From the School Leadership Team
Year 6 Graduation Dinner
It was a pleasure to join with Year 6 students and their families, along with our staff team for the Year 6 Graduation Dinner last night. Being able to be together in partnership to celebrate this significant milestone in the lives of our students reflects the strong sense of community that we are fortunate to enjoy at Golden Grove Lutheran.
Our Year 6 students have shown amazing creativity, care and enthusiasm during their time with us and they have made us incredibly proud.
Similarly we are thankful to our Year 6 families for their support of the children with love and prayers, and for entrusting us with the privilege of being part of their journey. Your encouragement has been a vital part of their success.
We are also appreciative for the dedication and servant hearts of our staff team in nurturing the students and planting seeds of faith and wisdom that will continue to bear fruit in years to come.
As our Year 6 graduates continue into secondary school very soon we are sure that they will carry with them a great foundation that they've built here and will continue to have a heart for serving others.
We pray that as you step into this next chapter, you will shine as lights in the world, bringing hope, joy, and Christ’s love to everyone you meet.
Congratulations Year 6!
P & F
Thanks you to all who have been a part of our P & F this year and have volunteered to assist with different activities and events throughout the year from Discos to Trivia Nights, Parent Information Evening nibblies and drinks, our Fete and so much more. We really appreciate the generosity of time and effort in supporting our sense of community.
We held our regular meeting and AGM on Monday evening and were able to look at some exciting plans for a range of events for our school community next year, including a Busy Bee planned for Term 1 to help put the finishing touches on our nature play additions.
Thank you to Sarah Kumela for her work as President of the P & F this year, as well as to Wendy Carmen, Dylan Jones, Claire Rathjen, Stephen Tiller and Michelle Parcell for their contribution to the P & F Executive Team during the year.
Congratulations to Sarah Kumela who will continue as President next year, along with Wendy Carmen (Vice President), Dylan Jones (Secretary) and Dayna Rushton (Treasurer).
P & F have made valuable contributions towards our upgrade of the nature play area and towards some of the cost of resurfacing our courts this year. Many of us have enjoyed watching the resurfacing of the courts take place over the past few weeks. The resurfacing will be finalised this Friday, and then the new surface will take another two weeks to cure following that. Work on the nature play area will then begin on the 16 December and be completed by mid January, aside from a few finishing touches we can add during our busy bee early next year. This means that we will start 2025 with brand new courts and a much expanded nature play, which will be amazing for the students.
Christmas Concert
A reminder that we are once again holding our annual Christmas Concert entitled ‘Sounds of the Season’ on Friday 29 November at 7.00pm. The children will all be involved in this event and we encourage your attendance to share in the story of Christmas. Each cluster has already begun practising the song they will perform.
Upcoming Events
There are a number of events coming up over the next few weeks that it is helpful to have listed for your convenience.
• Friday 29 November - Carols Evening • Monday 2 December - Foundation 2025 Orientation Session 2
• Friday 6 December - Official Opening of New Buildings - 9.15am - Worship Centre
• Friday 6 December - Volunteer Thank You Afternoon Tea (2.30pm - 3.00pm) in Cafe Connect
• Monday 9 December - Move Up Morning and Foundation - Year 6 Orientation Day for 2025
• Tuesday 10 December - P & F Fun Day (includes sausage sizzle lunch)
• Wednesday 11 December - Closing Service (9.15am in the Worship Centre) and Year 6 Graduation Service (7.00pm in the Worship Centre).
Official Opening of New Buildings
The official opening of our new Foundation Centre will take place next Friday 6 December at 9.15am in the Worship Centre. Whilst the Official Opening will be in lieu of Chapel that day, however the format will be similar to our weekly Chapel services. It will be a wonderful opportunity to give thanks for the blessing of the new facilities which our children and staff team are enjoying immensely. Families are most welcome to join us for this exciting milestone in the life of our school.
Thanksgiving and Graduation Services
We will take the opportunity to give thanks for the year as a school community during our Thanksgiving Closing Service on Wednesday 11 December, commencing at 9.15am in the Worship Centre.
Several awards will be presented during the Closing Service along with the announcement of student leadership positions.
The Year 6 Graduation Service on Wednesday 11 December at 7:00 pm will then conclude the day. This is an event for the year 6 students and their families - and extended family and friends are most welcome to attend. The Year 4 - 6 Choir are also asked to attend the Year 6 Graduation Service and choir families are also most welcome to attend.
Will Wallace
Principal
PROGRESS REPORTS
Progress Reports will be released on Toddle next Friday, December 6th at the end of the school day. If you wish to receive a hard copy of your child’s report, please email office@goldengrove.sa.edu.au . These reports are a summary of learning over the year. As you read your child/children’s report, please remember that if a child’s achievement is assessed as ‘competent’, it means that they are working at their year level standard. One criteria that parents value is the effort grading. This helps to understand how your child is approaching their learning in each subject. We know that children who put in a lot of effort will achieve their potential and we encourage all children to apply themselves in doing their very best.
Our focus over the year is to look for growth in students. We look at where they started at the beginning of the year in what they know, understand and can do. We compare this to where they are at the end of the year. The characteristics of academic growth can be compared to the characteristics of growth in height of children. Children don’t grow at a consistent rate – they have slower times and growth spurts. This is also true for their learning. We monitor growth so that we can identify the optimum environment and way for your child to learn. We reflect on how we can continue to best support all students to continue to develop as learners. Please contact the classroom teacher before the end of the year if you have any queries.
Please note that, due to Bishop Sensei’s injury at the end of Term 3, Japanese will not be reported on in the End of Year Report.
2025 class lists, along with any further information for the coming year, will be emailed to families at the end of the school day on Friday, December 6th. Teachers will spend time over the next two weeks, sharing information about each child with their 2025 teacher. We have a handover process that allows teachers to have an insight into what works best for each student so that the new school year begins in the best way possible. Move Up morning will be held on Monday, December 9th, giving students the opportunity to spend time with their 2025 teacher and class.
Thank you to the teachers for the time and effort they put into both writing reports and into putting together the classes for 2025. Both these tasks take time, effort and prayerful consideration.
Jayne Zadow
Director of PYP, Teaching and Learning