From the Principal

Principal's Report

What a big year it has been yet again at Camelot Rise Primary School. The 2020 school year is coming to a close and Christmas is just around the corner. It has been a year like no other and collectively we need to take stock and reflect on what has been achieved this year. The ‘unknowns’ of this year made planning hard and we have become increasingly flexible and adaptable. Graduation is an example of this. Initially we were asked to make alternate plans for graduation. We did. Then the guidelines changed and we were able to make new arrangements. We did. Then two weeks ago the guidelines changed again to allow us to have more parents / friends attend and tomorrow night we are looking forward to a truly special night for our Year Six students, their families / friends and our staff.

We are thrilled that the guidelines have enabled this event to be more like a ‘traditional graduation ceremony’. Importantly the students have been asked about what aspects of graduation are most important to them and the wishes of the students have been taken into consideration. They have been involved in all aspects of planning this special night.

This year more than ever the partnership between home and school has been so vital in providing educational opportunities to our students. You have been placed in a position that you and we never expected to ever be in and together we have got through this with a range of new skills. I thank you for all of your efforts in supporting the students throughout the year and also for your support of the school as we have navigated through the year.

We would also like to thank the wonderful staff. The challenge of educating our students is something which we take seriously and the passion that our staff have to make a difference to each and every student is inspiring. This year they have delivered something that none of us could have imagined at the beginning of the year and I know that they are proud of what the students have achieved this year.

Our goal for 2021 remains to ensure that all of our students are achieving their best possible outcomes and we have already started working towards that goal, with your children’s new teachers already briefed on each child’s point of need for the start of next year as part of our ‘Teacher handover / Transition to 2021’.

Early in the new school year, we will offer our ‘Getting to Know You Interviews’ where parents and teachers can discuss their goals for the year ahead. We will also conduct Parent Information Nights in Term One where parents can learn about what to expect in each year level throughout the school.

Given the success of this year’s WebEx interviews, we will most likely offer both an online and an in person option next year.

Farewell to the Class of 2020!

Our 2020 Year Six students are now in their final week of primary school. It is an exciting time for any young person to move from the sanctuary of their primary school and take the challenge of entering secondary school. We would like to wish them all a very fond farewell from Camelot Rise Primary School. This year, unlike any other, has meant that they have missed out on far too many milestones, but we are so proud of their resilience and their recognition that the sacrifice was for the greater good. We know our school has provided these students with the skills and confidence to take on any challenge they face in the coming years. I would also like to farewell all of the families that are departing Camelot Rise Primary School for a variety of reasons.

We hope that wherever you go you will look back fondly at your time at Camelot Rise Primary School.

End of Year assembly

The End of Year assembly will be held on Friday, 18th December between 9.10am – 10.00am in our Multi-Purpose Room.

At this assembly we will only have the current Year Six students and two family members / friends per Year Six student in attendance at this event.

Parents in attendance will be asked to enter the Multi-Purpose Room via the door closest to the Tydeman Arts Centre. All parents / family members will be required to sign in to attend this event. Please ensure you allow sufficient time to be seated by 9.10am.

At the end of each school year we present a number of awards to our Year Six students. These awards relate to core curriculum areas, school values, specialist programs and a community citizenship award.

These awards are decided upon by the staff at Camelot Rise PS. These awards are presented at the final assembly on Friday, 18th December. This will be a very special assembly for all of our Year Six students and their families.

School Council – Thank You

Our final School Council meeting for 2020 was held in November. I would like to express my sincere thanks to our School Council members for their commitment to our school. The time and effort dedicated to this role often goes unrecognised and whilst rewarding, can also be challenging.

At Camelot Rise Primary School, we are fortunate to have group of people led superbly by our School Council President, Mrs Carrie Foster.

Each of our councillors have performed a very important role to support our school purpose and in doing so has made an extremely valuable contribution to the educational outcomes of each of our students. The broad scope of work by School Council this year has included:

communicating the broad direction and vision of the school within our community
approving the annual budget and monitoring expenditure
acquiring feedback from the school community to inform decision making
developing, reviewing and updating school policies
overseeing the maintenance of the school’s grounds and facilities
reporting annually to the school community and to the DET
creating interest in our school in the wider community
enhancing communication within our school community
outsourcing the School Uniform to Primary School Wear (PSW)
working through policies and ensuring we are strictly adhering to its principles

Each of our councillors has performed a very important role to support our School purpose and in doing so has made an extremely valuable contribution to the educational outcomes of each of our students.

Thank you to our 2020 School Councillors:

Parent members:

Carrie Foster (President), Glen Northway (Vice President), Cindy Zhou (Treasurer), Keean Braybon, David Chin, Jo Dutoit, Anna Earl and Martin Grieve.

Staff representatives: Matthew Coney, Helen Thomas, Ben Heys, Hayley Lonsdale and Amanda Neary.

End of term dismissal and bell times for Friday, 18th December

9.00am – 10.40am – Students in their classrooms (except for Year Six Students who will be in the Multi- Purpose Centre. Assembly will be held between
9.10am – 10.00am.
10.40am – 11.10am – Recess time
11.10am – 1.30pm – Students will be in their classrooms
1.30pm – Students will be dismissed from their respective classrooms

Classes for all students will conclude at 1.30pm on Friday 18th December.

As per COVID -19 protocols, students must be collected by parents and guardians between 1:30 and 1:45pm, with parents on site for no longer than 15 minutes. Teachers will be on Yard Duty until 1.45pm.

The Camp Australia Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) Program will commence from 1.30pm on this day.

Dates for 2021

Please note the following dates for your diary for the start of 2021.

Students return on Thursday January, 28th 2021

2021 Curriculum Days (Students are not required at school these days)

Wednesday, 27th January
Wednesday, 24th February
Thursday, 27th May
Friday, 20th August

Have a wonderful holiday!

We would like to wish all students, parents and staff a wonderful Christmas and holiday season with their families. We would like to thank everyone who works so hard to make Camelot Rise Primary School such a fantastic school.

We appreciate the opportunity to work alongside you in your efforts to continue building schools that are great places to work and that make a real difference to students' learning outcomes. We look forward to this continuing in 2021.

If you and your family use our school grounds during the holidays and see any suspicious activity, please call DET Emergency Management ( 9589 6266 or Glen Waverley Police 9566 1555 or 000).

Matthew Coney and Helen Thomas