From the Principal ...

Dear students, families and staff of Cheltenham Primary School,

As we enter the final term of the year, there is much to look forward to, from rich learning experiences in our classrooms to the many activities and celebrations that bring our community together. 

Buildings and Grounds Update

Our sincere thanks to the families who have contributed to our Tax-Deductible Building Fund over the years. Your generosity has recently enabled us to undertake important repairs in our senior building over the term break, restoring several large sliding classroom doors that had become increasingly difficult and unsafe to operate.

These doors are extremely large and repairing them required specialist contractors with each repair costing $6,000 per door. Without the Building Fund contributions accumulated over time, this project would simply not have been possible. Rather than removing the doors and reducing the flexibility of these valuable learning spaces, we have been able to restore them to safe working order for students and staff.  This is a powerful example of the real impact of Building Fund donations. Your contributions over the years have supported significant improvements that enhance the safety, functionality and quality of our learning environment.

On behalf of our students and staff, thank you to every family who has supported the Building Fund. Your generosity continues to make a lasting difference for current and future generations of learners.

Also during the Term 3 break a number of trees across the school grounds were carefully pruned, and several hazardous trees identified in a tree audit by our school arborist, Mark McLeod removed.  A successful grant from the Victorian School Building Authority, facilitated by Donna Ryan and Jezz Langworthy, allowed us to undertake this significant maintenance and safety project.

Accessiblity Grant Update

Planning for our Accessibility Grant continues to progress, with further site visits recently completed and preliminary designs now received. The project includes significant upgrades across the school, including the replacement of existing ramps to meet current accessibility standards and the installation of automatic doors in key locations. These improvements will enhance access, safety and independence for students, staff and visitors, helping to create a more inclusive environment for our school community.  We look forward to sharing further updates as designs and construction timelines are finalised.

Parent Payments 2027

Parent Payment information will be distributed to families in the coming weeks.  Consistent with Department guidelines, all parent payments and contributions are voluntary.  All families are encouraged to review the information provided and to consider the many ways they can support our school community.

The impact of community support can be seen throughout our school.  As outlined in the Buildings and Grounds update, contributions to our Tax-Deductible Building Fund enable us to undertake significant repairs to ensure our learning spaces remain safe, functional and fit for purpose for our students and staff.  

We are equally grateful for the extraordinary support provided by our Parents Association. This year, their funding has enabled the continued enhancement of our Kitchen Classroom program. The program has been expanded to offer students opportunities to prepare breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert menus, helping develop valuable life skills while building confidence and independence. Through the generosity of the Parents Association, the kitchen has been refreshed with new equipment, tableware and resources.  Looking ahead, one of our priorities is the replacement of the Kitchen Classroom's industrial oven. Our current oven was generously donated in 2012 and has served the school exceptionally well; however, it is now nearing the end of its operational life. The Parents Association is actively exploring funding opportunities and partnerships that may assist us in securing this important piece of equipment for future generations of students.  

While financial contributions provide valuable support, there are many ways families contribute to the life of our school.  Donations to the tax deductible Building and Library Funds, support through Parent Payments, participation in fundraising activities, volunteering time in classrooms or at school events, assisting with excursions, joining the Parents Association, or simply lending a hand when needed all make a meaningful difference.

We recognise that every family’s circumstances are different and that the rising cost of living continues to place pressure on household budgets.  We do not take for granted the time, expertise, generosity and support our community provides.  Whether a family is able to contribute financially, volunteer their time, share their skills, or simply support their child’s learning each day, every contribution is valued and appreciated.  Together, these contributions help strengthen our school community and enrich the educational experiences we can provide for our students. On behalf of our students and staff, thank you for your ongoing support, generosity and commitment to our school.

PTFA 

I am delighted to announce that we have a new PTFA committee with co Presidents  Juliet White and Andrew McCorkell. The PTFA are currently planning a Colour Run for students F-6 which will be held Friday, December 4th.  Please look out for further updates on Compass and in the next edition of the newsletter. 

2027 Foundation Transition

Last Wednesday marked an exciting milestone for our 2027 Foundation students, who attended their first Transition Session following our Meet and Greet interviews with families. The children eagerly explored the school, visiting their future learning areas and becoming familiar with the spaces where they will learn, play and grow next year. We loved seeing their smiling faces and look forward to welcoming them back for their upcoming transition sessions. Our sincere thanks to our Foundation teachers: Eileen Banal, Ilana Arndtheim and Catie Mytton. 

