Principal's Report

BUSY WEEK AHEAD

We have quite a bit happening this week.  Today we have Questacon visiting to run science activities all day in the gym.  That will be a lot of fun and help foster an interest and curiosity in science.

Today we also had 60 of our Grade 6s catch an early train to Melbourne to participate in the GRIP Leadership Conference at the Convention Centre in the city.  We look forward to hearing about the day and the learnings they take from the day. 

Tomorrow, we have the 3-6 Interhouse Athletics Carnival at Llanberris Athletics Reserve in Ballarat.  Thankfully the temperature forecast for Wednesday has moderated a little, meaning we’ll get through the day without battling temperatures in the mid 30s.  Parents are more than welcome to come along to encourage the kids.  

And then we finish off the week with the Preps heading out to Scotsburn for the Teddy Bear Picnic.  This is a big adventure for the Preps and know they’ll have a lovely day. 

OPEN MORNINGS

Last Thursday and Friday we had two Open Days and had prospective families visit to take a tour.  We had quite a few families take the opportunity to see the school in action, especially on Friday.

Whilst Narelle, Nicole and myself sat down and had a chat with those that came through, it was our Grade 6s from the Transition Team that took visitors for a tour.  They did an excellent job and our guests spoke highly of their work. 

Whilst Open Days present a good opportunity for prospective families to visit, we are open to tours at any stage of the year and expect our Transition Team members will continue to be busy over the coming few months.

LUNCH TIME LIVE EVENTS

For many years Mr Skilbeck has run regular Lunch Time Live events giving students the opportunity to perform in front of their peers.  Clearly this is something the kids enjoy, especially those that like to perform.  

The latest Lunch Time Live event was held on Friday.  As always, there was a sizable crowd showing interest in each of the performers and providing generous applause and appreciation for each.  This was very nice to see.  

We are lucky to have a culture where children are keen to challenge themselves and give things a try, knowing they can do so with the support and encouragement of their peers and staff.  

NEW SOCCER GOALS

After many years without much to speak of in terms of soccer goals, the landscape is changing rapidly.  Last week we had a new set of goals installed on the synthetic pitch, and today we’ll have two new goals go up on the Buninyong oval.  Thanks to Mr Georgiou for ordering and assembling these with our Grade 6 Maintenance Team.

The new goals were moved into place yesterday, meaning the kids are able to play end to end games of soccer, something they have never been able to do at school.  

Because the soccer pitches run in the opposite direction to the AFL goals, we have a plan to avoid collisions.  On some days the AFL games will be able to run end to end games and on other days it will be soccer games. 

In more good news for soccer fans, some new soccer goals will soon be made for the Scotsburn campus.  

CANTEEN TEAM UPDATE

As we all know, it has been a very warm start to the school year, prompting us to make frozen fruit and zooper doopers available for purchase on Tuesdays and Fridays.  This has meant the Grade 6 Canteen Team has had to learn fast and manage large numbers of kids keen to buy something cold on hot days.

The team has taken on the challenge and done an excellent job.  Later in the year we will sit down to consider school projects they would like to support with the funds they raise.  Money raised over the past two years were used to fund the makeover of the veranda outside of the canteen. 

The kids really enjoy the pressure of sale days and providing a service for the students of our school.  They also enjoy the fact that their efforts raise funds that lead to improvements around the school.