Hi Everyone,

You will see from the photos and article in this newsletter that the Whole School Bike Day was a huge success. All staff worked extremely hard on Tuesday to ensure the day was enjoyed by all. We were thoroughly supported by parents and carers who came and helped out. They manned the track so everyone was safe, they cooked our sausages, helped with the jumping castle and some even rode alongside our students.

The day was organised primarily by Lisa Tucker who did an awesome job. She was assisted by the staff who run our houses. Rob organised emergency services to be on hand so we had a police car, ambulance and a fire truck for the students to look over. The police, firemen and paramedics were completely overwhelmed by how wonderful our students are! The vehicles gave the students who weren’t riding something interesting to do.

Lisa had also organised a jumping castle which was very popular, not only for jumping but a great opportunity to teach sharing and waiting for a turn. The sausages and fruit supplemented everyone’s lunch and were enjoyed by all.

There were so many highlights on bike day but the most exciting news is that Cranbourne Cycle Club allowed us to use the track on what was supposed to be one of their club days on the proviso that they could come and help which they did. Their volunteers were really impressed by our school community and thanked us profusely for allowing them to help.

It also transpired that their club has been approached by Special Olympics to encourage people with a disability to come through their club to participate in cycling at a Special Olympic level. This means a strong possibility that our students who love cycling can continue to develop their skills beyond the school gate and into the future. How wonderful that we may in future see Dandenong Valley students compete in cycling on the world stage!

Thanks need to go to Lisa for developing our bike education program to such a high level that we now have bike education across the school, access to bike camps, a bi-annual whole school bike day and the chance to develop Olympians. Please watch the newsletter into the future as Lisa explores all the options for families to participate in training with the Cranbourne Cycle Club.

Before and After School care survey

In totally unrelated news DET have sent out a survey related to before and after school care. The link is enclosed in this newsletter and the survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Families often ask for before and after school care and although we do not currently have the room, this survey may inform DET of the need for service and potentially result in provision of service, fingers crossed.

See you all on Friday night at the concert!

Cheers Sue

PLEASE READ - VERY IMPORTANT!