Across Oliver's Desk  

Dear Parents & Guardians, 

WELCOME TO TERM 4

It’s a term full of fun and excitement but also a bit of trepidation as we head into new year levels, new friends and teachers. Our new Preps had their first transition this week which is always an exciting day for the school.

We are working hard on staffing for 2026 which I should be able to share with you in three or four weeks time. 

SCHOOL COUNCIL 

Our school council has worked hard this year to keep improving the school. You may have noticed the new school signs, the murals and the path that leads to the oval. We are planning on even more upgrades next year.

School council is supportive and will be approving the building of a new classroom in the corridor near the German room for 2026. Next year the school needs to go with 19 classrooms instead of 18. We have tried to get another portable from the department, but we were unfortunately unsuccessful. The size of the school will only be increasing by around 6 students. The problem is we need to decrease our class sizes. 

Approximate class numbers and sizes for 2026 by going to 19 classrooms

STEPS MORNING TEA

Our deserving Steps Winners enjoyed a wonderful morning tea with me in Sandy’s cooking room. We enjoyed hot party food, cake and even ice cream. Thanks again to Sandy for the wonderful job she does in going above and beyond to help the school. 

CONGRATULATIONS 

This week we congratulate Will Graham. Who has been accepted into the The SEAL program at Lilydale High School. The SEAL program provides a high quality accelerated curriculum for a select group of students with high intellectual potential. The central aim of the SEAL program, which a few local Secondary School’s run, is to provide educational experiences of an appropriate type and quality for that group of children, identified through the selection procedures, as having exceptional academic ability. 

Well done Will we are really proud that you did so well during the exams. 

HATS/BLACK SHOES

A reminder that we require all of our students to wear hats at recess and lunchtime during term 4. If students don’t have a hat they are asked to be in an undercover area which limits what they can do during break times.

This year we have most students wearing their uniform with pride. Wearing school uniform connects students to their school and allows them to be advocates for their school. There is still a small percentage of students who are not wearing black shoes and I ask for your support with this as having 100% of our students in full uniform upholds our school motto of ‘Take Pride At All Times’.

If there is a reason why your child is out of uniform can you please contact the classroom teacher to explain why. Thanks for your help with this.

BASKETBALL CHAMPS

Well done to our basket ball stars winning the 2025 Yarra Division Boys/Mixed, our students showed great sportsmanship throughout the whole tournament.  We are very proud of you all. 

PJ DAY AND BREAKFAST WITH YOUR TEACHER

This was a request from our current school leaders and our junior school council. They were all really keen for this special day. The morning went really well as you can see from the photos.

FREINDSHIP REQUESTS FOR 2026

Next week we will be asking students to put down the names of students they would like to have in their grade next year. This process can be distressing for some children. For example some students like their friend and want to be with them, but they also know that they are not good for their learning. Therefore, they may decide not to put them down as one of their preferences. 

Please be aware that staff go through an arduous process to place students. Teachers do their best to accommodate all things but of course that is not always possible. They have to think about, friendships, academic abilities, behaviour, prior issues, siblings, cousins, staff including if an aide in the room would help. There really is a lot that goes into this. But trust me when I say that we always have every child’s best interest at heart. 

Please do not request a specific teacher as all our teachers are high quality educators. We are proud that our school has a reputation of having excellent teachers, who work together superbly, with a student-centred focus, whole school approach to teaching and learning. Also, as you would appreciate, teachers do not necessarily teach in the same level as the previous year. 

We will have more information about student friendship requests in the next newsletter or through the compass app.

Have a great week and remember when life gets a little tough, either watch some cricket which may give you some sleepy moments or head to the wonderful world of a book!