Deputy Principal

Dear Families,

Welcome to the end of Week Nine – not long to go till the holidays and Christmas. I hope that the busyness of this time of year is manageable for all families and that the coming weeks allow for times spent together enjoying this festive time of the year.

For families managing illness, or have recently experienced a bereavement with the loss of a loved one, please know you are very much in our thoughts and prayers.

Congratulations also to families who have recently welcomed a new addition to their families with the birth of a child. We wish you every happiness and joy at this special time.

Canberra Camp and Grade Two Sleepover:

I had the privilege of spending four days with the Senior Learning Community on their recent camp in Canberra. I want to commend the children on the way they represented themselves, and our school, at the different venues we visited. It was definitely a very fast-paced and busy four days. Some of the tour guides and presenters commented to staff at the end of our visits on how engaged in discussions and how respectful the children were. I loved listening to the children share their knowledge of our system of Government at Parliament House – they have been listening carefully in class!! Visiting the War Memorial was also a special time and the group I walked with were very aware of the ‘sacredness’ of the space we were in. Congratulations to all students!

Photo: It’s not every day you have your photo taken in front of an artwork that’s current value is in the hundreds of millions of dollars!!

From one end of the school to the other, last Thursday was also a great night for the Grade One and Two students, having their first excursion after school. The children had a great time playing games with friends, enjoyed a delicious tea cooked by parent helpers and watched a movie together to finish the night. Once the Grade One’s left for home, it was time to bed down and sleep the night at school. Well done To the Grade Two’s – for some this was their first night away from home. A great achievement. I know everyone would have slept well the next night.

Remembrance Day:

On Saturday 11th November, Evie Costello, Lachlan Schroeders and Nathaniel Roe represented our school at the Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Shepparton Cenotaph. This is a part of their role being Fire Carriers for our school. It was certainly a very hot morning however I thank the children for being such great representatives for our school community at such an important occasion.

St Luke’s Wishing Tree:

The Grade Six Social Justice Leadership Team have been busy thinking of ideas to support the work of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Christmas is a busy time of year, especially for Vinnies, providing support to families in our local community.

The Social Justice Team came up with the idea of having a ‘Wishing Tree’ in the entrance foyer of our school. If families would like to, they can donate a gift for a child that can be given by Vinnies to a family. The team asks that the gift be wrapped and labelled for a boy or girl and their age, Eg: boy aged 10. Gifts can be left under the tree in the foyer over the coming weeks.

The Social Justice Team is very grateful for your support and hopes that the donated gifts is one way of sharing the joy of Christmas with all in our community. 

Caritas Leadership Day:

On Tuesday, 21st November, myself and a group of Grade Five children travelled to St Mary’s Mooroopna to take part in the Caritas Social Justice Day. This day was attended by teachers and students from a number of schools across the Goulburn Valley region. Kerry Stone led the day, working with the children on increasing their understanding of the work of Caritas Australia in our local and wider communities. The children also spent time brainstorming ideas that can help raise awareness, and fundraise as a community to support Caritas in 2024. The children will continue this work as Grade Six leaders next year. Well done to Zach Maddox, Hudson Dudgeon, Jack Tidore-Stone, Karly Loughran, Sean Kelly, Louise Schroeders, Diya Mathew and Maritta Rekku on their participation in the workshops. 

Christmas Cards:

Each year, as a school, we raise money to support the work of the St Vincent de Paul Society. Vinnies work with communities around the world to fund projects that provide basic necessities. The Student Action Team have come up with an idea to support the work of Vinnies.

This year we are selling Christmas Cards designed by the Early Years children of St Luke’s to raise money. This will be used by Vinnies to help families this Christmas. 

Packs of beautifully designed Christmas Cards will be sold by members of the Student Action Team at the end of the school day – starting next week.

Packs:

5 for $5.00

10 for $10.00 

A great opportunity to share the joy of this festive season with cards designed by our younger children.

Lost Property:

There is quite a bit of lost property at school at the moment. It would be good for items to be returned to homes before the end of the year. If your child is missing an item of school clothing, or a lunch container/drink bottle, it might be worth asking them to check for these in lost property. 

Zooper Doopers:

The sale of Zooper Doopers is happening on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The cost is 50c each, with a maximum of two per child. We ask children to buy zooper doopers for themselves or brothers/sisters only – not to be purchasing for friends/classmates. 

Hats – Term Four:

A reminder that hats need to be worn outside in Term Four. As a part of our SunSmart policy, children are required to wear hats outside during breaks or other activities during the day. Please ensure your child’s hat is clearly named so that if it is misplaced it can be easily returned to it’s owner. Hats also need to be SunSmart and neat – not written on or torn etc. They are an important part of our school uniform. Sunscreen is supplied in all classrooms. If your child wishes to bring their own they are more than welcome to. 

Thank you for your support with this.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy fortnight. 

Kind regards.

Tony.

Library News

A big thank you to everyone for going on the search for unreturned library books.  We have been able to reduce the missing number from over 400 to 164. It's still not great but much improved.  A BIG congratulations to 1/2 Moodie and 3/4 Kelly for having the least books missing...7. Wouldn't it be great if next year we could have classes with 0. Please continue to look for any library books that may be school property during the holidays. It's never too late to return them.