch Pad blog. 

BUT...

There is an important post waiting for you on Year 5 Padwise, your new 2014 blog space.

Please follow the link to read the post about next week's compulsory Cyber Safety Boot Camps.