From The Principal
Student Learning and Special Events
It’s been another busy month, with our students enjoying lots of different learning experiences both at school and out in the community. Excursions and community-based learning have included visits to Werribee Zoo, The Gordon and North Geelong Aquatic Centre, along with plenty happening back at school.
Book Week was once again a lot of fun! Thank you to our families and staff who put so much effort into helping make our dress-up day such an enjoyable experience. We also know that dressing up isn’t for everyone. For some of our students, the familiarity and routine of wearing their school uniform is really important — and that is absolutely fine. Sometimes students are happy to add a small costume or accessory once they arrive at school, and there are always plenty of other ways to join in and enjoy the day.
We continue to be incredibly proud of the way our students approach new experiences and represent our school when they are out and about. These opportunities are not only enjoyable, they are an important part of learning — building confidence, independence, communication and connections with the wider community.
Father’s Day Fun
It was lovely to welcome so many dads and other important people to school last week for our first ever Father’s Day Breakfast. There was lots of laughter, plenty of smiles and a really lovely atmosphere.
A big thank you also goes to our staff who arrived extra early to set up, cook and make sure everything was ready for the morning. Events like this take a lot of work behind the scenes, and we really appreciate their willingness to pitch in and do that little bit extra to make it a special morning for our students and families.
Thank you to everyone who came along and helped make the morning so special.
Whether it’s a family breakfast, a dress-up day or another opportunity to come together at school, these occasions create wonderful memories for our students and help build the strong sense of community that is so important to us.
Parent Opinion Survey
Our Parent Opinion Survey is still open until Friday 18 September, and we would really love to hear from more of our families.
At the moment, our response rate is just 11% — only 18 families. Your feedback is genuinely valuable to us. It helps us understand what we are doing well, where we can improve and what should be part of our planning moving forward. If you haven’t had a chance to complete the survey yet, we would really appreciate you taking a few minutes to have your say.
SSG Meetings
A big thank you to all the parents, carers and support people who have joined us for Student Support Group meetings this term. Working together and sharing information, ideas and perspectives helps us provide the best possible support for each student. We really appreciate the time you make to be part of these important conversations.
Accessible Parking
A friendly reminder that our accessible parking spaces are very limited, particularly during our busy arrival and departure times.
If you need to stay at school for a little longer after dropping your child off, we ask that, where possible, you move your car across the road once your child is settled. This helps keep the accessible spaces available for families who need them for drop-off and pick-up.
Thank you for helping us make arrival and departure as accessible as possible for everyone.
2027 Bus Planning
We are already starting to think ahead to 2027. If your child will need school bus transport next year and has not previously used the service, please contact our Bus Coordinator, Clare, early next term so we can discuss the options available and begin planning.
Thank You for Keeping Unwell Students Home
Thank you to our families for keeping children home when they have been unwell this term. We know this isn’t always easy. Taking time away from work, organising care and juggling family commitments can be tricky, and our staff face many of those same challenges when they or their own family members are sick.
Keeping unwell students at home helps us look after the whole school community. It’s also worth remembering that school can be a pretty demanding place when you’re not feeling your best — there are routines to follow, learning to do and lots happening around you. Rest and recovery at home really is the best place to be when you’re sick.
Hopefully we have seen the worst of the winter bugs for this year — fingers crossed!
Welcome to Our New Staff
This term we have been very pleased to welcome two new staff members to our team.
Our new physiotherapist, Amy Mackay, brings with her a wealth of experience working in Special Developmental Schools, and Karen Androulakis has joined our nursing team on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
We’re very happy to have them both as part of our school community and know they will be wonderful additions to our team.
Early Finish – Last Day of Term
Finally, a reminder that school will finish at 2:30 pm on the last day of Term 3.
We hope all of our students, families and staff enjoy a safe and restful term break. Thank you, as always, for your support throughout the term and for the many ways you work alongside us to support our students.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back in October for Term 4!