From the School Leadership Team

What a wonderful fortnight it has been in our Golden Grove Lutheran community!

Last Wednesday morning, it was such a joy to gather together as a school community for our Community Breakfast. Seeing students, families and staff sharing a meal together before the school day began was a truly heartwarming start to the day. A huge thank you to our Parents and Friends Committee for their generous catering and for providing delicious hot cross buns — your efforts are always so appreciated and do not go unnoticed. 

It was equally wonderful to see so many families able to stay on and join us for our Ash Wednesday Chapel service that morning.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent — a significant season in the Christian calendar lasting forty days leading up to Easter. It is a time of reflection, prayer and preparation as we remember the sacrifice of Jesus and draw closer to God. The application of ashes during the service serves as a powerful and humbling reminder of our humanity and our need for God's grace. To begin this season together as a community made it all the more meaningful.

Congratulations also to our newly installed SRC representatives, who were recognised last Friday. It was a privilege to celebrate these student leaders who will play such an important role in representing the voice of our school community throughout the year. We look forward to seeing you grow into your roles!

On Sunday, it was an honour to attend the installation service of Jodie Hoff as the new Executive Director of Lutheran Education Australia, held at St Paul Lutheran Church, Blair Athol. This was a significant and celebratory occasion for the wider Lutheran education community. A special mention must go to our School Captains, Nick and Ellie, who represented Golden Grove Lutheran Primary School with such grace and maturity, leading prayers beautifully during the service. We are incredibly proud of you both.

This week we were delighted to welcome a number of prospective families to our school for Principal Tours on Wednesday. If you have friends or neighbours who are considering Golden Grove Lutheran Primary School for their child, we would love for you to spread the word! As a reminder, we do offer a referral scheme where existing families who refer a new family that goes on to enrol will receive a small discount on their school fees for the year — a small way of saying thank you for being such wonderful ambassadors for our school.

We also have some very special events on the horizon. On Friday 6 March, we look forward to welcoming our Foundation families back to Chapel for the presentation of Bibles to our Foundation students. This is always a deeply cherished occasion — a tangible and lasting reminder to our newest learners that they are known, loved and valued, both by our community and by God. Shortly after, on Friday 13 March, we will host our Foundation Parent Welcome Evening, and we look forward to connecting with our newest school families in a more relaxed and personal setting.

What a rich and beautiful start to the year it has been. Thank you to every family, staff member and community partner who has made these early celebrations so special. There is so much more to look forward to, and we are grateful to be walking this journey together.

Sports Day - Friday 11 September

Please mark your calendars! Sports Day will be held on Friday, 11 September. We are looking forward to a fun day with excellent weather. More details will be provided closer to the date.

Later in the term, we will also hold a Tabloid Sports afternoon for Years 3-6, which will serve as a selection trial for SACSA Athletics. Further information will be communicated soon.

Please continue to keep Mrs McCusker, our Sports Co-ordinator and PE Teacher in your prayers as she recovers from a back injury sustained before Christmas. We expect her to return in April and look forward to welcoming her back to the classroom.

Kiss and Drop

A friendly reminder to please avoid parking on the dotted yellow lines along Richardson Drive near the school entrance – these are our kiss and drop zones for keeping traffic flowing safely. You'll find plenty of parking a little further down Richardson Drive between the oval gates and the soccer club, and this helps us avoid the occasional parking ranger who does come through to enforce the street signs (and we'd hate for anyone to get a fine!).

TASS Parent Lounge

A reminder about TASS Parent Lounge, our online parent portal. This is a great way to be able to check that your contact details and your child's medical details are up to date, as well as to be able to view the school calendar.

Please check your email for your login information - and you are most welcome to be in touch with us if you have any queries around the login process.

Pastor - call process

As many of our families would be aware, our previous pastor, Pastor Greg, accepted a call to Faith Lutheran College in Queensland back in November 2023. Our church congregation have  a 'call committee' which undertakes the process of calling, of inviting a new pastor to serve at Golden Grove Lutheran Church and in our school community. The Call Committee will meet again this week in seeking to identify another Pastor to whom a call may be extended. Thank you for your ongoing prayers for this process. 

A few reminders

Please be reminded of some of our key events to commence the year:

Wednesday 25 February - Principal Tours 

Wednesday 18 February - Community Breakfast 

Wednesday 18 February - Ash Wednesday 

Camps 

Wednesday 25 February - School Tours 

Monday 23 March - Harmony Day 

Monday 30 March - Wednesday 1 April - Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 Camps 

Friday 3 April - Good Friday 

Monday 6 April - Easter Monday 

Tuesday 7 April and Wednesday 8 April - Parent-Teacher Interviews (after school) 

Friday 10 April - Closing Service 2.20pm 

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

Will Wallace 

Principal 

I don’t know about you, but I am always feeling like I would love some more sleep. As we settle into school life, I just want to reiterate the importance of sleep and what it does to support brain health. There are often challenges at times and if your child does find it difficult there are many strategies out there that can help. Enjoy the short read below that focuses on the importance of your child having an early bedtime.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16xh7U4XWJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Tim Kriewaldt

Deputy Principal