Principal's Page 

Whilst Karen has been lounging by the pool with the sun beating down in Tuscany, we have bunkered down and survived the crazy winds that Melbourne served up this week. Luckily we had very limited damage to the school and the students managed these severe conditions incredibly well. 

Luckily the sun came out for the rest of the week which has made the swimming program a much more enjoyable experience. I'm sure there will be many tired students this week, but all reports have been incredibly positive around the first week of swimming. 

Vocal Showcase Spectacular!

The talent on display last Thursday was spectacular.  How proud we are of our students for challenging themselves to perform in front of such a large audience.  We are so privileged to have such an excellent Performing Arts program, led by Mrs Murray and supported by our singing teachers Ian and Laura. A huge thanks to Sing Australia for their wonderful opening of the night and for providing so many delicious snacks. 

Curriculum and Pupil Free Days in Term 4

In Term 4, there will be three pupil free days. We always endeavour to give parents plenty of notice and cause the least amount of inconvenience, as well as ensuring timing of dates allows for a productive and impactful day for teachers. Please mark these dates in your diary and note that Team Kids will operate on each day.

Monday 7th October - Teacher Professional Learning: Mathematics 2.0 Curriculum

Wednesday 20th November - Report Writing Day

Monday 16th December - 2025 Team Planning Day 

Parking Concerns

School drop off and pick up times are often challenging at primary schools, so we rely on the community to follow road rules and expectations communicated by the school. 

Over the past few years, we have endeavoured to think about how we can ease the traffic congestion which resulted in the morning ‘kiss and drop’ system. As much as we would like to consider this for the afternoon, logistically it would not be possible due to the size of the area and amount of students.  

To help congestion in the afternoons, families could consider parking in nearby side streets and walk into the school or arrange for children to meet at a designated place nearby the school. Alternatively, the bottom car park has spaces provided however there is a strict no parking zone which is clearly marked. We will attempt to put bollards out in this area to stop people parking in this area and blocking legally parked cars in. 

The front pick up zone is incredibly dangerous when parents double park next to cars in the no waiting zone. Please be patient when waiting for a park out the front and under no circumstance are students to walk onto the road to get into a car that is double parked along Great Ryrie street.  Also please remember that if the parking inspector is on duty you will be booked, as well as if you leave your car whilst parked in this area. 

Ultimately, student safety is always at the forefront of our minds and we thank you in advance for ensuring you are parking in the correct area and being patient during these busy times. 

Art Show - 'Young @ Art'

Please pencil in your diaries Thursday 7th November for our Art Show. The corridors will be full of wonderful student artwork and there will be lots of festival type activities for families to enjoy. Watch this space!

Footy Finals are Here!

We will celebrate all things AFL on the last day of term, kicking off celebrations with a Footy Parade in the Sports and Performance Centre at 11:10am. Students are encouraged to dress up in their teams’ colours and parade around with their fellow supporters. This year we will be awarding best dressed students from each grade with a certificate at the end of the parade.  

This year we will ask students to bring a gold coin dontation to raise money for the Fight Cancer - Footy Colours Day, where all money will be going to support fight childhood cancer! 

If you would like to donate further please visit: https://www.footycoloursday.com.au/fundraisers/GreatRyriePS/footy-colours-day-2024-school

Following the parade all students will be involved in footy rotations on the oval, led by the Year 6 students. I would say ‘Go Bombers’, but…….. ☹

Fundraising

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the families that have helped so far with organising events or helped run them on the day. Recently, Laura and Tanya provided students with great shopping opportunities at the Father’s and Special Person Day Stall and Sarah and Nat have organised a new fundraiser in the ‘Pie Drive’. 

So far this year we have raised $17,000 which is a fantastic effort. Funds raised have gone towards purchasing outdoor seating for the playground which will hopefully arrive early next term and the new water bubbler which was a request from the Junior School Council. 

Thank you,

Melissa Roberts

Assistant Principal