From the Principal's Desk

What a lovely start to Term 3 

After a very long absence from school (including an extended overseas holiday) I have been extremely excited to return to work and reconnect with all our wonderful students and their teachers.  I have enjoyed sharing some of my special holiday highlights with the students during my classroom conversations with them over the last two weeks.  We have talked about: my camel ride at dawn in the desert outside of Dubai (and the Supercars!!), the Colosseum in Rome, my visit to Pompeii and Herculaneum, Ancient Olympia, the Matterhorn and Lauterbrahenen in Switzerland, how moved I was to hear the “Call to Prayer” outside the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, my long awaited visit to the Gallipoli Peninsula to pay my respects to our ANZACs and more.  I think many of our students and teachers might have started to add some new places to their own bucket list!

With Thanks

It is also appropriate at this time to officially extend a great big heartfelt thank-you to Miss Carly Jamar for being in the Acting Principal role in my absence.  I am sure that you will all agree that the school has run like clockwork. 

Please also join me in offering our collective thanks to the entire Principal Team: Miss Jamar, Mrs Sarah Orme (the Assistant Principal responsible for Heights Campus) and Mrs Mirela Karup (who has been Acting Assistant Principal on Springvale Campus) for all their hard work in Semester 1. 

Thanks also needs to go to Mrs Zoe Hahesy who has stepped up into the Acting Assistant Principal role whilst Mrs Karup in on long service leave for the first few weeks of Term 3. 

2023 Annual Report to the School Community

It was great to see that so many of our parents / guardians (and extended family) were able to attend our public meetings in Week 1 and hear the presentation of the school’s 2023 Annual Report to the School Community.  This report highlighted all of the school’s achievements and progress from the 2023 school year.  From the positive feedback that we received (both on the day and in the last week) we are confident that our families are very happy with our school as a whole. Hard copies of the 2023 Annual Report are available from both offices and our MEA’s are always available to assist you if required.  Thank you to Mrs Sarah Orme and Mrs Zoe Hahesy for presenting on the day and for all our MEA’s and other ES who helped with both translating and catering. And, a special thank-you to Mrs Shilpa Mattepally who represented School Council at both events.

NAIDOC Week

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. Because this special week falls in our school holidays, Springvale Rise Primary School plans NAIDOC Week activities for Term 3 Week 1. This year’s theme was “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud”. 

Deb Belyea a proud Samuawgadhalgal artist from the Torres Strait was the winner of the prestigious National NAIDOC Week Poster Competition for 2024. Her painting was titled “Urapun Mu”. 

She is quoted as saying: “‘Urapun Muy’, from the Kalaw Kawaw Ya dialect of the Top Western Islands of the Torres Strait, means ‘One Fire’. The title of this work pays homage to Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people everywhere, as we all have that one fire: our passion for our culture. In this work, I have depicted the hands of our ancestors that have carefully dropped a burning ember on to a fire. This ember burns hot with intensity, stoking the flames, as it combines with the new fire. The linear detail shows the energy and power as cultural knowledge is transferred from our ancestors to us today. Culture is the fire that gives us knowledge, wisdom and purpose. 

It is our responsibility to maintain, practice, and pass on our fire to our future generations. Afterall, Culture keeps us Blak, Loud and Proud.” 

Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

The 2024 Parent, Caregiver and Guardian Opinion Survey will be available to complete online from Monday 29 July to Friday 30 August 2024.

The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions in such things as school climate, learning and teaching, and student engagement. Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and to target school improvement strategies. Look out for more information. 

Stay safe, take care and keep smiling.

Mrs Debbie Cottier

Principal