PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Welcome Back

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Welcome back to Term 4. I hope everyone enjoyed some quality time with family and friends over the break, and most importantly, took the opportunity to recharge for the busy term ahead.

We know this term is a long one—11 weeks can feel like an eternity, especially as it is the final term of the year, however we have many rich learning experiences to look forward to.

We have had an action packed start to the term with the Prep and Year 3/4 swimming program getting underway, new toilets and portables arriving and of course the extremely successful Celebration of the Arts evening. Our thanks goes out to all parents and carers for supporting the busy start to the term.

Some other highlights we can look forward to this term include:

• Welcoming new staff and students to the Lucas community.
• Curriculum Day in Week 7.
• Our first-ever participation in the Energy Breakthrough competition.
• Sporting events, including division cricket and the P-2 Athletics Day.
• The Prep Transition Program, which will introduce our 2025 Prep students to our routines and rituals.
• Assessment Weeks in Weeks 5 and 6.
• Planning Week in Week 9.
• The Year 6 Graduation celebration.
• A variety of excursions and incursions.
• And finally, our Christmas Carols evening.

It’s going to be a busy and exciting term!

Yarning Circle

In the first week back, we officially opened our Yarning Circle with a smoking ceremony. Special guests included our Senior Education Improvement Leader Anne Gawth, Koorie Education Suppoort officers Deb Clark, Indya Hayes and Donna Holloway, Yarning Circle designer Simon Faithful and representatives from Integra.

Uncle Peter and Tristan conducted the smoking ceremony to cleanse the space and warn off evil spirits and we welcomed all students, visitors and family and friends to participate during the ceremony.

The construction of the Yarning Circle was a team effort and we thank all those who supported the project. Moving forward, we hope this space will be a central point for meetings, discussions and thought provoking moments. 

Celebration of the Arts

Our inaugural Celebration of the Ars evening was held on Monday night showcasing thousands of pieces of student art from across the year. The two galleries were enjoyed by the hundreds of students and extended family members that attended. The Performing Arts room was transformed into a mesmerising glow gallery and the main gym housed many, many displays of amazing student art.

The online Silent Auction has been a big success attracting interest and many bids to try and secure a fantastic collaborative piece of Art. This auction closed at 4pm on Thursday.

During the evening we also had face painting and several collaborative art activities on the go for attendees to get involved with. Performances from all year levels occurred throughout the night and the choir sang a number of songs to entertain the crowds.

Our heartfelt thanks goes out to the amazing Art Team of Mrs Glanville, Mrs Hodson and Mr Shell, who were the architects of the evening and to the band of helpers who assisted to set up the galleries and run the activities throughout the night.

The galleries will come down on Thursday, but the memories of this wonderful evening will last for well into the future.

The Silent Auction raised over $2000 for the school art program. We had some very competitive bidding for some of the art pieces, which was wonderful. 

Congratulations to those who were the winners of each piece. The winners have been notified by email.

Below is an list of the winning bids for each piece of art. Thankyou very much to all those who have contributed to the Silent Auction.

New Portables

It was quite a sight over the past week to see our two new portables installed on site. The cranes and trucks rolled in to put the twelve pieces together for each portable which now tower over the basketball court and oval spaces.

The students all had the opportunity to go and see the workers do their thing during the installation and complete some sketches to help remember the occasion. 

Over the next 3 weeks, the portables will undergo their fit out, ready for handover in mid November.

Sunsmart

This is a reminder that all students are required to wear their wide brimmed sun hat at all times they are outdoors in Term 1 & Term 4. No hat will mean that students will be asked to play in a designated shade area at the front of the gym.

Lucas PS hats are available to purchase from PSW, our uniform supplier.

Year 2 Sleepover

At the conclusion of Term 3, our Year 2 students and staff spent the night at school as part of the Year 2 Sleep Over. This event signals the beginning of our school camping program. The students came together to participate in an evening of fun activities, share a meal and sleep at school for the night. I am pleased to report that the event was highly successful with students showcasing their independence to organise themselves for a night away from parents. (I bet there were a few parents enjoying the extra quiet time as well)

The students participated in a number of activities throughout the evening and enjoyed each others' company during the event. 

A huge thankyou to the hard working staff for dedicating time away from their families to provide this valuable learning experience.

Sporting Colours Day

The last day of Term 3 was Sporting Colours Day, a chance to don the favourite sporting team colours as a way of celebrating all the wonderful sports that we have the chance to enjoy. Thanks to everyone who joined in the spirit of the day and donated a gold coin for a good cause. 

Work Over the Holiday Period

Over the break there have been a number of projects on the go across the school, including:

• Installation of two portable toilet blocks. 
• Further preparation ground works for the Mod 10s including cabling and plumbing work.
• Installation of library shelf separators in the Year 1/2 library.
• Completion of the heating and cooling work in the Prep area.
• Much needed gardening to tackle the weeds that tend to take over at this time of year.

There is still quite a lot of temporary fencing up around the school as the portables are installed which has reduced the space available for students to play. 

Junior School Council News