PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Welcome Back

A very warm welcome back to everyone after the mid-year holiday break. We trust that the holiday period provided an opportunity for families to spend some quality time together and recharge the batteries in preparation for the term ahead.

An extra special welcome to our new students and their families who join the Lucas community this term. We know you are going to enjoy the friendly atmosphere and hard-working culture that Lucas provides. 

We also have a few new staff beginning at Lucas P.S this term. We welcome: 

• Mrs Pearson who will be running specialised spelling lessons across the school.
• Mrs Baker who will be teaching Physical Education on Wednesdays.
• Colin, Tara, Vic and Lachlan who join the Education Support team providing assistance in classrooms across the school.

We are looking forward to an exciting term ahead including:

• The Year 1/2 swimming program.
• Beginning the Prep transition program.
• Our annual Book Fair including Grandparent/Special Person Day.
• Book Week celebrations including our traditional staff video and student dress up day.
• A day of celebration for Japanese Day
• Participation in various sporting activities including athletics and basketball.
• Maths Mania Day and Open Afternoon
• Our Year 2 Sleepover.
• A Father’s Day celebration.
• A school disco.

Of course, all of this is on top of the fabulous learning that will be taking place in classrooms. We wish everyone a productive term of valuable learning experiences.

Year 1/2  Swimming

Over the past two weeks, our Year 1/2 students have been participating in their intensive swimming program at Shayne Reese Swimming Centre. The program has supported students to gain valuable water awareness, stroke development and water safety techniques and strategies. Well done to all students who have participated, thanks to the parents who have come along to support and our appreciation goes to the staff for the organisation of the program.

Community Walking School Bus

Our Community Based Walking School Bus has begun this term with Lucas Primary School Staff volunteering their time to meet students at the Lucas Playground and walk them to school. This program is designed to assist with the traffic management issues that occur around the school at drop off time each day. The numbers of students have been growing over the past two weeks and we look forward to further growth as knowledge of the service spreads.

As this is a community and volunteer based service, we are looking for parents and carers to assist with the program every morning. We will provide the fluro vests and umbrellas if you can help with a small amount of your time.

What would be expected of a volunteer:

• Meet at school at 8.20am to collect umbrella and fluro vest.
• Walk to meeting point at Lucas playground (approx 8 min walk)
• Wait for students to arrive.
• Depart at 8.35am to walk to school as a group and arrive at school at 8.45am
• Supervise students as they walk and safely escort them to the school gate.
• Drop off fluro vest and umbrella at office.

If you can help, please contact the school office on 53385000 to register your interest.

OHSC Educators Day

Yesterday we celebrated Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) Educators Day, recognising the incredible dedication, care, and creativity of our OSHC staff. These educators play a vital role in supporting children before and after school, creating safe, engaging and nurturing environments where students can learn, play and grow. Thank you for the positive impact our Lucas LEAP team make every day, they are truly appreciated and provide a vital service to the Lucas School community

Tree Planting - National Tree Day

On Friday we celebrated National Tree Day by planting over 500 trees and shrubs throughout the school. All students had the opportunity to get their hands dirty throughout the day and contribute to establishing garden beds. 

Our thanks to the Alfredton Rotary Club for their very kind donation and support on the day. We are truly appreciative of their support.

We all look forward to the trees and shrubs growing up over the coming years.

Safe Traffic Behaviours

The safety of our students is paramount in and around the school, especially at drop off and pick up times where traffic can become quite congested. We regularly have traffic officers out and about in our area issuing fines to families who are using unsafe behaviours. We would like to ensure our school precinct remains safe for all and therefore offer some suggestions to assist. 

In the diagram below, there are some reminders for everyone.

Some other strategies that can be used to assist with the congestion around the school at drop off and pick up times includes:

• Park and walk - we are lucky to have lots of parks and wide pathways around the school. Please consider parking away from the school and enjoy a stroll in the morning and in the afternoon. (This could calm some nerves)
• Drop your child at the Lucas Park at 8.30am so they can join the Walking School Bus. Departing each day at 8.35am. Look for the adults in fluro vests.
• Ride your bike: The wide pathways are conducive to safe riding to and from school. The bike shed has lots of space and bikes are secured during the day. 
• Use the Children’s Crossing - Please ensure you use the school crossing when crossing O’Shannassy Pde. This street is very busy before and after school as cars are parked on both sides of the street. As adults, we must also model safe pedestrian behaviour. Braden, our school crossing supervisor will be pleased to see you. 
• Use the bus service - There is a ‘student only’ bus service that drops off and picks up at Lucas PS. It has many stops between the school and Cardigan Village. Please contact the office for a schedule. Please note, a Myki card will be required.
• Have a pickup plan - discuss with your child where to meet you after school away from the school gates.

The bus stop at the front of the school is a no parking zone between 7.30am - 9am in the morning and 3.00pm - 4.30pm in the afternoon.  The parking officers are regularly in and around Lucas issuing fines for people parking illegally. They are targeting school zones.

The City of Ballarat is aware of concerning driver behaviour at school drop off and pick up times in the precincts around Lucas Primary School. We have been sent the following.