Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back to school for another exciting term of learning. We hope you had a beautiful Easter, celebrating with family and friends. We also hope you relaxed over the holidays, taking time to recharge those batteries – as I did.

I would also like to acknowledge our families who are currently undertaking Ramadan, a time for fasting between sunrise and sunset.

Ramadan is the month of fasting in which Muslims abstain from food and water and offer prayers for gratitude and forgiveness ending in the joyous occasion of Eid, a day where families gather and celebrate.

Intervention – Tutor Learning Initiative: Last term our school was involved in filming some videos for the Department of Education highlighting the work we are doing as part of our Intervention Program. We have had a sneak peek of these and they look fabulous. Once they have been shown in numerous forums, for which they were made, we will get the all clear to share them with our school community on our social media outlets. Stay tuned. In addition to this, we recently featured in the Herald Sun on Tuesday 20/4/2021 for the same thing. Check out the article within this newsletter. We are so proud to be recognised for the work we have been doing and for incorporating the additional funding we received in 2021 in such a way as to be an extension of the work we have been doing for many years. Our students are benefiting with improved learning outcomes.

Assembly – ANZAC Day Ceremony: Tomorrow we are holding a special ceremony commemorating ANZAC Day as part of our weekly assembly. We will have a special guest visitor Carolyn Clark – who was our Business Manager for many years before retiring in 2013 – play the National Anthem on the bagpipes. We will also lay a wreath and have a minute’s silence. Our school will be represented at the Cenotaph on Sunday with another wreath being laid there. With ANZAC Day on Sunday this year, there is no public holiday for Victorians. Thank-you to Ms Moore and JSC for organising such an important event.

Attendance: Coming to school EVERY DAY your child is well is the most important thing you can do to support your child’s learning. Did you know that missing one day a fortnight is the same as missing 4 whole weeks of school a year? If this occurs every year from Prep to Year 12 that adds up to 1.5 years of school missed! Sometimes there are very good reasons why a student can’t come to school. Other times students are reluctant to come to school or frequently ask to come home early. I have attached a handout with some common reasons students miss school and the recommended way for you to manage this. Please contact the school, your child’s teacher or a member of the Principal Class Team if you would like support getting your child to school EVERY DAY.

School Review: Remember to keep a look out for ways you can engage with our School Review. We will have surveys and focus groups in the next few weeks and would love as much input from our families as possible.

Annual Report to Community: I will be presenting the draft Annual Report to Community to School Council at our next meeting coming up this Monday. Following the approval, we are required to hold a public meeting to present it to the Community. This will be held on Monday 24th May at 7.00 pm. Please place this in your diary if you are interested in attending this meeting. A copy of the report will be available on our Website after this date, or a hard copy will be available from the office for any interested parents.

Thank-You: Thanks once again need to be given to Brett Collinson, father of Aubree and Bella, for his ongoing work in beautifying the school. The steps leading up to the library have been transformed into books, with The Rainbow Fish on top. If you haven’t seen it yet, please take the opportunity to go and have a look. It looks amazing.

High Levels of Learning for All

Michelle Costa

Principal

Community News