Principal's Report

Welcome back for Term 4! How we have arrived at this point of the year already I’m not quite sure. I hope that you and your family are well-rested and excited as we gear up for a big term ahead. Included in this edition are a range of reminders as well as some important information regarding upcoming events.

Reminders

RELOVDUNIFORMS.COM

Don’t forget that our Second Hand Uniform is now available online, anytime at www.RelovdUniforms.com! Orders are fulfilled weekly. 

VOLUNTEER & VISITOR SIGN IN

Please be reminded that all visitors and volunteers are now required to sign in at the office and collect a visitor pass / lanyard even for quick drop-offs to classes such as lunchboxes or hats. This process ensures that all staff members can quickly identify who should be on the premises, enhancing the overall safety of our school.

Event Updates

ART TRAIL

Tomorrow (Thursday) is our biannual Art Trail; the first since 2019. This kicks off right after school with a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country at 3:45pm, followed by the chance to enjoy your child’s art (and many others), order artwork items for Christmas and have a sausage or drink. Thank you to our Parents’ Association, Dad’s Club and most importantly, Dani Peebles for the considerable time and energy that is going into making this a brilliant afternoon. 

DIVISION ATHLETICS SUCCESS

Congratulations to each of the 24 students that competed last Friday at the Division Athletics Carnival. After winning the District Carnival, we knew the team was strong and they performed accordingly, with 16 students progressing to the Regional Championships. Our 11 year old girls and boys relay teams won their races, whilst our 10 year old girls and boys teams finished second. Other placegetters include Rosie M (3rd in 1500m), Barney S (2nd in 100m and 3rd in 200m), Clementine B (3rd in 100m), Miles A (1st in 100m and 200m), Milla E (1st in 100m), Harry M (3rd in 1500m) and Skylar S (1st in 200m). Well done to the whole team on an incredible display of hard work and talent in all of your events!

GRADE 5 CAMP DATA

Our Grade 5s finished the term with a 4 day camp to The Ranch in Cape Schank. Throughout this camp our school trialled a new initiative from the camp, whereby a goal was set to increase students’ confidence. This was based on data gathered prior to the camp being undertaken. At the conclusion of the camp we saw 90% of students indicate they had grown in confidence as a result of the camp, with many anecdotes as to instances when this occurred. This validates the importance of camps, which is why our school has continued to invest in them despite the significantly increased costs associated with them this year. A huge thanks goes to the staff that attended, as well as Christian Hepworth, Lauren Alexander, Natalie Paszko and Michael Koldun who generously gave up their week to volunteer for the camp.

MANCAVE EVENT

The Mancave event held toward the end of last term was a huge success, with an incredible fundraising total of over $6000. This funding will contribute to the installation of classroom libraries throughout the school in 2024, which will require approximately 5,500 books to be acquired. We know that classroom libraries will enhance students engagement in reading through greater access to high-quality literature, and thus, are enormously thankful of this donation. Congratulations to Justin Joiner on organising such a fantastic event, and thank you to Mark Watkin, Ben Hargreaves, Adrian Brown, Dan Kokken, Jamie Thomas, Bodyfit Training Hampton, Ryan Lynch, Christian Hepworth and Sonia Oliver for your generous donations. 

DAD’S / KIDS CAMPS

The annual Dad’s / Kids Camp is back again this year, twice as good as previously with two camps being run. Thank you to Sven Karlsson for taking on the mammoth task of organising these camps. The first is only a few weeks away and I’m sure will be a fantastic event!

NEW TEAM KIDS DIRECTOR

This week we welcome Jacquie Chard who is our new Director of Service for Team Kids, following the departure of Chelsea who headed off on overseas adventures. Please find out more about Jacqui in the Team Kids page within this edition. 

New & Important Dates

• 12th October: Art Trail
• 27th – 29th October & 24th – 26th November: Dad’s / Kid’s Camps
• Thursday 30th November: Foundation – Gr 2 Mini Olympics
• Tuesday 5th December: House Swimming Carnival
• Wednesday 6th – 8th December: Grade 3 Camp
• Tuesday 19th December – 1:30pm: Students dismissed for the year

To stay up to date with all events and key dates, see the Compass Calendar.

PARENT CONTRIBUTIONS 2024

Parent Payments will be shared via Compass in the week beginning October 23.  School Council and the Finance Sub Committee have worked hard to maintain costs given the current cost of living pressures we understand families are experiencing, without compromising the educational programs, diversity of offerings and quality of schooling your children enjoy. We thank you for your ongoing support and contribution to the school. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the office.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Amelia Q (Gr 4) for recently qualifying for a Tennis Australia tournament, which required her to be ranked in the top 32 for her age in Victoria. We wish Amelia all the very best with the next challenge that lies ahead and am sure she'll thrive with the experience.