Important Notices
Possible Industrial Action – Wednesday 19 August
Families may have seen reports that the Australian Education Union (AEU) has called a further 24-hour stopwork for next Wednesday 19 August.
Since this action was announced, the Victorian Government has made a further offer to AEU members around pay and conditions. Union members are currently voting on this proposal, with the outcome expected to be known on Monday afternoon.
If members vote to accept the offer, the proposed industrial action will be cancelled and school will operate as normal next Wednesday.
If the offer is rejected, however, the 24-hour stopwork will proceed. As with the previous strike action earlier this year, we anticipate that the large majority of SKiPPS staff would participate.
If this occurs, the impact on the school will be significant. With very few staff available on site, normal classes and school programs will not be able to operate. While the school will remain open and limited supervision will be available for students who have no alternative care arrangements, we would strongly encourage families, where possible, to make alternative arrangements for their children on this day. This allows the small number of staff who are not participating in the action to safely supervise those students who genuinely need to attend.
We appreciate that the uncertainty around next Wednesday makes planning difficult for families and apologise that we cannot provide a definitive answer at this stage. Given the potential impact, we recommend that families begin exploring alternative arrangements for Wednesday 19 August, in case the stopwork proceeds.
We expect to know the outcome of the AEU vote on Monday afternoon and will communicate with families as soon as possible once the position is confirmed.
Thank you, as always, for your understanding and flexibility.
District Athletics
As we speak, 48 SKiPPS students from Years 3–6 are competing at the Southport District Athletics Championships at Duncan McKinnon Reserve.
Accompanied by Hollie, Louise and Molly, our students have done a fantastic job representing SKiPPS, showing plenty of athleticism as well as responsibility, teamwork and great sportsmanship throughout the day.
We’ll share a full wrap-up at assembly this week and in next week’s newsletter. In the meantime, we’re excited to share a few photos of some of our medal-winning athletes, who have also qualified to represent SKiPPS at the Division Championships later this term.
Congratulations to all 48 students who have represented our school so proudly today!
Save the Date: SKiPPS Parent Trivia Night 2026
Our famous SKiPPS Parent Trivia Night is back for 2026, and we can't wait to welcome everyone for another fantastic evening of fun, laughter and a little friendly competition!
Date: Saturday 10th October
Venue: St Kilda Life Saving Club
This year's theme is "Creatures of the Night", so start thinking about your costumes and table decorations. Whether you come as vampires, werewolves, witches, bats or something completely original, we'd love to see everyone embracing the spooky spirit of the night.
It's never too early to organise the babysitter, gather your team and lock the date into your calendar. More information about tickets, table bookings and the evening's activities will be shared soon, but for now, make sure you save the date!
Pen Pals with Sacred Heart Mission
We have received a collection of heartfelt letters from members of the Sacred Heart Mission community, and we are looking for students to write a friendly reply. This is a wonderful opportunity to spread kindness, build connections, and brighten someone's day through the simple act of letter writing.
Below are some of the letters we received:
It would be lovely to be able to return the favour and provide the residents at Sacred Heart some responses this term.
Things you might want to include in your letter:
- Your hobbies or favourite activities.
- Your favourite book, sport, movie, or subject at school.
- Something fun you've been doing recently.
A question or two to keep the conversation going.
If you'd like to participate, you can hand write or type your letter and pass it on to Amy (5A's Class Teacher/Literacy Leader). If you would prefer to email your response, please send it to Amy at amy.salter@education.vic.gov.au .
Something that may be small can really mean a lot and I know the Sacred Heart community value the letters they receive. A little bit of kindness can go a long way!
The 2026 Gnocceria Fundraiser is LIVE!
Order Lasagne, Sauce and Gnocchi- the famous pasta sauce and lasagne that we have been serving for the lunch orders!
For every packet of gnocchi, jar of sauce and pizza base sold SKiPPS will get $2 and for each lasagne SKiPPS will receive $5
Orders close 21st August. Pick orders up from school Friday 28th August.
https://compasstix.com/e/wk4690ou0d
School Office hours
Beginning on Thursday 6th August, the school office hours will change to:
Monday - Friday
8:30am to 4pm
Australian Girls Choir - Auditions for 2027
On Monday August 24th, members of the AGC will be holding auditions for interested girls to join the choir in 2027.
This will be held in the Performing Arts room at 1.15pm and should take around 30 minutes.
Audrey will be distributing fliers to all interested girls as they attend Performing Arts classes this week. Please fill out the registration slip on the back page, if you give permission for your child to attend and return the slip to the School Office OR register through the Australian Girls Choir website via the QR code on the flyer.
Only girls who have returned their permission slip or registered through the website will be allowed to participant in this wonderful opportunity.
The Australian Girls Choir is a very well organised, active organisation promoting the Arts in a non-competitive way that builds confidence in the participants and gives beautiful opportunities for performance.
