Welcome to Term 3

Welcome back to Term 3. It has been wonderful to see our students settle back into their routines so smoothly. Thank you to our families for your ongoing support in helping make the transition back to school such a positive one.

We began the term by celebrating NAIDOC Week, with students enjoying a range of engaging, hands-on learning experiences that explored and celebrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and achievements. You can read more about these wonderful learning experiences later in this newsletter.

We also have an exciting term ahead, filled with many learning opportunities, school events and celebrations. One of the highlights will be our Whole School Sports Day on Friday 7 August. Students are encouraged to wear their house colours and take part in a variety of fun sporting activities organised by our Student Representative Council. It promises to be a fantastic day celebrating participation, teamwork and the positive school values that bring our community together.

Our Secondary students are also eagerly preparing for their upcoming camp experiences. Some students will be attending an overnight camp at Blackwood, while others will attend a day camp experience at Clifford Park in Wonga Park. These opportunities provide valuable experiences for our students to develop confidence, social connections and important life skills.

As always, we value the strong partnerships we have with our families. By working together, we can continue to provide the best possible learning environment for every student. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to a successful and rewarding Term 3.

Home-School Communication Information Sessions

As many families will be aware, our Home–School Communication Review last term identified a number of changes to strengthen communication between school and home. These improvements will be progressively implemented across Terms 3 and 4.

To support families with these changes, we invite all parents and carers to attend a short information session focusing on our updated home–school communication practices, including classroom communication and Student Support Group (SSG) updates.

The sessions will be held during SSG Week (Week 5), and we strongly encourage all parents and carers to attend one 30-minute session. You may like to attend either before or after your child's SSG meeting.

Session Times

Monday 10 August: 2:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm
Tuesday 11 August: 2:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm
Wednesday 12 August: 2:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm
Thursday 13 August: 2:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm

Location: Anderson Family Room, Administration Building

There is no need to book for these sessions, simply come along at the time that best suits you.

Further information about booking your child's Student Support Group (SSG) meeting will be published on Compass next week.

We encourage all parents and carers to attend one of these sessions as we introduce these important improvements to our home–school communication practices. We look forward to seeing many of our families and continuing to strengthen our partnership in supporting every student's learning and wellbeing.

School Uniform Update

Our school uniform supplier, State Schools Relief (SSR), has rebranded its online store to Equal Threads which will continue to provide quality, affordable uniforms while supporting students across Victoria.

There’s nothing you need to do. Our school uniform range, ordering process and service all remain the same. Families can continue to easily find and purchase items using the familiar ‘Shop by School’ option on the new website.

Every purchase made through Equal Threads helps support students experiencing disadvantage with the essentials they need to feel confident, included and ready to learn.

Visit the new website at www.equalthreads.org.au

Leave this Term

I will be taking leave from Wednesday 5 August until Friday 11 September. During this time Judith McDonald will be Acting Principal and Lauren Shannon will be Acting Assistant principal. I have every confidence that the school will continue to run smoothly under their leadership supported by our dedicated staff. I look forward to returning for the final week of term on Monday 14 September and hearing all about the wonderful learning, achievements and experienced that have taken place while I have been away.

Racism Has No Place at Our School

At Croydon SDS we are committed to providing a safe, respectful and inclusive environment where every student, family and staff member feels valued and respected. We celebrate diversity and are committed to ensuring our school is free from racism, religious intolerance and discrimination.

If a student, parent, carer or staff member experiences or witnesses racism, we encourage it to be reported as soon as possible. All reports are taken seriously and handled sensitively.

Our priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those affected while responding promptly and appropriately.

When a report is made, the school will:

listen carefully and take the concern seriously
provide support to the student and family
investigate and respond in a timely and respectful manner
use restorative and educative approaches where appropriate
meet the Department of Education's requirements for reporting incidents.

If you or your child experiences or witnesses racism, please:

speak with your child's classroom teacher or a member of the leadership team
contact the school office to arrange a discussion with the Principal or Assistant Principal
if you would prefer to report directly to the Department of Education, you can contact the Report Racism Hotline on 1800 722 476.

Working together, we can ensure our school remains a welcoming, culturally safe and inclusive place where every member of our community is treated with dignity and respect.

The Department's Preventing and Responding to Racism in Schools Policy is available via our school's website.

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