Principal's Message

Dear Sunshine Heights Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 3! It has been so lovely to see our students, staff and families since I have returned from leave, and to hear about how last term went. I have to give a very special thank you to Mr. Anthony for his hard work and dedication as Acting Principal, and to Mrs McMahon, Vicky Psihogios and the staff team for helping to guide and lead the school during this time. I also wanted to thank those parents who reached out to me before and during my absence. It was a nerve wracking experience to have the surgery, but I am not bionic, fighting fit and loving having a neck that is pain free. Recently I have returned to climbing and have even joined the year 3/4 students on the monkey bars, so it is amazing what modern medicine has done for me. Thank you to all our students for welcoming me back into their classrooms!

Yesterday the majority of our staff were on strike in the city, demonstrating to the state government their concerns about the fair funding of our public schools. The clear message is that our schools remain the lowest funded in the country, and this impacts our students every day. We remain hopeful that a deal is reached soon, and also that the government commit to the full funding resource standard that every other state and territory has committed to. We thank parents for their understanding during this time and reiterate our focus on the learning and wellbeing of every one of our students. 

This term is an exciting one for lots of different reasons. As well as big memory-making events like the 3/4 camp, we have Science Week, Book Week, Fathers and Special Persons Day, and National Day of Action Against Bullying. We are also starting to make plans and preparations for the school's 70th Anniversary, which we will celebrate as a community in December. This term also marks the beginning of some momentous times for our students; Year Prep will be celebrating their 100 days of prep, and our grade 6 students have had their acceptance letters for high school and will begin to transition on to their next chapter. This reminds us that our school is a journey place for all our students and families, and our role in this is to create the best conditions for our students to thrive even after they have left our school. 

Finally, the toilet redevelop is coming on. This week the roof has gone on with insulation and the inner walls are taking shape. In the coming weeks we will see the plumbers and electricians starting their work before the existing concrete slab is connected to the new one. The scheduled end date remains the final day of the school holidays, meaning we should start term 4 with our beautiful new toilets. 

Best wishes, 

David and the Sunny Heights Team