Welcome Back!

Welcome back to our students, staff and families to what will be another busy and exciting term. I trust everyone had a safe and restful school break. Some of the events planned for this term include:

Year 6 Excursion to the Immigration Museum

Special Food Days

Year 5/6 Winter Interschool Sport

Year 3/4 Boonwurrung Cultural Incursion

National Walk Safely to School Day

Mother's Day Stall

School Cross Country

Kingston Library Visits

Junior Mayor Day (Student Leaders)

Year 6 Camp

World Ocean Day

Year 5 Science Discovery Dome Incursion

School Disco

Trivia Night

Semester 1 Reports and Parent/Guardian Interviews

Buildings and Grounds

On Thursday 27 April, School Council President, Hayley Rogers, Leisel Ward and I, met with Georgie Crozier (Liberal Member for Southern Metropolitan Melbourne and the Leader of the Opposition for the Legislative Council). We discussed with Georgie the much needed consideration towards capital works funding for our school. Our students, staff and families deserve modern state of the art education facilities, to best support the teaching and learning excellence occurring everyday in our classrooms. Georgie has been, and continues to be, a strong support for our school, and will continue to advocate strongly on our behalf.

On Friday 28 April, Leisel Ward and I (along with some other local principals) met with Nick Staikos (State Member for Bentleigh) and the Treasurer of Victoria, Hon Tim Pallas MP. Nick is very aware of the infrastructural needs of our school, and of the 22 schools in his electorate, we are one of the few yet to receive a capital works program. The School Council, Leisel and I, will continue to liaise with Nick and advocate on the behalf of our school community.

2024 Foundation Enrolments

2024 Foundation Enrolments are now open. The Department of Education adjusted the enrolment process this year, with schools being unable to accept prospective enrolments during Term 1. All information pertaining to 2024 enrolments can be accessed on our school website or by using the QR code on our enrolment real estate board at the front of our school (Silver st). School tours are in high demand with many families continuing to show an interest in the high quality education our school provides.

Curriculum Day - Monday 1 May

Next Monday our staff will be working with Professor of Mathematics, Dianne Siemon. Di is recognised globally for her work in the 'Big Ideas in Mathematics'. We are extremely excited by the opportunity to work with one of Australia's leading educational experts. Our focus on the day will be on implementing the Big Ideas in Mathematics, consistently from F-6.

What are the Big Ideas in Mathematics?

Three essential underpinnings:

(i) NUMERATION (PLACE-VALUE) An understanding of numbers and an ability to think of them in more than one way (rename numbers).

(ii) MEANING FOR THE OPERATIONS (CONCEPTS) An understanding of what the operations do, an ability to recognise the operation symbols and an ability to write and interpret symbolic statements.

(iii) MENTAL STRATEGIES (NUMBER FACTS) A working knowledge of addition and subtraction facts to 20 and multiplication and division facts to 100, based on efficient non-counting, mental strategies.

Cross Country

A reminder that the House Cross Country will take place next Tuesday 2 May at Le Page Park from approximately 12.00-2.30pm. Please see the Dojo recently posted by Mrs Robinson for detailed event information.

Robert Ridgway

Acting Principal

Parents Committee

Mother's Day Stall

Baker's Delight Fundraiser