Hello VPS families!

We are finally at our last newsletter for the year. With 2023 drawing to a close and 2024 just around the corner, we have had a super busy few weeks finalising things for the end of the year. With a final few excursions, class parties, graduation and Carols on the Lawn we have definitely finished the year off with a bang!

Year 6 Graduation & Farewell.

It is always bittersweet to farewell the outgoing class of each year, and on Wednesday night, we did just that. Our Year 6 students, teachers and families watched as the class of 2023 was presented to the community, ready to farewell VPS and take on new adventures. It was a spectacular evening with students showing how far they have come, and that they are ready for the challenges of secondary school and beyond.

We would like to say a fond farewell to the Year 6 students, and to the families for whom this is their last child at VPS. We hope that you have created a lifetime of fond memories here, and we look forward to learning of your future successes. We wish you all the very best.

Carols on the Lawn

What a triumph our first Carols on the Lawn was this evening. Thank you so much to all the staff involved, especially Mr Condron for his organisation, our music captains Isabelle and Nathan, and Mr Fraser for putting all the music together. We are so grateful to all the families who attended and shared in this special event, and can't wait to do it all again in 2024!

Farewell to staff

It is with sadness that we farewell Miss Christina Tsotsos at the end of this year. Christina has done a wonderful job as teacher of 3CT. We wish Christina all the best as the takes on new challenges and adventures in the coming year.

We also wish Mrs Brierly Parker all the best as she starts her family leave. Brierly is expecting her second child in the new year, and we can't wait to hear the exciting news about the newest arrival in the Parker family!

End of Year Awards

At our last two assemblies, we were able to acknowledge the talents and achievements of a number of different students.

Mr Sukkar, Federal Member for Deakin, presented the Deakin Shield to three students in the categories of Academic, Citizenship and Performing Arts. This year’s recipients were:

Academic – Pratyush Year 1

Citizenship - Rohan Year 4

Performing Arts - Shanuk Year 6

We were also fortunate to have Paul Hayward from Lions Rotary Club to present the Ron Bromley Memorial Scholarship to Aaidah K from Foundation and Chloe C from Year 5.

The final Awards we presented were the VESPA awards. VESPA stands for Vermont Excellence in the Specialist Program Award.

Each Specialist teacher selected a student to be the recipient of this award in each year level. The criteria asked the Specialist Staff to select a student who is a role model and has achieved outstanding results in the subject area.

Here are the names of students in Foundation to Year 5 who were awarded a VESPA:

Art

Foundation – Andrea W

Year 1 – Azahlia T

Year 2 – Mina N

Year 3 – Hermione M

Year 4 – Grace Z

Year 5 – Kate L

Digital Technologies

Foundation – Alice C

Year 1 – Alfred C

Year 2 – Isaiah Y

Year 3 – Andy

Year 4 – Cara L

Year 5 – Hiya D

Music

Foundation – William X

Year 1 – Daniel L

Year 2 – Gilbert Z

Year 3 – Mark L

Year 4 – Hayden P

Year 5 – Abigail A

PE

Foundation – Yonatan

Year 1 – Rafael L

Year 2 – Ian P

Year 3 – Evan R

Year 4 – Heidi O

Year 5 – Wesley T

Science

Year 3 – Yoyo M

Year 4 – Dhruvan P

Year 5 – Matthew P

Congratulations to all these worthy recipients – we are very proud of you.

Parent Helper Morning Tea

Just a reminder that on Monday 18th at 10:30am, we will be hosting our Parent Helper Morning Tea in the stadium. If you have helped out around the school in any form, we would love the opportunity to thank you for your contribution and dedication.

End of Term Arrangements

Just a reminder that students finish next Tuesday, 19th of December at 1:30pm. Next Wednesday is a Curriculum Day and students are not required to attend. OSHC will be running for those who need to use it.

School starts back for students in Year 1-6 on Wednesday 31st of January, and for our Foundation students on Thursday 1st of February.

We would like to wish all the students, staff, parents and friends in the Vermont Primary School community all the very best for a relaxing and safe holiday break, and a prosperous New Year. We would like to thank you all for your support, kindness and team work over the past year, and look forward to continuing to build partnerships and connections in the coming year.

Happy Holidays!

Jess, Joy & Jacci

Principal Team

Specialists

Year 6 - Music Performances @ Box Hill Central