School News & Events

School Values Awards 

Each week we present School Value Awards for students who have upheld or demonstrated one of our Pilgrim values: Belong, Explore, Flourish, Serve. The students are presented with their award at our weekly Worships.

Term 3, Week 4

Belong: Makenna

Explore: Lucas

Flourish: Phoebe

Serve: Evan  

Term 3, Week 5     

Belong: William

Explore: Asbjorn

Flourish: Adeline  

Serve: Cayden

Term 3, Week 6    

Belong: Mordecai

Explore: Harriet

Flourish: Malcolm

Serve: Jamie

Wellbeing Day - Indonesian Theme

On Friday 11th September (Week 8), we will be holding our second Wellbeing Day for the year. This special day will feature a fun and engaging Indonesian theme, with students participating in a range of cultural activities, crafts, games and wellbeing experiences designed to promote connection, creativity and learning.

Students will also have the opportunity to order Indonesian food for lunch at an additional cost. Further information regarding menu options and ordering details will be provided closer to the event.

We look forward to sharing this special day together as we explore Indonesian culture and celebrate the importance of wellbeing within our school community.

Students are encouraged to wear red and/or white (colours of the Indonesian flag) casual clothes on this day. Normal standards for hair and jewellery apply and footwear needs to be appropriate for normal class activities, including fitness (not slippers, thongs or slip ons).

Responsible Artificial Intelligence Impact Challenge (RAIIC)

Next week,  a small team of Year 6 students will be attending the RAIIC 2026 Live Final Showcase to be held at the Australian Institute of Machine Learning. Our team has been selected as one of two primary finalists for the challenge and their submission will be shown at the showcase, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

Congratulations Cadence, John, Rafiki, Vin, and Yasmin. We wish you all the best and hope you enjoy participating in the showcase! Thanks to Mrs Libby Spencer for her support of, and work with, the team as well.

CSA National Leaders Summit 

Last week, Julie Wicks, Yiota Chesterfield, Lisa Newberry, and I had the privilege of attending the Christian Schools Association National Leaders Summit in Sydney. It was a wonderful few days of networking and connecting with school leaders from right across Australia, alongside excellent teaching and input from a range of speakers on Christian education and leadership.

One speaker who particularly stood out to me was Todd Bolsinger, who spoke on leadership in seasons of change. He shared the true story of Lewis and Clark, who set out in 1805 expecting to canoe their way across America to the Pacific Ocean - only to discover, on reaching the Rocky Mountains, that there was no river left to paddle. Their canoes, which had carried them so far, could take them no further. To continue the journey, they had to leave their canoes behind and learn an entirely new way of travelling through the mountains.

Bolsinger used this as a picture of what he calls "adaptive challenges" - the kinds of problems that can't be solved simply by working harder or applying old methods with more effort, but instead require us to learn new skills, adjust our approach, and sometimes let go of things that have served us well in the past, in order to keep moving toward what matters most. As he put it, wise leaders don't just ask "did it work?" but "what did we learn?"

It was a timely and encouraging reminder for all of us in school leadership: that navigating change well isn't about ignoring the challenges we face, but about being willing to learn, adapt, and keep our eyes on our shared mission, even when the path ahead looks different to what we expected.

Andrew Edmondson

Principal

Connections Cafe 2026 

Belong | Explore | Flourish | Serve

Our Year 6 students invite all parents, grandparents and friends to ‘Connections Cafe’ for an afternoon tea, including special musical performances.

Date: Tuesday 15th September

Time: 1:45 to 3:00pm

Location: Pilgrim School Oasis Kitchen

Cost: Entry by donation (through TryBooking or cash on the day)

Year 6 students will serve you tea/coffee and baked goods they have made from produce grown in our Friendship Garden while you are entertained by live musical items performed by Year 6 students.

Seats are limited and bookings are essential, so please book your seat today!

Donations are appreciated to purchase a ‘solar powered water feature/bird bath’ for our Friendship Garden.

Garden produce grown in our Friendship Garden will be available for purchase by donation on the day.

From Uganda With Love: Watoto Children’s Choir 

All families are encouraged to join us as the Watoto Children’s Choir shares music, stories and dance at our school on Wednesday 2nd September, 9.00am in the Performing Arts Centre.

The choir will remind our own young people that no matter what they might be going through, or how dark the world may seem at times, there is always hope - and better days ahead. 

To learn more about Watoto’s transformative work, opportunities to sponsor children or donate to their organisation, please click on or scan the QR code below.

Staffing Update

Farewell Michelle Hook

We have recently farewelled Michelle Hook from our Inclusive Education team, and we wanted to take a moment to properly celebrate the impact she has had during her time with us.

