Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we head towards the September holiday period, we take some time to reflect on the term. Some highlights included, but are not limited to:

The Swimming Program for Years 3 and 4.
The continuation of the Young Authors Program.
Celebrating Grandparents and special friends day in conjunction with our Book Fair.
Incursions, including History Box, Science, Dirt Detectives and Wild Action.
Excursions to the Werribee Zoo, the Ballarat Observatory and the Lucas Wetlands.
Participation in the Active Paths program
Celebrating Science Week, Physical Education Week and R U Ok day.
Beginning our Hands on Learning program highlighting cooking and bike education.
Participation in the Gals in STEM program at Ballarat Tech School.
An Emergency Evacuation Practice or two.
Father’s Day activities session.
The development of our new school nature play space.
Visits from the local kinder students as part of our transition program.
Sporting teams representing the school in basketball and athletics.
100 days of school celebrations for our Foundation students.
Book Week celebrations with a dress up day and a Disney staff video.
Welcoming many new students and their families to the Lucas community.

All of this on top of ensuring high-quality classroom learning was maintained.

As this is our final newsletter for Term 3, I would like to thank all parents and guardians for your continued support throughout the term. It has certainly been an action-packed ten weeks and we appreciate your partnership in supporting our students and school community.

End of Term Reminders:

A friendly reminder that Term 3 will conclude on Friday 18 September at the earlier time of 1:30pm. We thank you in advance for making the necessary arrangements to accommodate the earlier finish.

Our final assembly will begin at 12.45pm on Friday September 18. All are welcome.

We look forward to a positive and successful final term and welcome all students back to school on Monday 5 October.

Nature Play Space

I am very pleased to report that the new school play space has been completed with only the planting left to finish off the project. This will take place on Thursday (tomorrow) with students from each class being selected to take part in the activity.

From next week, the playground will be open to selected year levels each day to ensure everyone gets a fair opportunity to experience the play space without being overcrowded. The security fencing will remain up until after the holidays to help give the plants a chance to settle and the grass to grow.

Sporting Colours Day

Our last day of the term is our Sporting Colours Day where we ask students to wear their favourite sporting team colours to school. We also have some fun activities for the students to participate in during the day.

Father’s Day

Thanks to all those fathers, father figures and special guests who came along for a hot dog and activities session on Friday. It was wonderful to see everyone spending a few special moments together joining in games and connecting over a game of basketball, a kick of the footy, some skipping or some craft activities.

As you can see from the picture below, the turn out was outstanding and an clear indication of the supportive school community we have at Lucas PS.

Active Pathways - Walk, Ride, Scoot to School

Last week, we conducted the Active Pathway launch which included students and their families joining one of the 4 identified pathways to school in the Lucas community. These pathways were designed by the student leaders in conjunction with Active Pathway and the City of Ballarat staff. We had a fantastic turn out with around 200 students, parents and other family members joining in the fun.

Thanks also to Integra who handed out ‘I love Lucas’ stickers to participating students.

These pathways are designed to help students be more active with their travel to and from school.

Traffic Behaviours

Over the past few weeks, we have received a number of complaints from parents, neighbours and staff relating to unsafe driving, illegal parking and displays of impatience during drop-off and pick-up times.

These behaviours place not only our students but also families and staff at risk. The safety of every child in our care must remain the highest priority and it is unacceptable for driver impatience to compromise this.

We remind all families that:

Parking regulations and road rules must be followed at all times.
Patience and courtesy are essential, even during busy periods.
Safe and lawful driving behaviours model the right values for our children.

This is not simply a school matter, it is a community responsibility. Each of us plays a role in ensuring the safety of students as they arrive and depart from school each day.

We urge you to take this message seriously. Continued unsafe behaviours may lead to further action, including referral to local authorities where appropriate.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school a safe place for all.

Some other strategies that can be used to assist with the congestion around the school at drop off and pick up times includes:

Park and walk - we are lucky to have lots of parks and wide pathways around the school. Please consider parking away from the school and enjoy a stroll in the morning and in the afternoon. (This could calm some nerves)
Drop your child at the Lucas Park at 8.30am so they can join the Walking School Bus. Departing each day at 8.35am. Look for the adults in fluro vests.
Ride your bike: The wide pathways are conducive to safe riding to and from school. The bike shed has lots of space and bikes are secured during the day.
Utilise the safe pathways designed by students in conjunction with Active Pathways team and the City of Ballarat
Use the Children’s Crossing - Please ensure you use the school crossing when crossing O’Shannassy Pde. This street is very busy before and after school as cars are parked on both sides of the street. As adults, we must also model safe pedestrian behaviour. Fiona, our school crossing supervisor will be pleased to see you.
Use the bus service - There is a ‘student only’ bus service that drops off and picks up at Lucas PS. It has many stops between the school and Cardigan Village. Please contact the office for a schedule. Please note, a Myki card will be required.
Have a pickup plan - discuss with your child where to meet you after school away from the school gates.

The bus stop at the front of the school is a no parking zone as it is used by school dedicated buses and community bus lines. The parking officers are regularly in and around Lucas issuing fines for people parking illegally. They are targeting school zones.

Term 4 Reminders

As we return for Term 4 on October 6, it is a timely reminder to:

Check uniforms and upgrade as required. (This includes black shoes only)
Broad brimmed hats are now required at school for students to wear during outdoor activities. Please ensure it is washed, named and returned to school for use this week. Our SunSmart policy can be found on the school website.