Some words from the Principal

Thank you to those that were able to come to our Family Fun Night last week!  The night had a similar format to what we have had before for Fathers Day Night but so many other family members wanted to also join in the fun, hence us making it into a Family night.  A huge thank you to Ms Tiana Dias, the KPA and the dedicated staff that volunteered their time to support the running of the event.  Without these people, the nights are unable to happen so a HUGE thankyou for supporting the building of our community through these nights! 

Term 4 Important Dates

With Term 4 being a very busy term, we always want to communicate in advance some important dates.  Please refer to the dates section of the newsletter which we will continue to update and add to each newsletter.  There is a lot there so grab a cuppa and your diary.  I have also attached a calendar with dates (as they currently stand) which I hope helps, to print out and pop on the fridge too!  

New Outdoor Classroom and Garden

On the last day of term, Mitchell, Sam, Declan, Sasha and I had a fabulous time filming with Castle and Cubby.  This was in response to the competition that Mitchell and Sam won at the beginning of this year for an outdoor garden classroom.  

This story began during 2023 when 5D started using an apple slinky to increase eating fruit.  Declan, Sasha, Mitchell and Sam started collecting the apple seeds and started trying to grow fruit around the school.  Mitchell also started to grow an avacado plant and had some great ideas for Karoo.  Mitchell wrote a letter to me (see attached) outlining  garden would be great for our school.  I then came across a competition with Castle and Cubby to win some $20,000 worth of products so we paired the idea and Mitchell and Sam applied. We were so excited when they called us to tell us that we won!!  The Year 5 and 6 have then been working with Ms Smith in Science to decide on the vegetables, and we worked with Castle and Cubby to design the outdoor garden classroom. Weather meant a few delays .....but we finally got there - and doesn't it look AMAZING!!!  

Enhancing the Science building and the surrounding walls are our next Fundraising target so the whole area looks tip top! 

New Futsal Court

Doesn't the new Futsal court look fantastic!  It was well used last week at our Family Fun Night and is very popular every break.  The Student Council are working with the students across the school on a timetable so that it is safe and fair for all.  

Classes for 2025

The construction of new classes for any year is a dynamic and a designed process, which ensures that children are thought of both individually and collectively. When we are working to compile class groups many factors are taken into account including academic ability, individual needs, gender, student relationships, social and emotional traits, behaviour, working relationships, influences (the influence a child has on others, how others influence them) and previous class placements/teachers etc. All these elements are considered in building the new “learning community”, as we make decisions about what is in the best educational and learning interests for students.  At all times we make decisions that support the learning environment for your child.  We strongly believe that the classroom is for learning and the playground is where we catch up with our friends. Part of developing our wellbeing is forming and making new friendships. If students are always surrounded with their best friends in the classroom, it can sometimes restrict them from developing other relationships and possibly making a new friend that they might not have if they were always with friends. 

As students at Karoo progress from Foundation to Year 6, it is expected they will learn to work and relate to a range of teachers and students. As with all school decisions, the aim is to offer the best possible learning experience for all our students. Before making any request for 2025, please consider if your request is supportive of the best learning environment for your child as well as their growth in expanding their friendships. 

In 2025 the class composition for classes in our school will be:

Foundation – 3 classes

Year 1 – 3 classes

Year 2– 2 classes

Year 3 – 2 classes

Year 3/4 - 1 class

Year 4 – 2 classes

Year 5 – 3 classes

Year 6 – 3 classes

Requests do not include names of requested teachers (to have or not to have). Instead these requests need to articulate the learning environment in which best supports the learning for your child and the type of teacher which supports this classroom culture (eg: warm and nurturing, firm and fair etc). Names of specific teacher requests will not be taken into consideration when formulating student classroom placements for 2025.

Please also note a new request needs to be submitted for each schooling year. Previous requests will not be taken into consideration for 2025 as each year situations change and students develop. 

Parent requests must be returned to the office by Friday 1st November for consideration. Any submissions after this date, unfortunately cannot be taken into account in our grade formulations for 2025.      

All requests need to be emailed to:  karoo.ps@education.vic.gov.au 

Trivia Night  - Tomorrow Night! (you can buy tickets until tomorrow 11am)

The fundraising committee and KPA are looking forward to a fun night of Trivia tomorrow night.  It will be a playful and entertaining night that will have a lot of laughter. There are some fantastic prizes to be won in the raffle as well as a number of items up for auction (including my car park again!!), so bring your best trivia skills and lots of gold coins!   Details and link to buy tickets below.

Karoo Trivia Night - Saturday October 19th

Join Us for an Exciting Community Trivia Night !!  

🎉 Date: Saturday 19th October

🕒 Time: Doors open 7pm - Games start at 7:30pm

📍 Location: Karoo Gym

• Entry Fee: $30 - buy your ticket online https://www.eventbrite.com/e/928253359787?aff=oddtdtcreator or at the school office

How to Participate:

• Buy tickets individually and email our KPA President Rhi Fogel rhi.fogel@gmail.com with the names of people you would like to sit with. 
• You don't need to fill a table, you can come on your own or with 2 or 3... or you can make up a table of 8-10 if you like too.  Just let Rhi know your preference. 
• Bring your friends and family (adults) along - they don't need to just be Karoo families

Come and show off your trivia skills, support our school, and make memories with friends and family! Don’t miss out on this fantastic event! 🎓📚

Term 4 Pupil Free Day

Our last Pupil free day for 2024 is to be held on Monday 25th November. As per previous pupil free days, no children are required onsite. OSHC will be running a program for students who are booked in, and are looking at going on an excursion for the day.

Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing you around the school,

Regards,

Danielle Heatley

Principal