From the Principal's Desk — Term 1 Weap

What a wonderful Term 1 it has been at Golden Grove Lutheran Primary School! It has been a rich and full start to the year, and as we head into the term break I want to take a moment to reflect on and celebrate all that our community has experienced together.

One of the most significant developments this term has been the commencement of Rachel Saunders as our new Director of PYP, Teaching and Learning. Rachel has brought tremendous expertise and energy to this role, and her leadership is already having a positive impact on our curriculum and the ongoing development of our IB Primary Years Programme. We are very grateful to have her as part of our team.

Faith life has been at the heart of our term, as it always is. Pastor Kevin has continued to bring warmth and wisdom to our chapel services, and we were especially blessed this term by our Ash Wednesday and Easter celebrations. The introduction of the Middle of Term Breakfast before the Ash Wednesday chapel was a lovely touch, with many parents joining us for what became a beautifully connected morning. Our Easter chapel gave families a meaningful opportunity to pause and reflect together, and the Bible presentation to our Foundation students was one of the most special moments of the term — it was wonderful to see so many families stay on afterwards to connect over a coffee in the café.

Our school community truly came alive through the many events that filled our term calendar. The Parent Information Night in the school courtyard was a relaxed and enjoyable evening, and our Foundation Welcome Evening gave our newest families a warm introduction to life at GGLPS. Our Class Carers have done a magnificent job organising a range of social events, we arel ooking forward to the Mother's Day Stall early next term. These events speak to the vibrant, connected community that makes our school so special.

We marked Harmony Day with great joy, with students and staff dressing in traditional cultural costumes and celebrating the rich diversity within our community.

Across sport, our students have competed with pride at SAPSASA Swimming where special mention must go to Sam Boileau-Cappell, who achieved the outstanding result of progressing through to SAPSASA in swimming — the whole school celebrated that achievement with real pride. We also enjoyed a fantastic visit from Endeavour College students, who delivered sports clinics for our Year 3 to 6 students.

Our Year 3 to 6 students headed off to Mylor and Woodhouse for their respective camps, with both blessed by wonderful weather. Opportunities like these are so valuable for building confidence, resilience and friendship, and it was lovely to see students return with such great stories to share.

Ellie and Nicholas have also had the honour of representing GGLPS at the Installation Service of Jodie Hoff as the new Executive Director of Lutheran Education Australia — a proud moment for our school. We were also delighted to welcome Jodie to Golden Grove Lutheran recently, and her warm comments about the community feel and positive atmosphere here were a wonderful affirmation of everything our students, staff and families contribute to this place.

Looking ahead, we are very excited about the development of our Early Learning Centre for three and four year olds, currently planned to open during 2027. We are also working with Arkvale Architects on a ten-year Buildings and Facilities Masterplan, and we warmly welcome any feedback from our broader school community as that vision takes shape.

Thank you to every family, staff member and volunteer who has made Term 1 so memorable. Enjoy the break — you have all earned it — and we look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for a wonderful Term 2.

Volunteering in the School

We appreciate many families giving of their time and expertise to volunteer in the school, whether it be with our school canteen, P & F Events, school camps, GLOW Week or classroom assistance. A reminder to please ensure that your WWCC details are up to date, along with RAHN and VSC training. Further information on our volunteering requirements is available from our website.

A few reminders

Please be reminded of some of our key events coming up:

Term 2

Week 1

Monday 27 April – ANZAC Day Service 10.00am

Friday 1 May – SACSA Athletics

Week 2

Monday 4 May – P & F Meeting at 7.00pm

Tuesday 5 May – Mother’s Day Stall

Sunday 10 May – Mother’s Day

Week 3

Tuesday 12 May – Principal Tour 9.15am

Wednesday 13 May – SACSA Cross Country

Week 4

Friday 22 May – Colour Run

Week 5

National Reconciliation Week

Tuesday 26 May – National Sorry Day

Tuesday 26 May – Community Breakfast

Wednesday 27 May – National Simultaneous Storytime at 11.00am

Week 6

Wednesday 3 June – Foundation Mid-Year Information Evening 4.00pm

Thursday 4 June – Year 3/4 SACSA Soccer

Friday 5 June – Year 5/6 SACSA Soccer

Week 7

Monday 8 June – Kings Birthday Public Holiday

Wednesday 10 June – Foundation Mid Year Transition Visit

Friday 12 June – P & F Meeting 9.30am

Week 8

Wednesday 17 June – Foundation Mid-Year Transition Visit

Week 9

Glow Week

Wednesday 24 June – Foundation Mid-Year Transition Visit

Thursday 25 June – Principal Tour 9.15am

Friday 26 June – Closing Service 8.50am,

Glow Week Assembly and Presentations 2.00pm

Our full school calendar can also be viewed on the school website.

Will Wallace

Principal

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