PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

With a busy start to the term and such beautiful weather, something we're not quite used to at this time of year, it feels like time is flying by. Over the next month, we’ll be entering our assessment and reporting period in preparation for mid-year reports. This can be a challenging time for some students, while others will thrive as they showcase their learning from the semester.

The start of the term has been quite disjointed with short weeks due to public holidays and our school curriculum day. Often short weeks means modified timetables and adjustments to home routines, and we all know the impacts this can have on the younger members of our community. Thanks for your support as we work through these weeks. We all look forward to a more stable program for the remainder of Term 2.

We’d also like to extend our thanks to all families as we implement our new communication guidelines. Many of you will have received updates via SeeSaw regarding our shift to channel all formal communication through Compass, teacher email, or phone calls. SeeSaw will now be used solely as a platform to share student learning happening in the classroom.

We understand this is a significant change for some, and we truly appreciate your support as we make this transition. As a reminder:

See PDF below for guide to using Compass for Parents

Flu Season

The Flu season is upon us and as we experience every year, a number of our students are feeling the effects. As a general rule, the following information from Grampians Health is used to help protect your family this flu season.

The flu can be very serious, especially for children. That’s why annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over.

The flu vaccine helps reduce the risk of severe illness and protects not only your child, but the wider school/kinder/childcare community. It’s important that you keep your child home if they are feeling unwell. Symptoms like a sore throat, cough, or runny nose can spread illnesses to others.

The vaccine is free for eligible groups, including:

• Children aged 6 months to under 5 years

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and older

• Adults aged 65 and over

• Pregnant women

• People with medical conditions that increase the risk of severe flu

You can book a flu vaccination through your local immunisation provider. While the vaccine is free for eligible high-risk groups, there may be an administration fee—check with your healthcare provider.

For more information, visit my.gh.org.au/flu.

Let’s work together to keep our school/kinder/childcare community healthy this winter!

Mother's Day

What a spectacular event we had to celebrate the mothers and mother figures in our lives. The Mother’s Day Classic was a wonderful opportunity for our students to spend meaningful time with their mum or special guest and show their appreciation for all they do.

The walk around Lucas Central Park provided a beautiful setting, and it was fantastic to see such a strong turnout from our community.

On the day, each student proudly presented their mother or guest with a handmade flower vase, crafted during art classes throughout the year. They also shared a touching Mother’s Day video and gifted a plant, generously provided by our friends at Integra. This plant can be taken home and planted as a living reminder of the special bond between mothers and their children.

A huge thank you to the dedicated working party who did an incredible job bringing this event to life.

Traffic Management Survey

Thank you to everyone who has responded to the Traffic Management Survey available on your Compass Portal. We've had an outstanding response, with valuable feedback and insightful suggestions to help improve safety for your children and all students around the school.

As mentioned previously, we are working in partnership with Siena Primary School and Road Safe Central Highlands to address the growing traffic and safety needs of the Lucas community.

The survey will remain open until Friday.

Playground Update

School Council has been actively working on plans to enhance our school grounds with an additional playground for the Lucas PS yard. We’re excited to share that designer Justin Staggard has been engaged to support the planning phase of this project.

As part of the process, we’ll be seeking input from both students and parents to help determine the types of play equipment that will best meet the needs of our school community. We’re looking forward to seeing this project take shape and, all going well, we hope to have a brand-new play space ready for our students by the end of 2025.