Principal  Message

We finish the 3rd term still feeling positive after a successful musical production and State School Spectacular performance.  If you have never seen a State School Spectacular Show you are missing out. There is nothing more uplifting than watching 1000's of children work together to present a massive variety of musical numbers. The costumes, dancing, singing, lights and orchestra are incredible. The performance of the principal singers and dancers is outstanding and showcases the talent that the public education system nurtures and promotes. The Arts is important to the Department of Education and the funding given toward this very professional show is reflection of this. Not all public schools participate and so we are very fortunate to have Kirsty champion this event for our school.  

We have a solid reputation at SSS and that is thanks to Kirsty's professional and passionate approach to the program. The children selected for the show represent our school proudly. But it is not as easy as it looks. The students have had hours of practice, and the dress rehearsal days are long. However, after the final performance the students involved have a life experience that many other public schools do not offer. Again, for a small school, we do incredibly well in this space.

Transition for Term 4

We have a very open and transparent transition program for our students as we start to think about what next year might look like for them moving on to new classes and teachers. We understand that for many students the change is stressful and whilst it is an inevitable part of life, we can provide them with opportunities to ask questions, participate in part of the decision-making process and communicate clearly to them.

The graphic below will provide you with information about the process and dates for transition sessions, class allocations and meeting their 2025 teacher. 

We have not made final decisions on class structures for 2025 as the indicative budget was only released yesterday. I spend many hours going through the figures and staffing profile so to find the most effective model whilst being viable financially.  The leadership team and I spend a great deal of time considering all options, taking into account the number of students in each cohort and their needs. As soon as we have made a final decision, we will inform the community of the class structure. You will see from the graphic that parents have the opportunity to provide information about their child in relation to class peers. Please, note, we offer this consultation but cannot guarantee the request as there are so many moving parts. We also do not take requests for class structures or specific teachers. I will send out a message when we are ready to take parent input.

We also spend many hours looking over the buddy hands and have many discussions about friendship groups, academic and emotional needs before finalising the class lists. There is actually an advantage to being a small school when looking over these lists as we can put a very personal touch on it. We do not use software packages to design class lists. The staff and I consider each child and come to the table with a genuine desire to do what is best for every child. I don't pretend this is easy and there are always some students who feel disappointed if they are not with their best friend. However, we do guarantee 1 buddy on their buddy hand. We also believe strongly that there is value in students forming new relationships and expanding their friendship groups. 

A message from Claire, Chris and the Student Wellbeing leaders

Thank you so much to students and families for participating in our R U OK Day last Friday.  Students across the school learned how to be a good friend, and some ways to help our friends by listening and encouraging them to ask a trusted adult for help if they are not OK.  They worked collaboratively in mixed age groups, and all enjoyed watching ‘Inside Out 2.’ 

Together we raised $142, which has been donated to R U OK Day.  Thank you for your support – we loved seeing so many children in sunshine yellow and were encouraged by the thoughtfulness and kindness of our wonderful Warrandyte students!

As we look ahead to Term 4, we have many special events and activities. Graduation for our Grade 6's is a big one and we look forward to seeing what the students and the Graduation Parent Committee put together for the event. The students have input in the theme they want to have for the evening and the parents always do a great job of making it happen. 

As our Grade 5's look ahead to being the leaders of the school, the Grade 5/6 teachers and the leadership team will begin the Student Leadership roles process. There is quite a lengthy process involved and Grade 5 parents will receive information and policy around this process early in the term. 

We have our formal transition for next year's Preps and are excited to get to know them and have them come and enjoy a range of activities and teachers in their program. We welcome all our new Preps and are so pleased to have them join our school community.

The first day back is a Curriculum Day and our teachers are going to be using this time to carefully plan out 2025 so that we can be more organised not only with events and Curriculum Days, but also ensure we have our curriculum documentation reflecting this. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment (VCAA) have released a 2.0 Victorian Curriculum version that all schools must adopt next year. We have already been using this new version and have been working in Network meetings to familiarise ourselves with the changes, but we see the changes as being an opportunity to ensure our planners, scope and sequences, assessment schedules and teaching and learning programs reflect the 2.0 version. Behind the scenes the leadership team have Action Plans in place in relation to school improvement. Our leadership team now consists of the following staff:

Rick Griffiths - Excellence in Teaching Learning Specialist

Greg Edwards - Wellbeing and Engagement Learning Specialists

Stephanie Chivell - Literacy Leader

Chris Cavill - Numeracy Leader

This is a strong team with a great deal of skill and knowledge, so I am excited to be working with them as we continue to undertake a process of reflection and adaptation based on the needs of our students, staffing profile and broader education priorities.

It has been a busy Term 3 so enjoy the rest that the school holidays bring. We look forward to see you all again in Term 4. 

Take care,

Nieta