Dear families,

We're on the cusp of embracing the delightful Spring weather. The wattle has bloomed, and Ballarat's blossoms sparkle in the winter sun. Nonetheless, the mornings continue to be brisk, and this week's weather serves as a reminder that winter persists, accompanied by the typical colds and coughs that tend to proliferate during this season...in some classes more than others!

Lately, both students and staff have been dealing with all sorts of winter blues. Students are making more pit stops at the sick bay, and quite a few have had to head home to shake off those 'winter bugs'. It might feel like your kid's destined to catch something during these cold months, but as we've learned over the past few years, there are many actions that we can take to minimise the spread of germs which we're continuing to encourage at school.

Book Week Invitation

Our Book Week dress up day will be held tomorrow - 24th August. Although we're not holding a parade this year, we warmly invite you to come through and visit your children within in their classrooms between 9-10am to celebrate this important event. There will also be an opportunity for a cuppa and a chat on the deck along with a tour of the refurbished spaces.

Please note there is no need to hire a costume – be creative and make one from things that you already have. It’s so much more fun! We look forward to trying to guess who you are and what book inspired you!

Footy Colours Day

This year we have an especially amazing reason to hold a Footy Colours Day. Three of our students (Emilio, Ruben & Kohda) have gone through a trial process and have been selected to participate in a unique experience - a special training camp with UK soccer team West Ham United in September in England. To help get them there, we will be holding a Footy Colours Day on the final day of term, Friday 15th September, requesting a gold coin donation to support the boys in their soccer training camp.

It is completely fine for your child to wear colours of a sporting team they support - we understand that not everyone supports a footy team. I'm looking forward to wearing some red and black....go bombers!

2024 Before and After School Care

Over the past week I've had the opportunity to meet with some Before and After School Care providers. Thank you very much for completing the expression of interest survey - this has been exceptionally helpful in our formative discussions. I look forward to sharing further information in the near future.

As we move to the latter weeks of Term 3 and approach Spring, I/We wanted to confirm some important dates/changes for our school community so that you can plan ahead as needed.

End of 2023 School Year Key Dates

As we move to the latter weeks of Term 3 we wanted to confirm some important dates for our school community so that you can plan ahead as needed.

The last day of school for students in 2023 will be Friday 15th December.
Staff conclude on Monday 18th December, this is a staff meeting day and no student supervision is available.

We thank you for your warm participation and support as a valued member of our school community. Wishing you all the very best for the week ahead.

Kind regards,

Ben Shields

Indonesian

With Bu Ferguson