Last Friday, Georgia and I were invited to an event hosted at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum; an ‘Invitation to a conversation with Karel Fracapane: Combatting hate speech through education’. Karel currently works with UNESCO, leading activities relating to genocide prevention, hate speech and violent extremism, and countering antisemitism and racism, in the context of UNESCO’s programme on global citizen education.

Karel discussed both historic events and the current conflict in the Middle East and described the impact of current events on communities worldwide. We were also privileged to be led through two new installations at the museum, particularly focusing on the new exhibition, ‘Hidden: Seven Children Saved’.

Our community continues to be affected by the devastating events in the Middle East. We are aware too of disturbances locally late last week. We continue to liaise closely with the Department of Education and they continue to provide guidance as required. Our students, staff and families know that Georgia and I are always available, and our doors are always open, if you need to reach out at any time. In addition, the following links may be of support to you and your family:

Helping my children after trauma: A guide for parents.

Support is also available through external services including:

Headspace: 1800 650 890
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636.

We are passed the half-way mark of Term 4 and there is still so much in store for us before the end of the year. I want to share a few highlights and outline important upcoming events.

Colour Run

Thank you to Melinda Reid and our parent team for hosting an amazing colour run last Friday. With our special guests from the Fire Brigade, students left both full of colour and a little damp, and most importantly, with huge smiles on their faces. Thanks too to Steph Sim on our school team, who hosted the event and worked tirelessly to ensure our students had an amazing experience.

Parent Payments Schedule and Booklists

Last week you will have received notification of the parent payment schedule for 2024, available via the Parent Portal on Compass. We thank our community for their contributions to our school and know that these go towards the outstanding learning and wellbeing programs, as well as the upkeep of the buildings and grounds.

You will have also received a notification yesterday regarding booklists for 2024. The materials selected are integral to support your child’s learning. Please order within the stated timeline to ensure your child’s pack is delivered to school ready to access on the first day of learning in 2024.

Transition and Orientation Programs

Our 2024 Prep students have completed three ‘ready-set-Prep!’ sessions and will discover their 2024 teachers and classmates on Thursday 30th November. Our teachers continue to work on classes for 2024, with our students currently in Prep to Year 5 to find out their 2024 teachers and classes on Tuesday 12th December. Please note the following:

The class placement process was clearly outlined in two newsletters and a separate Compass email earlier this term. The deadline for parent requests has passed.
As outlined in this letter, there will be no further correspondence or moving of students after the release of the classes on Tuesday 12th December.

2023 Camps Program

Our Year 3 students returned to school earlier today a little tired but having had an amazing time on their first school camp. To conclude the camps program for this year, our Year 6 students will travel to Anglesea in the first week of December.

Thanks for your ongoing support and keep doing your best.

Rohan Cooper

Principal

CSPS says Thank You!