Principal's Message

Dear Parents/Carers,

2024 PARENT OPINION SURVEY

We want Parents/Carers to tell us what they think! 

Our school is conducting the annual Parent/Carer Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. All families are invited to participate in the survey.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. 

The survey will be open online from Monday 29th July to Friday 30th August 2024 with log in details being provided through Compass. 

For more information please contact the school office.

YEAR 5 SOVEREIGN HILL CAMP

This week the Year 5 students excitedly packed their camping gear onto the bus ready for a fantastic three days away.

Day One

After a relaxing coach ride to Ballarat, everyone enjoyed the educational experience of The Eureka Centre. Students completed three interesting sessions at the museum. Their prior knowledge was extended as they learned about and answered questions relating to the history of gold mining in the Ballarat area and the Eureka Rebellion. 

Their excitement levels were high as they reached Sovereign Hill. After a play on the playground and afternoon tea, groups participated in visiting the Sovereign Hill school.  They were taught what it was like to go to school in the 1850s. They used a slate board and chalk and were taught how to write with a quill and ink.

After a delicious dinner, they headed to the magnificent replica theatre for a magic show and music from the gold rush era students also enjoyed the question time afterwards. 

Day Two 

Another action-packed, educational and enjoyable day. 

Students enjoyed breakfast in the cafe, followed by sessions including boiled lolly making, life on the goldfields, gold pouring demonstration, two wonderful underground mine tours and plenty of time to explore all of the attractions. 

The dinner was once again a hit and was followed by the highlight of the day - the Sound and Light Show! A 90-minute extravaganza, made up of amazing cinematography including 3D effects.

Day Three

Students will be involved in a candle-making demonstration and more time exploring, before packing up and heading home. 

The Sovereign Hill staff have been fantastic. Each session has offered plenty of time for questions, and students have had the opportunity to really imagine what life on the goldfields was like for all involved. The food and accommodation have also been excellent.

These camps take a lot of organising and it goes without mention that the staff involved have made yet another amazing effort in providing an enjoyable experience for all our Year 5 students. Thank you Lidia Allen, Julie Versteegh, Edward Hargreaves, Tonya Ferguson, Ross McRae and our two wonderful parents, Craig Wallace and Elise Stuart.

GREEN AND GOLD DAY - FRIDAY 2ND AUGUST

The Olympics are an exciting time to celebrate all the wonderful athletes who will be representing Australia at this years Paris games. 

The Opening Ceremony in Paris is July 26th with the games concluding on August 11th.

Australia is sending 460 athletes, including 231 Olympic debutantes across 33 sports. 

At our school we will be following the games closely with many of the schools activated with decorations, medal tally's and more. 

To show our support we will be participating in Green and Gold Day on Friday 2nd August. All students are encouraged to wear these colours to school. 

SHERRY JOHNSTONE - ABORIGINAL ARTIST AND EDUCATOR

This week our students have had the pleasure of having local artist Sherry Johnstone in their Art classes. Sherry is working alongside Mrs Dixon in the Art Room and brought in her winning Indigenous design football guernsey, worn by the Geelong Football Club recently. Students used the guernsey as inspiration for for their own artwork.

We look forward to seeing the students’ work in the coming weeks!

100 DAYS OF SCHOOL AND GRANDPARENTS MORNING TEA FOR FOUNDATION STUDENTS

On Monday 5th August, Foundation students are holding an open morning for their Grandparents. The session will run from 9am to11am and include various activities and supplied morning tea. Student’s grandparents can pop in at any time, and may wish to just attend the assembly or come for the classroom visit. This visit coincides with Foundation students celebrating 100 Days of School. Students are encouraged to come to school dressed as their 100 year self.

NAIDOC WEEK

At this weeks assembly our Koorie Leaders spoke about NAIDOC week. NAIDOC Week is an annual celebration held in Australia to honour the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

KOORIE GIRLS DANCE GROUP

The girls who have been participating in the Koorie dance lessons performed at assembly on Monday. They performed three dances which were all thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. At the conclusion of the dances, group leader, Kaley, presented Aunty Vicki and Josie with a gift to thank them for all of their hard work teaching the dances. Special thanks to Sam Delany as well, for helping out with costumes. It was great to see so many parents in the audience. Well done everyone! 

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS

Respectful Relationships is an initiative to support schools and early childhood education settings promote and model respect and equality. It also supports educators to teach our children how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence.

The whole-school approach to Respectful Relationships goes beyond curriculum, recognising that to drive real change, classroom learning needs to be reinforced by what is modelled within the school community. Respect for self and others underpins the culture of any community or society.

Teaching respectful relationships is a key component of our well-being program in schools and we remind our students weekly to be their best, help others succeed and to respect their school.

STUDENTS ARRIVING IN THE MORNING

A friendly reminder that students shouldn't be arriving at school before 8.30am. The grounds aren't supervised at this time and with the cold and wet weather, we have had some students caught in the rain. 

TheirCare is available if you require the service, please contact them directly for bookings.

PUPIL FREE DAY – TUESDAY 6TH AUGUST

School Council passed Tuesday 6th August as a dedicated Pupil Free Day for Whole School Professional Learning.

Children are not required at school on this day however, Their Care will be offering their program for those families who require care.

Have a great weekend and stay warm.

Danielle Toone

Acting Principal