Dear CGPS Families and Friends,

I have had the absolute pleasure of attending two extra special events this term. The long-day excursion to Phillip Island with the year 3 students was such an exciting day to be a part of. Students were treated to an array of wildlife and some amazing views throughout the day. There were some very tired students and teachers on the bus on the way home!

Yesterday I visited the year fives on their final day at Bayview Adventure Camp in Grantville. It was a beautiful location with views across Westernport Bay and it was surrounded by... MUD! Despite the wet weather and soggy ground, the students were fully immersed in their activities and having a great time! No apologies for the wet, muddy clothes and shoes that inevitably came out of their luggage. They were having far too much fun to worry about staying clean!

In more excitement at CGPS, the whole school has become invested in the chicken hatching program year three is currently undertaking. When I had a peek into the science lab on Tuesday there were 3 chicks, then yesterday I joined with a group of excited students peering through the window during lunchtime with glee as another chick emerged from its eggshell! Today when I checked, there were 9 chicks with more little beaks poking through so I expect tomorrow is going to bring even further excitement! We are now working out how to build on this excitement with plans to build a chicken coop and get some feathered school pets to add to our science and gardening programs.

CONGRATULATIONS

I am excited to share that Mrs Sam Piastrino has had her baby - a beautiful boy named Billy. We are thrilled to congratulate Sam, Chris and big sister Sadie on Billy's safe arrival.

I'd like to congratulate Mrs Caroline Courtis on her recent achievement of successfully completing her Certificate 2 qualification in AUSLAN. Mrs Courtis has worked tirelessly to make the AUSLAN program a huge success at Courtenay Gardens and our students have benefited so much from learning to speak using AUSLAN and developing an understanding of how people with different abilities can communicate. I look forward to continuing the AUSLAN program under Mrs Courtis' expertise and guidance.

A big congratulations to Maya Vishwanath from year 6 on receiving her Super Speak Achievement Award! Maya has completed 2.5 years of Public Speaking & Communication Skills training at Super Speak (equivalent to 100 hours) and presented 15 formal solo speeches. I look forward to seeing where this skill leads Maya in the future. Maybe we will see you running public events or speaking at forums in the future! Well done, Maya!

If any other students have special achievements to share, please email them through to me so we can celebrate these extra talented individuals in future newsletters.

PARENT OPINION SURVEY

We want our parents and carers to tell us what they think!

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Carer 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 / Carer Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 17 August to Friday 18 September 2026. All families are invited and encouraged 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.

A Compass message will be sent out on Monday 17th August with the link and school PIN to access the survey.

IN MEMORIUM

I have received some sad news regarding a former student. Yuvan Verma attended school here until the end of 2023, he had competed year 4 before the family relocated to India. Sadly, we have been informed by a friend of the family, that Yuvan passed away on the 10th June. I have passed on condolences to Yuvan’s family on behalf of our school community. If any of our current students are impacted by this news, please reach out to your child's class teacher for support. Rest in peace, Yuvan.

Take care,

Alison

Senior School

Year 5

Year 6