Principal's Report

It's good to be back!  Upon my return I would like to thank Mrs Thurley, Mrs Antoniadis and Mrs DeAraugo for their leadership and support during my secondment. As they say in the classics, ‘It’s like I never left.’ We are indeed a very fortunate school to have such giving people leading our school. Congratulations to the Lions supporters out there (we have a few) well deserved premiers, although I still wonder what might have been .... I trust families fitted in some quality time together over the holidays.  The students have hit the ground running and are full of enthusiasm as we begin another term of learning and fun. 

Our feast day is a special day for the School and Parish. We were very excited to return to a special liturgy led by the grade 1’s and of course the biannual Grandparents and special friends’ day. We were again amazed by the huge number of visitors for the morning and thank everyone for participating with the children in the classrooms in a myriad of activities.

I was extremely proud to see the National Anthem at the recent Australia v England netball test in Bendigo. Watching on Fox, I think the netball world joined those of us watching as Milla in grade prep joined the teams for the anthem and without hesitation did as we always do, used her AUSLAN to accompany the song. We are excited and proud of our program and Milla was a wonderful example of how far we have come in the language.

Students will be asked to transition over into their summer uniform by week three of Term 4.  I ask for the parents' support in ensuring the students are wearing the correct uniform, in particular, the correct socks and no brand names.  

As we begin planning for the 2025 school year, we will soon be working on student placements. If you have specific requests regarding your child’s placement for 2025, we kindly ask that these are made in writing to the principal by Monday 21st October. These requests may relate to your child’s specific learning, social, or emotional needs.

Please note that while we will do our best to accommodate requests received by the due date, it becomes increasingly challenging to make adjustments once this date has passed. The placement of one student can impact the entire class dynamic, making late changes difficult to manage.

We want to emphasise that requests for specific teachers or teacher gender will not be considered. Our teachers invest significant time and professional judgment into the class placement process, relying on their knowledge of each student's unique needs. Once placements are finalised, changes will not be possible. It is important to recognise the complexity of placing 300 students into groups that best support their learning and social development. Rest assured; these will be shared with the teachers to assist in the placement process.

A reminder that we have our learning conversations on Tuesday & Wednesday, a very important part of our assessment and reporting program. The opportunity to discuss progress, set and review goals and provide feedback, is central to building a positive relationship between families and our teachers. We look forward to seeing everyone either online or in person.

Paul Wilkinson

Principal