Principal's Reflection - 15 May

ParentConnect

This past Monday, we held our first ParentConnect session, which is an avenue for parents and carers to provide feedback and contribute to decision making about school issues. I was very happy with the number of people who attended the session. The major focus was on the new House uniform and community expectations of student uniform standards. The parents who attended reinforced the School’s current high standards around student uniform and presentation, and made practical suggestions for possible inclusions in future uniform options. I am thankful for the extended discussions about the incoming House uniform that were possible in this forum, and have passed along several ideas that were raised to our designers, whom we met with on Tuesday.

Once the designers have incorporated the most recent round of parent and carer feedback into the designs, plus taken on board the ideas that will be raised by students in the weeks ahead, we will release one final round of options to our community before making a decision in late May. This will enable us to have the new Uniform options in our Uniform Shop by November, ready for 2027. I take this opportunity to remind parents and carers that there will be a three-year rollover period, during which both the existing and new House uniforms will be available. 

Please note that ParentConnect Sessions will be held on the Monday of the fourth week of each term at 6.00 pm in the Learning Hub.

Canvas/Instructure Data Breach

After investigations over the past weekend, and a detailed examination of the technical information provided by Instructure, our IT team was able to assure the School that Canvas was safe for students to use. It was subsequently made available to students and staff from Monday. From my previous correspondence, parents and carers will be aware that some user data, specifically first names, last names and school-provided email addresses, may have been stolen in the Canvas/Instructure data breach. There are some indications that St Luke’s data may not have been among the data compromised, though it will take some time for Instructure to fully analyse the stolen data and confirm whether the School’s data was included in the breach. Still, we have assumed it is and taken action appropriately. That being the case, I encourage families to speak to their children about the risk posed by phishing emails, to be alert for suspect emails, and to never provide personal information via email or click on suspicious links. 

Even though we are still unable to confirm if we were the subject of the breach, it is likely that the School will report a notifiable breach to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) regardless. 

Keys to Music Piano Fundraiser

While we did not quite meet our fundraising goal, with the support of the P&F Association and assistance from the School, our Keys to Music fundraiser was a great success. Sufficient funds were raised to allow the purchase of a grand piano, which will be placed in the Performance Centre and used by staff and students for years to come. The School is grateful for the generous support of our community and for the leadership of the 2025 P&F Association. 

Thank you for your support.

Mr Matthew Hughes

Principal