A great start to the year!

Welcome back, and we extend our warmest welcomes to both returning families and those who have joined our school community.

The start of the school year has been nothing short of fantastic, and it is truly heartening to witness the smooth transition of our students into their classes. The enthusiasm, curiosity, and positive energy that fill our classrooms are a testament to the wonderful spirit of learning that defines Park Ridge Primary School.

We are pleased to report that the students have settled in remarkably well, and we are already witnessing the beginning of new friendships, the eager engagement with new subjects, and the building of a strong sense of community within our school. It is truly rewarding to see the smiling faces of our students as they immerse themselves in the diverse learning opportunities that Park Ridge Primary School offers.

As a reminder, we are proud to be a SunSmart school, committed to promoting sun safety and the well-being of our students. With the warmer weather, it's important to ensure that our children are adequately protected from the sun. We kindly request all students to wear their SunSmart school hats during outdoor activities throughout this term. This simple yet crucial measure helps safeguard our students from the harmful effects of prolonged sun exposure and reinforces healthy habits that will benefit them in the long run.

We encourage parents and caregivers to reinforce the importance of wearing SunSmart school hats when talking to your children about their day at school. Let's work together to create a safe and sun-conscious environment for our students.

As always, we are here to support and collaborate with you to make this school year a rewarding and memorable experience for our students. If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas you'd like to share, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership in nurturing the growth and development of our Park Ridge Primary School community.

Here's to a fantastic term filled with learning, laughter, and shared successes!

School Financial Contributions

With the cost of living pressures forever increasing, I cannot thank our parent community enough with the commitment in paying financial contributions in a timely manner. At School Council, we scrutinise the costs in effort to make it the most cost-effective fee structure we can possibly provide. Already this year we have had over 85% of families paying upfront or committing to a payment plan.

As people may or may not be aware, parent contributions play a vital part in maintaining and improving the education in which your children are provided here at Park Ridge Primary School. Like all government schools, we do receive funding however it is not enough to continue the great practices and learning environment our children deserve.

For example, the money we receive from the government specifically for ground maintenance, does not even cover the cost of our regular mowing - let alone replacing broken equipment, increasing the softfall on the playgrounds, undertaking essential tree maintenance etc. This is why we are so grateful for the working bee attendance and the grounds contributions, Literacy and Numeracy contributions, and first aid contributions are also vital - it all is so appreciated.

If you haven't already paid, please reach out to the office to either pay in full or organise a payment plan. With the conservative contributions set at $310 for 2024, this is less than $1.55 a day!

2024 Class Structure

This year we have 25 classes with a total of 547 students. With a new year always brings about some new faces. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Miss Paige Kelly (Year 2) and Miss Tash Roberts (Year 4) to our teaching team. It is also great to welcome back Ms Rachel Manning (Year 3) and Miss Courtney Yates (Year 6), who have both returned from taking 12 months leave to travel around Australian and the world. We also have some new faces in the office with Miss Jamie Logan working alongside Kate and Bella in the office, with Mr Chris Conway joining us as our Business Manager. I am sure everyone will make all our new and returning staff feel welcomed into our wonderful Park Ridge community.

Please see below information regarding our classroom and specialist teachers.

CLASSROOM		TEACHER
Year F	F-06	Hannah Shepherd
	F-07	Sarah Ryle
	F-08	Georgia Lofthouse - Learning Leader
	F-09	Caitlin Coad
Year 1	1-02	Ashlee Grouios
	1-03	Lisa Herridge - Learning Leader
	1-04	Olivia Knight
	1-05	Skye Booth
Year 2	2-13	Leah Docherty
	2-14	Kirsten MacFadyen
	2-15	Caroline Marget - Learning Leader
	2-16	Paige Kelly
Year 3	3-22	Zamira Box
	3-12	Andrea Scott - Learning Leader
	3-11	Tash Searle (W-F) / Anna Christofis (M-T)
	3-21	Rachel Manning
Year 4	4-20	Elaine McClure
	4-23	Alicia Palmer
	4-24	Natasha Roberts
Year 5	5-17	Karla DeVilliers - Learning Leader
	5-18	Julie Woodgate
	5-19	Shae Edwards
Year 6	6-10	Nicole Karanzoulis (M, T & F) / Jackie Hayen (W & Th)
	6-27	Courtney Yates
	6-28	Andrew Papalaskaris - Learning Leader
Specialists	PE	Matthew Davey
	Music	Graeme Stewart
	Science	Jess Deans - Learning Leader
	Indonesian	Shame Merrett
	Art	Kelly Oakham

Smart Watches

As we begin a new school year, it is a timely reminder of our approach to ‘Smart Watches’. It used to be that watches just told the time. These days they have become a communication device. As such, they fall under the guidelines of our mobile device policy. Students are not to use their watch as a communication device during school times. This includes sending and receiving information. If parents want to communicate with their child then they must contact the office and a message will be forwarded to the student at an appropriate time. As per the policy, if a ‘smart watch’ is being used inappropriately during class times, the student will need to hand it into the office at the start of the day and collect it when school finishes.

Specialist Programs in 2024

Park Ridge Primary School continues to have a very extensive extra-curricula program, including a weekly Specialist program. This year our specialist program consists of: P.E, Indonesian, Art, Music and Science. Students are expected to come prepared to participate in activities as required. This would include runners for P.E. All Specialist classes for 2024 have already begun. Please check with your child to find out which days they are involved in their Specialist program.

Leader's Badges

Next week at our assembly our Year 6 Leaders will be presented with their badges. Whilst last year we announced our School Leaders for 2024, next week's assembly is another opportunity to acknowledge our student leaders once again. Parents are most welcome to attend.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Please feel free to pop in for a chat with either Carrie, Brendan, or I, should you wish to discuss anything.

Our doors are always open!

Take care,

Mr. Dale Blythman

TeamKids News