I had the pleasure of spending a day at year 3 camp this week. The camp location and surrounds were beautiful and the camp itself showcased many exciting opportunities for students to explore the grounds and undertake challenging and fun activities. I was really impressed by the good behaviour, teamwork and bravery to give things a go that our students demonstrated. A big thanks to go to the staff members who attended and became makeshift mums and dads to the kids for the night!

Last week I spent the day with Miss Baker and Miss Breen, auditioning students for the upcoming CGPS Showcase Night. We were treated to singing, dancing, gymnastics, instruments, stand-up comedy, rapping and beat boxing! Thank you and congratulations to all students who bravely auditioned. We have very talented students at CGPS.

UPCOMING EVENTS

It is a very busy term. We have our National Day of Action Against Bullying activities happening in week 4, with the theme of 'everyone belongs'. The following week is our Multicultural Week, with a range of exciting activities planned to immerse our students in different cultures and celebrate and share their own cultures as well. In week 6 we have National Science Week activities. I know many students have been working hard on their EcoSmart projects and I am continually impressed by the ideas they develop and the creations that are the result of those ideas. There will be plenty of opportunities for our whole school community to come together to celebrate with us during parades and open-afternoons over the coming weeks. More information can be found in the School and Community Events page of the newsletter, and reminders will be sent out on Compass.

PARENT - TEACHER INTERVIEWS - Wednesday 7th August 2pm - 6pm

An opportunity to meet with your child's teacher to discuss their progress, future learning goals, and social and emotional development is an important part of the home-school partnership. We encourage all parents to book in a 10-minute interview when bookings open next week on Compass. A notification will be sent out with instructions on how to book. You can request a phone interview, or an alternate time if you are unable to make it to the school for face-to-face interviews on the Wednesday. Our EAL staff are making contact with non-English speaking families to arrange translators. We really hope to connect with every family. For families who have recently attended for SSG meetings, there is no need to book in for a parent-teacher interview if you don't wish to.

Interviews will begin at 2pm so students will be supervised in their year levels by specialist teachers and other staff for the afternoon session at school. Student dismissal will be at 3.30pm as usual.

ASSEMBLY TODAY

Today at assembly, we will be having a special guest drop by (hint - see the above photo) to surprise the children! Steve McStar has been spotted on our new CCTV cameras getting up to mischief around the school. We have put a video together to play for the students at assembly to show them how our new CCTV captures everything going on around the school grounds. We are hopeful that the introduction of the CCTV will not only assist with the security of our school after-hours, but will help reduce unwanted behaviours and provide an increased sense of safety for all students in the yard.

WE WANT OUR PARENTS / CAREGIVERS / GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 29 July to Friday 30 August 2024. All families are invited to participate in the survey.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents / caregivers / guardians who speak a language other than English at home. Please reach out to the school for survey guides in your language.

Look out for the invite and links to access the survey, which will be sent out via Compass next week.

TRAFFIC REMINDER

A reminder that there is new signage up on the Courtenay Avenue Drop Off Pick Up (Kiss and Go) zone. There is no parking in this area. You must not leave your car and children should exit or enter their car from the footpath side. Casey Council have informed us of more regular checking as well as increased police patrols to ensure children and families are safe around schools during busy before and after school traffic times.

Take care everyone,

Alison Lough

Principal

Junior School

AT A GLANCE - Recent teaching and learning highlights