Principal's Report

Walkathon

We were lucky to have the most glorious morning for our Walkathon today. The children had a fun and energetic time completing their laps at beautiful Landcox Park. It was wonderful that so many parents could join us at the park to make our Walkathon a real community event. Thank you to Team Kids for providing coffees for all adults!

Thank you to the Year 2 Parents, ably lead by Deb Putt, Mikki Blum and Lisa Shiran Cohen, that organised many aspects of the Walkathon. Also thank you to all the parents that have donated prizes for the Walkathon and/or helped with the ‘stamping’! Special mention to and a big thank you to Mark Frayman for bringing along HERRRBy, the students absolutely loved catching up with HERRRBy at the Walkathon. Thank you to our students, not only for their efforts on the day, but also for their fundraising. A reminder that all sponsorship donations are to be submitted via Compass.

This year our fundraising efforts will support two projects that will directly benefit our students. The first project is to install picnic tables and seats at the Junior Campus – under the peppercorn trees and new basketball towers at the Senior Campus.

Bush Dance

What a fantastic Bush Dance last week! It was truly a very happy event for everyone involved. The students had an absolute ball, and all the adults loved watching the children dance.

A huge thank you to Tom Pitts, Ilsa Cook, and Casey Galinsky for all their hard work in the lead-up to the event. At the Bush Dance Tom did an incredible job; hosting, calling the dances, keeping everyone moving, and running the entire show so smoothly!

Thank you to all who sent along a gold coin. $611 was raised and the money has been sent to the Mornington Peninsula Koala Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was thrilled to receive the donation.

School Council

On Tuesday, 24th March, the new School Council elected its office bearers and welcomed Aaron Freedman, Benjamin McDonald Ranga, and Tim Hope-Johnstone as new members. Following a late resignation from the Council, we are pleased that Michael Leigh has accepted the invitation to join. I am delighted to announce that Nicky Martin has been re-elected as School Council President and Lisa Liu has been appointed as the new Vice President. Barry Goldman has been elected as Treasurer, taking over from Darren Krawitz, who has done a magnificent job in the role over the past four years.

Sincere thanks go to our outgoing School Council members, Lauren Freeman, Kym Hayat, Lyla Hennig and Shaheen Khan, for their support, guidance and commitment during their time on School Council. Their contributions have been greatly valued by our school community. Special recognition goes to Lyla Hennig for her remarkable contribution to the school over the past nine years. Throughout this time, her commitment, dedication and care for the Gardenvale community have been truly significant. We are deeply grateful for the time and energy she has given to support our school.

Major Building Project

I am sure many of you would have noticed over the last few weeks the building works at the Senior Campus are in full swing. To date the work has largely been demolition works.

The asbestos is scheduled for removal in the school holidays between Thursday 9th April to Sunday 19th April.

Please note all asbestos removal works will be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of WorkSafe Victoria, which mandate that:

removal works must be carried out by a licenced asbestos removalist and disposed of safely via an approved waste site
the licenced removalist must notify WorkSafe Victoria of the intended works and compliance with mandated safely measures
an independent environmental hygienist conducts air monitoring during the removal process and for 24 hours afterwards
the area where asbestos removal is occurring have appropriate signage and an exclusion zone of 15 meters be erected (temporary cyclone fencing and that normal activities can continue to occur outside this exclusion zone)

The Department of Education policy is more stringent than the mandatory WorkSafe requirements, whereby it is ensured that no one is present on a school site (staff, students, visitors, community members) whilst removal works are underway.

For more information on WorkSafe Victoria processes please refer to the General requirements for all asbestos removal work | WorkSafe Victoria.

ANZAC Day Assembly

Our special ANZAC Day Assembly will be held on Friday 24th April. This whole school ANZAC Day assembly will take place at 9.15 at the Senior Campus, under the COLA. We will pay our respects and remember those who have served our country in war and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect and preserve the freedoms we enjoy today. Parents are most welcome to attend this special assembly.

Wishing all our families a most enjoyable and relaxing holiday break.

Janine Hall

Principal