From Christian's desk....

Congratulations Danielle Bell!

Over the weekend our school proudly celebrated Danielle Bell and her contributions as a parent volunteer.

Unbeknownst to her, the School Council nominated her (and Nikky Edwards) for the Parent’s Victoria Joan Kirner Award. Danielle was in total shock when announced as the 2023 winner by PV CEO Gail McHardy.

Danielle’s nomination:

The Croydon Hills Association of Parents (CHAPS) has, over many years, been an integral part of the fabric that binds our school community together. From fundraising that has provided enormous benefit and advantage to student learning through enhanced facilities and resources, to fun and affirming student activities and engaging social events for both adults and children, CHAPS has provided a vibrant focus for parents and carers across all facets of primary school life.

Danelle Bell’s association with Croydon Hills Primary School began in 2014 when her eldest daughter, Indiah began as a Prep. Indiah is now in Year 9 at Norwood Secondary College, where her brother Noah will join her next year, leaving younger brother Zaviah and sister Eden still at CHPS for several years to come.

Since she first joined our school community, Danielle has been a tireless champion of all things CHPS, supporting her children, the broader student body and the entire school community in a range of roles, particularly within CHAPS.

Dani is a great organizer and, as such, has been a leader in a number of committee positions over the years. Traditional social and fundraising activities have reaped the benefit of her organizational skills and she has also been a driver of innovation, having been instrumental in the introduction of several new and now much-loved CHPS traditions.

On a (hopefully) sunny afternoon each year, the schoolground is alive with the sounds of student excitement and laughter, as the whole school runs through clouds of colour and the shimmering spray from CFA hoses. Dani was one of the main instigators of the CHPS Colour Run around four years ago, before Colour Runs became ‘the next big thing’ in communities around the country. There was a bit of initial scepticism – such an event is an enormous amount of work and quite a disruption to a school day, but Dani persisted and this is now a much-loved and hugely anticipated annual event that brings together staff, families and the wider local community through the participation of the CFA.

True to form, Dani is now the main driver of this colourful, fun day. Organising colour and a team of parents to spend hours transferring it into squeeze bottles to coat running children, deploying teams of staff and parent volunteers to make sure students are safe and colour is flowing freely, contacting the CFA and facilitating the use of a firetruck and volunteer members to help students finish their run in a literal splash of colour!

Similarly, Dani was one of the driving forces behind the introduction and continuing success of the CHPS Student Disco, which has run annually in two, age-appropriate sessions that have rocked the rafters, complete with DJ and spectacular lighting, for the past six years.

Again, it’s Dani’s organizational skills which have driven the success of the student discos, which also raise additional funds for the school through an attendance charge. The night is run entirely by parent volunteers, who ensure that students are supervised, safe and having fun and that every student is signed out and collected appropriately. As well as organizing the logistics, Dani leads the hall decoration team, books and facilitates the DJ, organises and distributes treats for participants (including those with food allergies) and spends her time during both sessions making sure everyone is having a good time and even making some moves on the dancefloor!

She has also been the strength and inspiration behind bringing the Year 6 Graduation celebrations back to school. For many years CHPS took its graduating class offsite to celebrate the end of their primary journey. Dani was among a group of parents who pushed to have an “in house” celebration and then took on the leadership of making that happen, with a host of inspirational ideas for a night of fun, nostalgia, growing up, celebrating achievements, looking back and looking forward. Our Performing Arts Centre is transformed into a sparkling dining area. After dinner, students join their parents for the official Graduation Ceremony. When they return to the PAC they find a party space complete with a photo booth for making treasured memories involving students and staff.

All this happens with hours of hard work from parents behind the scenes, with Danielle at the helm. As well as the main event each year, she has also built in protocols pulling together Year 6 and Year 5 parents in lead up and delivery, ensuring organizational continuity that will see Year 6 Graduation continue to be a smoothly-run highlight of our students’ primary education experience.

In the decade that Dani has contributed her time to CHAPS, she has chosen to take on leadership of those events that require hours of effort and perseverance to bring to fruition. She has contributed ideas, energy and inspiration and backed it up with a willingness to work for as hard and as long as it takes to ensure success for the school and its students, and satisfaction and good companionship for her CHAPS team.

If we’re honest, it is becoming more and more difficult to engage parents in the work that Parents’ Associations have traditionally done. Danielle Bell is most definitely one of the unsung community heroes of Croydon Hills Primary School. What better way to sing her praises than by nominating her for this year’s Joan Kirner Award.

Camp Week Next Week at Croydon Hills Primary School

Next week is Camp Week at Croydon Hills Primary School with:

Year 5s heading to Sovereign Hill, Monday – Thursday,
Year 4s down at Camp Manyung, Mount Eliza, Monday – Wednesday,
Year 3s off to Camp Toolangi, Wednesday – Friday,
Year 2s having a school sleepover on Thursday,
Year 1s having a school stay late Thursday (evening only).

It is important for the community to be aware that parking and traffic will be affected on the camp pick-up and drop-off days, particularly on Monday morning with two camps leaving. Per the map below, Year 5s will be departing from the curbside between the drive-through entrances and the Year 4s will be using the drive-through drop-off zone. All other camp pick-up and drop-offs will be using the drive-through drop-off zone. At this stage, weather-dependent, bags are to be left with buses on camp departure mornings.

Please keep an eye out for specific information relative to Camps and class arrangements via Level Compass posts and individual staff communication.

Christian Holdsworth - Principal

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