PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

 Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back for Term 2, we trust everyone was able to spend some quality time over the holidays with family and friends. It was wonderful seeing all the students back last week with many adventures to share about their holidays. It was equally wonderful to see how quickly the vast majority of students have returned to their learning routines and rituals. This is a reflection of the support and encouragement provided on the home front.

A very special welcome to our new students and their families who have joined the Lucas family this term. We are very pleased to have you on board and look forward to a long and positive future.

We have an action-packed term of learning ahead with some highlights including, but not limited to:

• The Year 5/6 camp to Anglesea.
• The GRIP conference for our student leaders.
• An array of sporting events including the Winter sports (Soccer, Netball and AFL)
• A range of excursions for all year levels including EcoLink, Community Garden visit, Earth Ed and Into the Wild, just to name a few.
• The Year 5/6 Swimming Program
• A continued High Abilities Program.
• Engaging teaching and learning program in the classroom
• The Semester 1 reporting process including student portfolios and 3 Way Conversations.

We hope everyone has a wonderful term of learning.

ANZAC Day Parade

On Friday our school captains attended the Arch ANZAC Day service by pinning poppies on a soldier's name. Our Captains decided to search for our school's house names. This is always a moving experience for our captains and one they always reflect on at the end of Year 6. Well done, Sahu, Jack, Taku and Coraline.

At school on Monday, our leaders also led our students through our very own ANZAC Day Service around the Lone Pine Tree. Student read the poem, In Flanders Field and helped us to understand the various parts to this very important ceremony. Special thanks to Mr Farrington who, once again, played the Last Post and Rouse as part of this service. Congratulations to all students who showed such a high level of respect during this ceremony. 

Communication Platforms

We’ve recently reviewed our communication processes between home and school, with a particular focus on how we use digital platforms. As a result, there will be an important change to how we use Compass and Seesaw moving forward.

Compass will now be our official and primary platform for all formal communication between school and home. This includes messages and notifications about attendance, behaviour, first aid, student reports, and general school announcements. We ask that all parents use Compass for these types of communication as well.

Seesaw will continue to be used by teachers to share student learning. This includes classroom activities, student work, and celebrations of learning. However, from the start of Term 2, Seesaw will no longer be used for general communication between parents and teachers.

We understand this is a significant shift, especially for families who have relied on Seesaw as their main communication tool in the past. We appreciate your support as we streamline our processes to ensure clarity, consistency, and effective communication across our school community.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Election BBQ

This coming weekend is the Federal Election, and the school Gym will be used as a polling booth for the Lucas Community. As with all elections, it is a great chance for us to fundraise through a Sausage Sizzle to feed the hungry voters.

We are looking for volunteers to assist with cooking snags during the day and, as always, many hands make light work! 

If you are able to assist on the day, please register your name on the roster below. We will be in contact before Friday with more details.

Register your help here: 

Mothers Day

We have a very exciting event coming up to help celebrate the mothers and mother figures in our lives. On Tuesday May 13, between 9-11 we are inviting our special guests to come along and join in a special Mother's Day Classic. This is a time for the students to walk with their mother or mother figure and enjoy each other's company and maybe reflect on the relationship they have and how our mothers play such an important role in our lives. 

The day will also include a reflective video, a special gift sponsored by Integra and a morning tea for all to enjoy.

This promises to be an exciting day for all involved.

Uniform in Term 2

The beginning of Term 2 usually brings with it a change in the weather which means some really important reminders are required.

• Hats are no longer required at school unless we have an unusually high UV day (at which time we will pop a reminder on Compass), so this is a good chance for the hats to get a good wash and popped in storage until Term 4.

   

• With the change in weather, we find our lost property box is quickly filled with unnamed items of clothing. We ask everyone to please name everything at school so there is the best chance of the uniform being returned to the rightful owners.

   

• Dressing appropriately for the changing weather is important to assist with your child’s ability to regulate their body temperature. We encourage all students to have a jumper with them each day to wear outside. Coats are welcome but do not replace jumpers meaning they come off when students come inside.

   

• We have been noticing lots of jewellery of late. Please check that only stud earrings are worn and that necklaces and bracelets are removed before coming to school. This is primarily a safety issue as students often engage in active play during the day and loose jewellery can get caught, which leads to injury or upset if broken.

Thanks in advance.

Road Safety Survey

Over the coming week, you will receive a short survey regarding how your child travels to school each day. We are currently working in conjunction with Road Safe Central Highlands and Siena Catholic Primary School to improve the safety of the roads surrounding our schools. 

This data is essentially to assist with gathering details to develop a strategy to best support the community of Lucas. Projects that could arise from this survey data includes safe pathways to school, walking school bus, children’s crossings and improved traffic conditions at peak times surrounding the school. 

Your assistance is greatly appreciated, so please keep an eye out for this survey on Compass.

Holiday Work

Over the holidays, the maintenance team have been busy improving our school grounds. 

Work included:

• Drainage work in front of Mod 10s
• Paving work around the Mod 10s
• Painting in some Year 1/2 classrooms
• Garden maintenance and mulching around the playground space
• Refilling soft fall in the playground.
• Bag box repairs in Year 3/4 space.

We also took possession of a new mower as we will manage this aspect of garden maintenance from now on. We thank Brian and his team for their work they have provided Lucas PS over the past few years.

BULLYING PREVENTION POLICY 

As part of our yearly consultation process, please find below a copy of the Bullying Prevention Policy. This policy is used to ensure we provide a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for all students at Lucas Primary School.