Principal's Report

ART FOR ALL – On the Home Stretch

This is our last newsletter before next week’s ART FOR ALL. Normally, I save my acknowledgements until after the event, but it is important to take this opportunity to thank the many parents who have already devoted countless hours of preparation to ensure the success of the 29th iteration of this wonderful event.

We are incredibly fortunate to have volunteers who generously give their time to plan every aspect of ART FOR ALL. Some contributions are highly visible, while many others happen quietly behind the scenes. Without the dedication, commitment and hard work of these people, the event simply would not happen.

As always, volunteers are needed.

This year we are requesting that parents from each year level take responsibility for specified areas of the event.

This helps to share the workload across our community and you get to volunteer with familiar people!

Teacher Student Netball Game

Following the success of our inaugural Colour Fun Run last term, students in 3A played a netball match alongside teachers as their reward for raising the most money of any senior grade ($1,730).

A carnival atmosphere filled the court as students and teachers took to the game. While many participants were netball novices, that certainly didn't stop everyone from embracing a 'have a go' attitude and enjoying the experience. The match was enthusiastically cheered on by a large crowd of student spectators, adding to the excitement of the occasion. Thank you to our Year 2 teacher, Brendan (our resident netball expert), and 3A teacher Millie for organising the event.

Our fundraising thermometer now shows an incredible $52,445 raised through community events to support our yard redevelopment project. With ART FOR ALL, the election day sausage sizzle, and the Fathers'/Special Persons' Breakfast still to come, we are well on track to reach our $100,000 target!

Year 1 & 2 Concerts

Tonight is another highlight on our school calendar as the Year 1 and Year 2 performances of A Symphony of Stories takes centre stage at Kew High School. Inspired by different books, each class has created an original musical arrangement on Orff instruments, bringing characters, moods and stories to life through rhythm and melody.

After rehearsing across the term, our young musicians are ready to take the stage for what promises to be an evening of creativity and musicality. We wish all of our performers the very best and look forward to celebrating their hard work and talent.

Our School Review

Our two-day school review takes place next week; Tuesday 25th and Friday 28th August.

The review will involve:

Classroom observations.
The panel meeting with teacher focus groups.
The panel meeting with student focus groups. The student focus groups will consist of one student per class (chosen by the classroom teacher).
The panel meeting with a parent focus group. The parent focus group has been selected from parents who attend principal morning teas and the annual general meetings.
Evaluating findings from the above.
Setting goals and key actions for the school's next strategic plan.

We look forward to sharing our findings in a future newsletter.

Celebrating Book Week

This week concludes with one of our most exciting annual celebrations – the Book Week costume parade. Over the past few days, there has been plenty of enthusiasm about school with conversations about favorite books, characters, and creative costume ideas.

All students and staff are invited to dress up as their favourite book character for the main event:

When: Friday 21 August, from 9:15am
Where: Blue sport court
Who: Everyone is invited to come and watch the parade

The parade follows other book week activities, including:

A livestream of Andy Griffith’s book launch of 'You & Me and the Gigantic Knucklehead’.
Our Year 6 students are leading the creation of a giant mural beside the library. All students are invited to contribute by drawing, decorating or writing about their favourite book or book character.
Literacy activities in the classroom including multi-age groupings with buddies from this year and last year.
We were treated to live performances of 'Something Special' last week, where a visiting theatre company interwove this year's shortlisted children's books into their show. (pictured below).

It's Time to Pack a Hat for School

From mid-August UV levels begin to climb to 3 or above in Victoria. We ask that families have their children start bringing a hat to school for outdoor activities.

By September, we recommend all students to wear a sun protective hat that shades the face, neck, and ears when outside. Next term, students will be required to wear a hat each time they are outdoors.

Enjoy the rest of the week, including our exciting school events!

Paul Wallace

Principal