The Golden Vine

From the School Leadership Team

Colour Run 

 

We are pleased to be conducting our School Colour Run on the afternoon of Friday 31 May, 2024. This will be a fun community event and will also give the students an opportunity to enjoy exercise. It has the added benefit of also acting as a fundraiser for the next planned stages of some playground improvements around the school .

 

Direct donations to the Building Fund can be made via the Qkr! app, or via cash, card or direct debit through the School Office.

 

All measures have been taken to ensure that this event is safe for all students. Students will run (or walk, or skip!) around a circuit on the school oval. There will be various colour powder stations throughout the circuit with two designated lanes – one for colour powder, the other with no powder. Your child can still participate in the event should you not wish for them to be sprayed with colour powder. It is not a race or a timed event, but all about fun!

 

Staff and volunteers at the colour stations will do their best to throw the powder at the torsos of participants (between shoulder and hip level), however wind and other factors can occasionally result in students getting some powder in the face from time to time. As such, each child will be provided with a free pair of sunglasses on the day, or alternately you may wish for your child to bring their own eye protection such as sunglasses or goggles and/or a face mask if you wish.

 

The day will be a casual clothes day for our students. To heighten the effectiveness of the colour powder, we encourage students to wear a white t-shirt, and students are asked to purchase an inexpensive one for the day, or to reuse last year's if this is an option. If you would like to preserve the colour in your child's white t-shirt, you can try spraying it with vinegar, letting it dry and then ironing it. But if you wash it.... the colour eventually will come out!

 

The colour powder used in the event is non-toxic, biodegradable and environmentally friendly consisting of 98% corn starch and 2% food colouring. It will likely wash out of your child’s clothing, and that the loose particles can be brushed off, however we recommend that you consider the possibility of minor staining when selecting your child’s clothing for the day and perhaps consider sending them in some older clothing and shoes. You may also send a change of clothes if you would like your child to change after the event prior to the end of the school day. We would ask that all students catching the school minibus at the end of the day bring a change of clothes. if you are picking your child up by car, you may also wish to bring a towel to cover your car seats.

 

We welcome parent volunteers to assist with the Colour Run on checkpoints on the course and in other roles. If you are interested in volunteering for the afternoon, please complete the form at this link.  

 

Get ready for a BLAST OF COLOUR and thanks in advance for your support! Happy fundraising! It is our responsibility to seek permission for your child to participate in the School Colour Fun Run.

 

Please complete the online permission note located at link by Friday 29 May.  If you have questions about this activity, please contact the school.

 

Colin Buchanan Concert 

We are super excited to announce that the renowned children's Christian entertainer, Clin Buchanan, will give a concert in our Worship Centre on Saturday 15 June at 3.00pm. Lots of us would know some of Colin's songs including 'Remember the Lord' and '10,9,8, God is Great!'. This is a joint effort between the school and the church and we are pleased to be able to partner in this on the back of successes that we've enjoyed with Messy Church and many other initiatives. 

To purchase tickets you can either click on the QR code below or visit the following website

 

 

 

A few reminders 

Please be reminded of some of our key events to commence the term. 

  • Monday 27 May – National Sorry Day
  • Wednesday 29 May – Middle Of Term (MOT) Breakfast
  • Friday 31 May – Colour Run
  • Saturday 15 June - Colin Buchanan Concert

Will Wallace

Principal

Social media…..

If you have seen the news or read the newspapers over the past week you would have seen that the big push is looking at what we can do to support our children with the use of social media. If you haven’t seen anything there has been a push for the social media age to rise with some saying age 14 and even 16 is appropriate. 

 

I personally have Facebook, X and Instagram but don’t use them at all other than reading sports and education news on X. It can be a wonderful thing but as you know it can be so destructive. Neuro-Education says that our younger children who many have all sorts of accounts are not only on them too young but also too often. The child’s brain is just not ready to understand the complexities of these platforms. Many of these apps such as TikTok, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X and Snapchat require a minimum age of 13 but many are saying that even this age is too young.

 

Justin Coulson this week wrote an article that gives strategies that I have written about before, but he also calls on social media giants and our governments to take note and act upon supporting our young children. Maybe the traction over the past week will get the ball rolling in finding ways to make changes.

 040224_Justin_Technology-Giants-Our-Kids.pdf

 

Tim Kriewaldt

Deputy Principal

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK

 

 

GGLPS will spend time focusing on National Reconciliation Week next week. This is such a special time for all Australians as we continue to move forward in a spirit of reconciling the past by having a shared understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories as we move to a brighter future. 

 

As Australians, we remember the significance of:

 

Sorry Day – May 26th when we acknowledge the Stolen Generation and the hurt caused by the removal of children from their families.

 

National Reconciliation Week begins on May 27th, the day of the 1967 referendum voted to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the census and giving them the right to vote. On this day, representatives of the school will take part in the National Reconciliation Breakfast at the Convention Centre. This is a day to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples. We will also focus on Reconciliation as part of our Assembly on Monday.

 

We will be holding a special Reconciliation Worship on the morning of Friday, May 31st. Our school community is invited to attend. Thanks to Kelly for organising a special donut day in the colours of the Aboriginal flag. 

 

The final day of National Reconciliation Week is June 3rd, the day on which the High Court Mabo decision was handed down. This was a significant step in our history for acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Strait ownership of land.

 

Please keep an eye out for each class’s door or window display for reconciliation. There will also be some artistic displays around the school to again, acknowledge Kaurna land ownership. 

 

During National Reconciliation Week, we are thankful for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children in our school community. We are thankful for the Kaurna people and their care of the land on which our school stands. We are sorry for the injustices of the past and we pray for continued peace and understanding.

 

Jayne Zadow

Director of PYP, Teaching and Learning.