From the Principal
Pyjama Day!
What a wonderful PJ Day we had on Tuesday! It was so lovely to see our students and staff embracing the day and arriving at school in their comfy, cosy nightwear. There were plenty of smiles, fluffy PJs, oodies and dressing gowns, and very relaxed faces around the school!
I had a lovely time with our Foundation students, who were enjoying their very first PJ Day. We got together to read a story, snuggle up and enjoy some fun together.
A huge thank you to our Student Voice Council, who once again led a very successful fundraiser for State Schools' Relief. We raised an impressive $441 on PJ Day! Our upcoming Market Day will add to this total, helping us complete our Term 3 fundraising efforts for this very worthwhile organisation.
State Schools' Relief does wonderful work supporting Victorian students and families who may be experiencing financial difficulties. Their support can include providing school uniforms, shoes, glasses and vouchers to help ensure every child has what they need to participate fully in school life. We are very proud of our students for showing such generosity and thinking about how they can help others in our community.
School Hats Are Back!
It’s time to get those school hats ready! From Monday 24 August, all students are required to wear their school hat when outdoors. This is an important part of our SunSmart policy and helps protect our students from harmful UV exposure. Students are expected to wear their school hats outdoors from mid-to-late August through to the end of April. Please remind your children to bring their hat to school every day from next week.
Thank you for helping us keep our students safe and sun smart!
Parent Opinion Survey – Have Your Say!
Our Parent Opinion Survey is now open to all parents and carers, and we would love to hear from you! You should have received a message through Sentral with a link and PIN code to access the survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us. It helps us understand what we are doing well, identify areas where we can improve and ensure that the decisions we make reflect the needs of our students and families.
We strongly encourage all parents and carers to take the time to complete the survey and have your voice heard. The survey is also available in a range of languages. If you are unsure how to access the survey in your preferred language, please contact the school office and our office staff will be happy to assist you.
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback and for being an important part of our home–school partnership. Your voice really does help us make our school an even better place for every child.
Exciting Events Coming Up at Athol Road!
We have lots of exciting events coming up over the next few weeks, and there is plenty for our students and families to look forward to!
Book Week – A Symphony of Stories - Monday 24 August – Friday 28 August
Book Week is almost here! This year's theme is “A Symphony of Stories”, and our students will be taking part in lots of exciting activities throughout the week as we celebrate the wonderful world of books, reading and storytelling.
Book Week Parade
Thursday 27 August
9:15am – 10:45am
School Hall
Families are warmly invited to come along and join in the fun! We will share a surprise story on stage before our students parade in their favourite book character costumes. There will also be books to give away and lots of wonderful characters to see and celebrate.
A reminder that families do not need to spend lots of money on costumes. We would love to see everyone getting creative, reusing and recycling things you already have at home. Sometimes the best costumes are the ones made from a cardboard box, an old sheet or a few clever craft ideas! And parents, you are invited to join in too! We will have a special prize category for parents and toddlers, so get creative and come along and join the fun!
See pages 2 and 5 of the newsletter for full details.
We can't wait to see our school transformed into a wonderful collection of book characters!
Father's Day Afternoon
It’s that special time of year when we celebrate the wonderful dads, grandfathers and special father figures who are part of our school community.
Father figures play such an important role in the lives of our children. They encourage, support, teach, guide and, most importantly, make our children feel loved and valued. We look forward to celebrating these special people in our students' lives.
We warmly invite all dads, grandads and special father figures to join us for a Father's Day Afternoon Tea followed by a special Father's Day Assembly.
Father's Day Celebration
Friday 4 September
Father's Day Afternoon Tea – 2:30pm
Father's Day Assembly – 3:00pm
School Hall
See page 3 of the newsletter for full details.
We hope you can join us for what will be a lovely afternoon of celebration and connection.
School Concert – Sing, Dance, Shine!
Our annual School Concert is coming up, and we are very excited to announce this year's theme: SING • DANCE • SHINE!
School Concert: Sing Dance Shine!
Friday 11 September
2:00pm – 4:00pm
School Hall
Our School Concert is always such a special community event. It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their talents, build confidence and perform in front of their families and friends. Most importantly, it is a chance for us all to celebrate the joy of music, dance and performing together.
We hope that every child will have the opportunity to participate and experience the excitement of performing as part of our whole school community. We know how much hard work our students and staff put into preparing for this special event, and we can't wait to see everyone Sing, Dance and Shine!
Concert Tickets will go on sale on Monday 31 August at 9am.
See page 6 of the newsletter for full details.
Tickets are $5 each. Due to venue capacity restrictions, ticket purchases will initially be limited to a maximum of 2 tickets per family. Any tickets that remain available will then be offered to families who would like to purchase additional tickets from Monday 7 September.
We look forward to welcoming our families to what promises to be another wonderful school celebration!
Carmel Nigro
Principal