Principal's Update

Dear Families,

It was remiss of me in my last newsletter not to let you know of the safe arrival of Beth's (Miss Dortmans) beautiful baby boy. Jack William was born during the holidays. Beth, Nick and big brother Billy are all besotted with their new arrival, and their SMJ family are overjoyed to welcome him into our family.

This weekend, we also celebrate the marriage of Dawson (Mr Cross) and Tashana. We hope they have a wonderful day, and we wish them a lifetime of happiness.

Over the last couple of weeks, we have had children compete in the Black Ranges Athletics in Ballarat. As always, our children stepped up and competed with dedication and commitment. We congratulate Kobe A, who will now compete in the State Athletics Championships in Melbourne in November.

Congratulations also to our Hooptime team, who completed in Hamilton on Monday. Once again, our children were absolute superstars, winning 4 out of 5 games and, most importantly, demonstrating great team spirit.

At this time of year, we begin grouping our children for 2026. A reminder that this is an enormous task and that when we group children, it is based upon what is best for their learning. Time with their friends is the focus for outside time; inside the classroom, it is about maximising opportunities for learning. Often, children come home on the day they find out which class they will be in for 2026 and express some disappointment. This is normal, and we ask that you allow the children time to process this and support them in being positive about the change. We find that once the children settle into the new school year, they are fine. 

We wish Mrs Overman all the best as she heads off for an extended period of medical leave. For the next 6 weeks, Mrs McCall will be helping out in the office while still taking care of the library. There may be times when the office is unattended, and we ask for your patience.

We are looking forward to celebrating Mission Day with the children today. 

Louise