Principal's Report

Prep Ballarat Wildlife Park

Our Prep children recently attended their major excursion to the Ballarat Wildlife Park. By all accounts, they had a fantastic day and represented our school extremely well. I’m sure there were a few tired children (and adults!) by the time they got home that evening!

A special thanks to our wonderful parent helpers for supporting this excursion. We are very lucky to have such awesome support from our parent community.

Thanks also to our staff for the time and effort they put into planning and supporting such a great excursion.

Grade 5/6 CYC Camp

I had the pleasure of attending the Grade 5/6 Camp to Melbourne last week. It was an action-packed few days, with our students provided with lots of great opportunities and experiences.

I think our visit to the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre was probably the biggest hit, closely followed by our visit to the Queen Victoria Market on the final morning. We were also lucky enough to visit the MCG while preparations were underway for the NFL game between the San Franciso 49ers and the LA Rams.

The weather was amazing, the kids were awesome, and our staff and parent helpers worked incredibly hard to ensure the camp was a huge success.

A special thanks to Mr Greer for coordinating such a fantastic camp.

School Bus Program - Student Travel System

Below is some important information regarding changes for families who access the school bus.

What is changing?

The department is introducing the new Student Travel System (STS), which will replace the existing Student Travel Assistance Portal (STAP).

From Term 4, 2026, parents and carers will need to use the new STS to manage school bus travel for their children.

There are no changes to the School Bus Program policy. The eligibility criteria, application assessment, and bus allocation processes, remain the same.

What do parents and carers need to do?

In late September 2026, all existing parents and carers will receive an email with details on how to log into the new system and how to reset their password, which now includes multi-factor authentication steps as a further layer of data security.

Users will be able to log in to the new STS and view their travel details, and if no changes are required, no actions are needed.

Please contact the School Bus Program team on schoolbus@education.vic.gov.au or call us on 1800 338 663, if you have any queries or have not received your new log in details during early Term 4.

Early School Finish - End of Term

Term 3 will conclude at 2:15pm on Friday, 18th September. Please make appropriate arrangements for the safe collection of your child/ren due to the earlier dismissal time. There will be no assembly on this day. Students will be dismissed from their classrooms.

The Smile Squad free school dental program is coming in Term 4

The Smile Squad team from Bendigo Health is coming to our school Monday October 19th.

Smile Squad is the Victorian Government’s free school dental program.

This means all students can receive a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment at school.

How to access free dental care

We need your consent before we can provide services. Consent is usually provided by a parent or guardian.

OR use the QR code below:

Paper copies of the consent form are also available. Please contact the school office if you would like one.

Smile Squad oral health packs

Your child(ren) will soon receive a free oral health pack to bring home. The pack contains a toothbrush, full-sized toothpaste, and an oral health brochure. Please take a moment to read the brochure—it is full of useful tips to help your family eat well, drink well, and clean well for life.

Do I need to attend my child’s appointment?

No, you do not need to attend your child’s appointment. You are welcome to attend if you wish, and you can choose to take your child to a community dental clinic if that suits your family better.

Happy Holidays!

As we come to the end of another busy term, I would like to wish all of our SGPS families a safe, happy and relaxing holiday break.

Thank you for your ongoing support throughout the term. We hope you enjoy some quality time together and return refreshed and ready for another great term. I'm taking the last two days as Long Service Leave to spend some extra time with my daughter living overseas.

Take care and enjoy the break!

REPEAT NOTICE

Grandparents Day

We are planning to have our Grandparents' Day on Friday, 23rd October. Please share this date with grandparents and special friends. The day will run from 11.30am to 1.30pm (or 2.00pm for those who want to stay and have a snack with their grandchildren). More details will be provided via Compass early next term.

Be Awesome Day 2026

The Be Awesome Day organising committee, led by Mrs Edwards, have planning well under way for our annual Be Awesome Day to be held on Friday, 30th October. Please keep an eye out for further details early next term.