Principal's Report

There has been a huge amount on throughout the past two weeks, with many events for students and parents alike. I hope that you have found the time to engage in some or all of these and that in doing so you’ve connected with others, had a laugh and enjoyed the experience.  To those who have had a hand in the events reflected on here, I thank you for the significant impact you have had on our school.

In the last edition, there was a reference to the end-of-year dates that have now been finalised. Please make sure that you are aware of these (all on Compass and in here again), given what a busy time of year that proves to be as well. 

This week is also packed with events. We have our Grade 5/6 Soccer Team competing in the state finals today (good luck!), Foundation Transition starting this afternoon, our Beaut Blokes Afternoon this Friday and Parent Teacher Interviews all week. More information about each is below.

Indigenous Literacy Day

In the lead-up to this important day on September 6th (as shared on Compass) we are collecting donated books to benefit your children and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. For every book donated, the school will donate $1 to the foundation. All books donated will then be used to support the implementation of classroom libraries in 2024 across the school. These libraries will provide students with greater access to rich literature, more agency in choosing what they read, and support the delivery of a high-quality differentiated curriculum. I thank you in advance for your generosity.

THANK YOU & CONGRATULATIONS

PARENT 80S TRIVIA NIGHT

A huge thank you to the Parents’ Association that worked hard to organise and then execute a brilliant night for the community at the 80s-themed Trivia Night. Not only was it a lot of fun but there was $1772 raised for the school, largely due to the generous donations of the local businesses below, many of which are owned by our parents. We thank them a lot for their generosity, everyone who came and had a great time and Sam Hall and Amanda Saturno who organised the bulk of the Evening.

This funding will support the installation of more bike racks in our bike parking area. More racks will ensure more students can ride and scoot to school and that their bikes are all safely stored throughout the day. 

Thank you to the following businesses for supporting the event:

• ReGen Wellness

• Stomping Ground
• Bronzed By Emma Spray Tanning
• By Rose & Co.
• Chicken Lads
• Butcher & Vine

BATTLE OF THE BOOTS & SPORTSMAN’S NIGHT

Well done to our dads who won the Battle of the Boots recently against St Mary’s Primary School. This day is always a fantastic community event and a chance to let out some of the competitive juices that still sit within some of us. A huge thanks to Ben Stevens, Andrew Clarke, James Westh and Rob Lie who organised the dads for this event and clearly got them in prime condition for the win. Thanks also to Clinton Young for his time at the Sportsman’s Night the week prior, sharing openly about his life and time in the AFL. Any funds raised by all those who participated will again go toward the purchasing of more bike racks for your children, so thank you goes to everyone who took part in either or both events. 

SECOND-HAND UNIFORM SALE

Our Second Hand Uniform Sale was again a success thanks to the organisation and time provided by the mums listed below. The school raised a further $415 toward the bike racks and saved a lot of items from ending up in land fill. Thank you to Megan Lester, Kirsten Whaley, Fiona Hargreaves, Juli Brum and Melissa Da Silveira.

We have recently been working on providing the opportunity for online purchasing of second-hand uniform items with Juli and Melissa, so stay tuned for more information regarding this shortly.

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Congratulations to all students that participated at our House Athletics Carnival on Monday. It was a beautiful day and was wonderful to see students enjoying themselves but also pushing themselves to achieve their best. House colours were on show everywhere! We thank Team Kids who provided fruit, a coffee van and face painting for the day and to all parent helpers that enabled the day to go ahead so successfully. Rob and Yemi also deserve significant gratitude for their work in preparing the whole day, event lists, teacher briefs and volunteering; if you spot them in the school make sure you pass on your appreciation. 

BOOK WEEK DRESS UP

Friday was a brilliant show of costumes, creative and well-thought-out, that reflected students’ love of reading. It culminated a week of celebrating literature which plays such an important role in children’s learning and enjoyment of it. Thanks to all the mums and dads that helped your children get involved, I know first-hand this is sometimes fun and sometimes a challenge! Thank you to Heli for her organisation of this event, and the upcoming Book Fair in week 2 of next Term, which will be another fabulous literary event!

Beaut Blokes Afternoon

This Friday afternoon, from 2pm is Beaut Blokes Afternoon. We look forward to welcoming all dads and important men for a barbeque in the Quad at 2:00pm followed by some time with your child in their class from 2:30pm. 

Parent Teacher Interviews

These present an important opportunity to understand how your child is progressing academically and socially, so it is wonderful to see in excess of 500 bookings this week. Please come prepared to share any relevant information about your child and ask any burning questions you may have. 

Parent Opinion Survey

If you received the Parent Opinion Survey, please be reminded that this closes on Friday 8th September. We look forward to receiving and sharing your feedback on our strengths and areas for improvement. 

New & Important Dates

• 1st September 2:00 - 3:15PM: Beaut Blokes Afternoon 
• 6th September: Indigenous Literacy Day
• 12th October: Art Trail
• 6th November: Pupil Free Day
• Friday 15th December – 2:00pm: Christmas Carols
• Tuesday 19th December – 1:00pm: Final Assembly 
• Tuesday 20th December – 1:30pm: Students dismissed for the year
• Wednesday 20th December: Curriculum Day

To stay up to date with all events and key dates, see the Compass Calendar. 

Celebrations

As referenced earlier, our Grade 5/6 Soccer Team have qualified to play off in the Victorian State Final. This has required qualification through a range of stages of increasingly challenging competition. We wish them the very best of luck as they represent our school today at Darebin International Sports Centre. Well done to Miles A, Lachlan A, Tasman B, Jayce C, Elliot C, Jake D, Orlando E, Tom G, Jude J, Aydin K, Euan P, Zac S, Freddie S and Woody W. 

Congratulations also to Isla H (Gr 3), Emma G (Gr 5) and Harriet J (Gr 2) who competed recently in the Interschool Snow Sports Championships at Mt Buller. We wish them well as they go on to compete in the National Championships shortly and congratulate them on making this stage, it’s a wonderful achievement.