Principal's Report

Concert to Remember

That was a big 3 days, culminating in 2 very big evening performances.  No doubt there were plenty of students, staff and parents looking for a sleep in or 2 and some down time over the weekend.  

When putting together a concert, we’re aiming to:

·         Give students a quality experience in the performing arts, knowing that some will discover an interest, whilst others will get to shine in a field that is already a passion. 

·         Provide another opportunity for students to challenge themselves and come out the other side feeling proud of their achievements. 

·         Build a sense of school and community pride, through everyone working together to create something special.

Overall, we ticked each of those boxes and everyone ought to be proud of what was accomplished.  Congratulations to everyone who contributed to making the concert such a success. 

We are very lucky to have staff of the calibre of Steve Skilbeck, Liz Morgan and Mark Muldoon looking after the production side of things.  The production team were well supported by Jordon Smith, who was driving the backdrops.  Nicole Phillips did an excellent job of working with our team of MCs to pull everything together and help everything make sense.  It was really nice to have past students, in Aylah Stanford and Lucy Balwin providing choreography for a number of classes as well and appreciate their efforts.  The combined effort of these people enabled us to put on an entertaining show.

Our teaching staff did an amazing job preparing the kids to perform and managing the kids throughout.  This is a significant and challenging task, and we appreciate the willingness of our staff to accept the challenge and make the concert a rewarding experience for all of the kids. 

Our teacher aides made a strong contribution too, assisting classroom teachers along the journey and providing individual support to students to make it possible for them to participate. Virtually every student in the school participated, which is a significant achievement.  And our office staff did a fantastic job on the administration side of things, which is quite significant for an event such as this. The work they did behind the scenes made sure everything ran smoothly.

A big thanks to Tracey and her team for running the BBQ at both evening concerts.  This helped add to the atmosphere and provided a simple option for dinner on a busy night for parents.

Thanks also to the large band of parents who helped in a range of ways.  We had parents helping develop acts, making costumes, helping with front of house and ushering, collecting and escorting kids being dropped off, transporting props, working on the BBQ, guiding traffic and helping back of stage.  All of that is very much appreciated and enabled us to focus on looking after the students.  We also appreciated parents and extended family members for supporting our students and the school by purchasing tickets and viewing the concert.

We should also thank the Buninyong Bowls Club, who allowed us to use their facilities for concert practice, including a full day run through on August 18.  The Bowling Club is always generous in the sharing of their facility, which we greatly appreciate.

Overall, the concert was a fantastic community event that provided our students with a great experience in the performing arts whilst raising valuable funds for the school.  When the dust settles, we expect the concert will have raised close to $25,000, which is a great result.  We have received lots of very nice feedback, which is much appreciated.

Don’t forget that concert USB’s and class photos are available for purchase via Qkr!  Photos can be viewed at the office prior to purchasing.

Ramp Upgrades

As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, we have a number of ramps to be replaced at both campuses.  That work starts this week, with the first ramps to be attended to being:

·         The entrance to the music room (Buninyong Campus). For the duration of this work, music classes will be held in the STEM portable.

·         The entrance on the north-west corner of the gym (Buninyong Campus).  There will still be access to this entrance via the steps.

·         The ramp at the entrance to the old building at Scotsburn.  There will still be access to this building via the back door.

·         The ramp leading to the entrance of the multi-purpose room at Scotsburn.  There will still be access to this building via the storeroom.

It is expected the total project will run through until mid-December.  There will be some disruption along the way, but we should be able to work around it.  Once completed, the works will create a safer environment for everyone, but especially those with a disability or mobility issues. 

Parent Surveys

Thanks to those that have already completed this survey.  For those that haven’t, the closing date is September 18. We’d like to get lots of survey responses, so please consider taking 20 minutes to help us out with this.

Please check your Compass notifications with all the relevant login details.

2027 Prep Enrolments

A reminder if you have a child to enrol in prep for 2027, please access an enrolment form from the website or from the office, fill it out and send it in ASAP.  Once your child is enrolled, you’ll be on the mail out list for transition updates, which includes information about our Preschooler Program and Orientation Day. 

Please pass this message on to anyone else who may be in the same situation and feel free to give us a call if you have any questions.