From the  Principal 

We’ve had a wonderful start to Term 4 with all students settling into the last term for the year. Term 4 is full of engaging activities, including excursions and incursions, which will extend learning beyond the classroom. Our students will also continue their assessments and reporting, ensuring they are progressing well and ready for 2025. We have several celebrations planned to acknowledge the wonderful achievements throughout 2024! 

We will also welcome our newest students as part of the Prep Transition Program, helping them feel prepared and confident for their start in 2025.

STAFFING NEWS

At this time of year, there is always movement in schools with staff leaving to pursue alternate pathways, promotion, transfer or to share adventures with their families.

FAREWELLS

Dim Budic

It’s with a mixture of sadness and heartfelt appreciation that I announce the departure of one of our much-loved Prep teachers, Mrs Dim Budic, who will be moving on to a new position at St Peters PS East Bentleigh, to be closer to family, starting 2025.

Dim has been part of the CPS family for an impressive 20 years, having first joined us as a student teacher under the guidance of our own Karen Bentata Grimm. She has spent her entire teaching career here, devoting herself wholeheartedly to our Prep students, guiding them through those important early years of school with her unique warmth and unwavering dedication.

Throughout her time with us, she has not only been a compassionate and inspiring educator but also a leader. When she worked full-time, she led the Prep team with professionalism and care, and she has been instrumental in supporting the transition of students from kindergarten to school, working closely with our local kinders. Her work has left a mark on our school community, and her name is spoken with admiration by past and present families alike.

Our families know just how lucky they are to have had her as their child’s teacher. She goes above and beyond, maintaining connections with students and their families even as they move up through the school and beyond. Her beautiful, welcoming spirit has inspired both her colleagues and the families she serves.

From leading in the classroom to tackling every last piece of lost property, no task has been too big or too small. She will be deeply missed not only for her strength as a teacher but also for her loyalty and the friendships she’s built within the CPS family. 

We wish her every happiness in this next chapter, and we look forward to staying connected as she continues to share her gifts with others. Thank you for everything, Dim.

Emily Wiseman has been a contract teacher here at CPS this year. She joined our grade 3/4 team and has led the teachers alongside Desiree Oh. We have appreciated Emily’s efforts to contribute to the Carnegie community and we wish her all the best with a second addition to her family due in February 2025.

Tyahnne Cogan has been a contract teacher here for many years. We love what she does for our students, especially in her role as both classroom teacher and High Abilities Coordinator (shared with Mrs Miller).Tyahnne leaves to travel Australia with her family. We wish her safe adventures, with the possibility of her returning to CPS later in the year.

Dim Skoutas and Des Oh are taking leave to pursue alternate pathways in 2025. We wish them every success and look forward to welcoming them back in 2026.

ASSEMBLIES

Last week I witnessed some outstanding presentation skills from the students in grades 5 and 6. What a fabulous showcase. Students presented their skills in media reporting. Many students also shared their phenomenal literacy skills as they read their poetry to a captivated audience. I was certainly a very proud school leader listening to the creativity and prose presented by our students. 

SCHOOL CONTRIBUTIONS GRATITUDE

We are so lucky to have a supportive parent group. I spoke with Pip (our Business Manager) this week and was grateful at the 88% return rate of Parent Contributions money so far in 2024.

Our programs can run as we envision them due to your support and generosity. In these days where cost of living is a concern, 88% of you have contributed to our school so it can be its best. Pip and Annie also work alongside those families who may be experiencing some financial hardship to support them as best we can.

I acknowledge and thank you on behalf of our staff and your children for your financial support.

Please keep supporting us in the future. It makes an enormous difference to what we can do in terms of outcomes for our wonderful students. Our school is a school of choice in the area, highly sought after by families beyond our school zone due to the quality of our teachers, our commitment to learning through evidenced based practices and programs. It is through your support that we achieve.

Thank you all.

SCHOOL SAVING BONUS

As shared with you previously, parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025 will receive the one-off School Saving Bonus $400 support.

In the coming months, the Department of Education will send you 2 email communications for each of your children enrolled in Victorian government schools.

The 2 emails from the Department of Education will:

1. Confirm your email address between mid-October and late-November.

2. Provide you with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code by the end of November.

If you do not receive a confirmation email from the department by late-November, please check your spam or junk folders and contact the office if needed.

You can read more about the School Saving Bonus on the Department of Education website, with key information now available in 14 different languages.

 I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of

 the lands on which this is being read and pay my respects to elders past present and emerging. I wish to acknowledge our First Nations people and pay respects to them. I note further that these lands were never ceded and are, and always will be, Aboriginal Lands.