Michelle brought a truly gentle and caring presence to everything she did at Pilgrim. Her calm, warm manner put students at ease and made them feel genuinely safe and understood, whatever they were going through. She had a wonderful gift for connecting with people - students, families, and staff alike - always taking the time to slow down, really listen, and see each person she worked with as an individual worthy of care and attention.

Michelle's servant heart shone through in the quiet, faithful way she went about her work, often behind the scenes, making sure every child felt included, supported, and valued. She had a deep passion for helping others - not just meeting their immediate needs, but genuinely seeing them, encouraging them, and walking alongside them through their challenges.

Her contribution to our Inclusive Education team, and to the students she supported, has been significant, and she will be missed by many across our school community.

We thank Michelle for her gentle and caring support of students during her time on our team, and wish her all the best with her future plans.

Welcome to Pilgrim, Kaylee Thomas! 

We're delighted to welcome Kaylee Thomas to our Pilgrim community, joining us as an Education Support Officer. Kaylee has been providing back-up support for our Inclusive Education Team this year when staff have been on leave. She will be joining our staff team in Week 8. 

Kaylee brings a genuine love for working with children, which has grown through her involvement in her church's children's ministry, where she's completing an internship alongside further study in leadership. In that role, she's built strong skills in caring for children's emotional wellbeing, running engaging activities, and helping kids feel empowered, understood, and connected - values that will translate beautifully into her work supporting students here at Pilgrim.

Outside of work, Kaylee enjoys sewing, baking, and other creative pursuits - so don't be surprised if she has a knack for a craft activity or two! Her faith has been a growing and central part of her life over the last couple of years, and she's passionate about helping children build a strong foundation of belonging, identity, and Godly friendship.

Please join us in giving Kaylee a warm Pilgrim welcome as she settles into her new role!

Congratulations to the Rooke family

It is with much excitement that we announce the arrival of Levi Samuel, a baby brother for Isla (Foundation). Levi spent some of his first weeks in hospital with a serious infection. We praise God that he has been able to go home well with his family!

Discussing Your Child's Progress

At any time, parents are able to chat with their child's class teacher about their child's progress. Parents can email teachers directly to arrange a time to get together.  

Instrumental Lessons 

We have a number of camps, excursions and academic competitions happening this term. These dates and times can be viewed on the Pilgrim Calendar via the Compass Parent Portal. Please note that parents and caregivers are responsible for contacting music instrumental teachers when there is a clash between school events and your child’s instrumental lesson, or when your child is away for their instrumental lesson due to an appointment or sickness.

As indicated in the Instrumental Music Program booklet that was sent home at the start of the year:

Absenteeism

• If students are absent on the day of their lesson, the instrumental teacher must be notified by phoning them directly, preferably at least 24 hours prior to their lesson.  In the rare occurrence where this is not possible due to sudden illness, the teacher should be notified at the latest by 8.45am of the day concerned.

• If students are going on an excursion/camp, or will not attend for any other pre-planned reason on the day of their lesson, where possible the instrumental teacher must be notified at least one week prior to the lesson.  If this prior notification is given, the lesson may be rescheduled or a ‘catch-up’ lesson organised.

School Ambulance Insurance 

Pilgrim School has an insurance policy with SA Ambulance Service, which covers the cost of ambulance transport for all students in the event of an accident or medical event at school or during out-of-hours school activities.

However, please be aware that this policy does not extend to pre-existing conditions, such as diagnosed asthma or anaphylaxis.

If a student’s pre-existing condition requires an ambulance whilst at school, parents/caregivers will be invoiced by SA Ambulance Service unless they have their own coverage. We therefore recommend you consider your circumstances. Cover is often provided as an extra through health insurance policies or can be taken out as a separate personal policy.

Michael Denholm

Business Manager

Planning for 2027

As we begin planning for the 2027 school year, we'd appreciate families letting us know as early as possible if their child will not be continuing at Pilgrim School next year.

A full term's written notice of withdrawal is required. Please complete our Notice of Enrolment Withdrawal form by Friday 25th September (the end of Week 10 this term) to avoid being charged a term's fees in lieu of notice.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Kristen Heath

Administration Coordinator

Belong and Blossom Playgroup 

Belong and Blossom is for children 0 - 5 years old and their parents and/or carers. It takes place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9.00am - 10.45am during the school term in the Tween room.

Please pop in for a cuppa, an opportunity to chat, and some time for your child to play and explore. You can register during your first playgroup session. 

We have craft and play times. We share fruit together and end our session with a story and some songs.

Term 3 Playgroup Session Dates