Student Excellence

One of the great strengths of our school is the willingness of our students to embrace opportunities, challenge themselves and pursue excellence. Throughout the year, students have demonstrated these qualities through their participation in school sport, achieving impressive success at district level and earning the opportunity to compete at regional events. Their efforts, determination and sportsmanship have been a source of pride for our entire school community.

The following achievements reflect the collective effort of students, families and staff working together. We particularly acknowledge our teacher coaches, whose passion, encouragement and commitment help students develop their skills, confidence and love of sport.  We congratulate all students who have represented our school and celebrate the achievements outlined below which occurred over the first few weeks of Term 4...

District Athletics

Bennett D-S broke the 12/13 Boys 100m record and progresses through to..

Benicio M-J finished 2nd and progresses in boys 9/10 Triple Jump.

Harvey F finished 2nd and progresses in boys 9/10 Discuss.

Girls’ Volleyball Team – Off to Regionals...from  Samantha Van Zyl 

A huge congratulations to our Girls’ Volleyball Team on their fantastic achievement! The girls displayed outstanding teamwork, determination, and sportsmanship, winning all three of their matches before going on to secure victory in the grand final! Not only are these girls talented volleyball players, but they are also kind, supportive of one another and wonderful sportswomen. Their positive attitudes and the respect they show towards their teammates and opponents make them fantastic ambassadors for Cheltenham Primary School. The team will now progress to the School Sport Victoria Southern Metropolitan Region Finals. We are extremely proud of the girls and wish them all the best as they compete at the next level. Well done, girls!

Girls Basketball ... from Holly Smith

Our girls won their first three games and were the winners of their pool. 

They played off in the Grandfinal losing to ... The girls displayed great teamwork and sportsmanship reflecting the Cheltenham spirit! As a school we should all be incredibly proud of them. 

Little Saints Day ... from Matt Littlechild

Thursday 22nd October, the Girls AFL team proudly represented Cheltenham Primary School at the Little Saints Cup, held at RSEA Park. Despite the challenging hot Melbourne conditions, the girls displayed outstanding teamwork, determination and sportsmanship throughout the day. In an incredible effort, they won all six of their fixtured matches, progressing undefeated into the Grand Final against Elsternwick Primary School. 

Although they finished runners-up after a 39-point defeat, the girls should be extremely proud of their achievements. Their enthusiasm, resilience and encouragement of one another were fantastic to see. Congratulations to all the girls on a wonderful day of football and an outstanding achievement!

Division Cricket...Hamish Burrill

The Cheltenham girls cricket team travelled to Roy Dore Reserve on Tuesday 20th October for their Division tournament, winning all their pool games to reach the final against Parkdale Primary. The girls played brilliantly throughout the day, showing fantastic teamwork, encouraging one another and celebrating each other’s successes. In a close final, they narrowly missed out, going down by just 8 runs. While they just missed out on regional qualification, the girls should be incredibly proud of the way they supported one another and represented Cheltenham with such enthusiasm and team spirit. Thanks to Matt Holman for his assistance, and well done to Grace S, Maggie B and Olivia H for captaining the team throughout the tournament.

Division Tennis...Hamish Burrill

The Cheltenham boys team made their way to Maccabi Tennis Club in East Bentleigh for their Division tennis tournament, consisting of two pool games and one fun game. The boys toiled away hard against both Valkstone Primary and Bonbeach Primary winning their fare share of rubbers. The final scores from each match both tallying 7 rubbers to 5 in favour of the other schools. Despite the losses, the boys handled themselves very professionally, displaying great sportsmanship to the other teams and enjoying the tennis they played. Well done, boys!

Celebrating our Mathematics Enrichment program

Congratulations to our talented Year 4 and Year 6 students who participated in the Junior Maths Games and Junior Maths Olympiad programs this year through the Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads (APSMO).

Throughout the year, students tackled a series of challenging mathematical problems that encouraged logical reasoning, creative thinking and collaboration. Congratulations to all students  involved! We are incredibly proud of your efforts, growth and achievements in Mathematics. 

I encourage you to read about their achievements in Mr Chronopoulos' Mathematics Olympiad Report in today's newsletter. Thank you to Mr Chronopoulos for your dedication, passion and enthusiasm in supporting students in the Olympiad and in Mathematics, to develop a love of mathematical problem-solving.

In conclusion our final Curriculum Day will be held on Tuesday December 8 which is the State 6/7 Transition Day. An all of staff Professional Practice Day has also been scheduled for Friday December 18.  Both of these days are pupil free and students do not attend school. Camp Australia will be offering a day program on both dates.  The last day for students will be Thursday December 17 with dismissal at 3.30pm following our end of year assembly. 

Kind Regards,

Bronwyn