Welcome to our 2025 Parents

Welcome to our new 2025 families who will be receiving our school newsletter for the first time!

Our LEAP program commenced this week, it was lovely to welcome students beginning Foundation at Pilgrim in the new year. Lisa Newbury, our Early Years Coordinator, has been busy visiting students at their preschools, early learning and childcare centres and we held a Foundation 2025 Information Night last Wednesday.

We look forward to welcoming students from other year levels that will be visiting us later this term.

School Values Awards

Each week we present School Value Awards for students who have upheld or demonstrated one of our Pilgrim values: Belong, Explore, Flourish, Serve. The students are presented with their award at our weekly Worships.

Term 4, Week 2

Belong: Acacia

Explore: Lana

Flourish: Ned

Serve: Keira

Fathering Project BBQ and Lawn Games

We are excited to hold our second Dad and Kids event at Pilgrim School for the year.

Event: BBQ and Lawn Games

Date: Friday 22nd November (Week 6)

Time: 5.30pm to 7.30pm (dinner at 6.00pm)

Where: Campus Top Oval

Cost: Free

Join us for a fun-filled evening where you can enjoy food and participate in various games. We’ll have classics like Finska, cornhole, and boccé set up for everyone to enjoy. Additionally, we are hoping to book bubble soccer for some added excitement, though this is still to be confirmed.

Please RSVP with attendance and any dietary requirements by Friday 15th November (Week 5).

2025 School Worship Day and LEAP program changes

In 2025, we will hold school worship and assemblies on Wednesday mornings (from 8.55am in the Performing Arts Centre). All families are welcome to attend our Worship and you may want to consider adding this day to your calendar for next year.

We will also be changing our LEAP program days for Terms 2 and 4 next year to Tuesdays. If you have a child who will be involved in LEAP in 2025, you will receive more details in the term before they commence.

2025 Staff News

Pilgrim School recently employed two new staff members to commence in 2025. We look forward to Abbey and Dana joining our school community.

Hello, I am Abbey McKennall, one of the Year 5/6 teachers joining the Pilgrim Staff Team next year. You may have already met me as I have been relief teaching at Pilgrim for this past year, and I have been blessed to have taught every class, and met every student! I am originally from England and emigrated here with my family in 2013, for which I am so grateful as we love our life here in (mostly) sunny Adelaide.

I love to spend my time crocheting, walking my Labrador dog, and doing puzzles with my family. I look forward to learning together in 2025.

My name is Dana Baker, and I’m excited to be joining the wonderful team at Pilgrim School where I will be teaching in the Year 3/4 classes. I recently moved here from South Africa and have eight years of teaching experience.

As a dedicated Christian and a member of Futures Church - South Campus, I’m passionate about guiding and supporting my students as they learn and grow. I believe that education should be fun and engaging!

When I’m not in the classroom, you can find me with my family at a park or beach, or exploring our beautiful new home town. I’m really looking forward to getting to know everyone and making 2025 a great year together.

Meet Fergus

We have added a chatbot to our website named Fergus. (Fergus is a LEAP Frog 😊) Fergus can answer a range of questions in relation to school life, such as when hats are required, details of upcoming term dates/student-free dates, sun protection information and fee information – and he can even tell you a joke!

We love the personal connection we have with our community and Fergus is not intended to take away from that, but simply to provide another source of information that is available 24/7 to assist with basic queries. Please rest assured we will still look forward to seeing you at the Front Office or speaking with you on the phone!

Give Fergus a try, and if he can’t help you please let us know so we can continue to build his knowledge.

2025 Fee Schedule and Application for Fee Concession

Our 2025 Fee Schedule is available from our website and has been emailed directly to all families this week.

If your annual family income is less than $95,000 and you wish to apply for a tuition fee concession for 2025, please refer to the details in the fee schedule – in particular the important details in the coloured box on page 2 – and then complete an online application available, please use the link below. Applications are due by Sunday 26th November 2024.

If at any time you are experiencing financial hardship making the payment of fees difficult, please get in touch with me to discuss your circumstances and how we may be able to customise your payment plan to work with your cashflow circumstances or to support you in other ways.

Please note a couple of changes for 2025:

Centralised stationery ordering: The school will now handle all stationery orders and provide the required items to students at the start of Term 1. There is no need for families to place separate orders for delivery to your home which will save families delivery fees. In recent years, some required items have been inadvertently missed meaning students have not had everything needed, and some items have been of variable quality – together these issues have posed challenges for students and teachers. By managing this centrally, we can ensure all students have the identical items and also save cost for families. The cost of stationery is covered by our fees so no separate charge will apply.
School magazine: The cost of the school magazine has been incorporated into tuition fees.

The combined effect of these changes is that generally the only separate charge to year level tuition fees is the Parents & Friends Levy (other than a small number of specific year-level charges such as the Year 6 camp).

Michael Denholm

Business Manager

2026 Foundation Enrolments

We are currently interviewing for Foundation 2026. If you have a child due to start school in 2026, please click on the Application for Enrolment button and complete the enrolment process. If your child will be 5 years old by 1st May 2026, they can commence in Foundation at the beginning of that year. If your child turns 5 years old between 1st May and 31st October you may wish to consider midyear entry. This has always been an option and now that preschools are able to enrol children from midyear to midyear, it may be an excellent opportunity for your child. Please contact Kristen Heath on 8270 3033 or at heathk@pilgrim.sa.edu.au if you would like to discuss your family's situation.

School Tours

Our next School Tours will be held on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd November at 10.00am. If you have friends, family or neighbours interested in seeing Pilgrim School, please encourage them to register for our school tour online, using the link below, or contact the school on 8270 3033.

SunSmart Information

The Cancer Council provides information to families about what it means to be SunSmart. Here is their explanation of how UV is different from heat.

Many people mistakenly believe that they only need sun protection on hot, sunny days. It is UV, not heat, that causes sunburn, skin damage and skin cancer.

UV is not like the sun’s light which we see, or the sun’s warmth (infrared radiation) which we feel. Our senses cannot detect UV so it can be damaging our skin without us knowing, even on cool or cloudy days.

In Term 4, all students are required to wear a hat when they go outside each day, in line with The Cancer Council of SA recommendations. Please refer to the Campus Skin Protection Policy for further details.

Community Information

Daughters & Dads Cricket Clinic

Aberfoyle Park Community Centre

Royal Life Saving