Principal's Report
Farewell to Staff
Mrs Genevieve Rodda will be leaving SGPS at the end of the year, marking the end of a 27 year contribution to our school and community. I have had the pleasure of working with Gen for the last 13 years. Besides both being avid Collingwood supporters, we also found common ground in wanting to support our most disadvantaged students, or those students that need us the most. Gen has been a wonderful Education Support teacher at our school and we will miss her knowledge and skills (...and her outlandish laugh), but most importantly, we will miss the genuine love and care she has shown the students in her care.
We will also be farewelling Mr Caitlin Harris at the end of the year. Caitlin has been a teacher at SGPS for the last 3 years. She is a wonderful teacher and we will miss the amazing classroom environment that she creates with her students. Although we are very sad to see Caitlin leave, we are very excited that she will be having her first baby early next year.
I would like to thank Gen and Caitlin for their dedication to our students, staff and school community. I wish them all the best for their future endeavours.
Grade 6 Graduation
Our Grade 6 Graduation will be held on Wednesday, 18th December from 7.30pm in The Hub. We would ask everyone to be seated by 7.20pm. This night celebrates the achievements of all our Grade 6 students. Prior to the formal part of the evening commencing at 7.30pm, the children will have a dinner at school with their friends and teachers from 6.00pm - 7.00pm.
End of Year / Christmas Gathering CANCELLED
Due to the forecast of 43 degrees on Tuesday, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our traditional end of year Christmas Gathering. Unfortunately, we are not able to reschedule this event due to a packed schedule here. Not only do we need to consider our own schedule, but we also need to consider the schedule of our Secondary Colleges, given that many of our families have events with them over the coming week.
Selecting Our Schools Captains for 2025
Today, we completed the interviews for the 2025 School Captains. The panel will be reconvening in the morning to make a final decision. Given the quality of the applicants, we were not able to reach a decision this afternoon. If your child is selected for one of these roles, we will call you tomorrow to see if you can attend assembly where they will be announced.
Early Assembly Tomorrow
Our assembly tomorrow will be starting at the earlier time of 2.45pm, as we have lots to get through!
Interview Day - 2025
Although we are still very busy finishing off 2024, we have been completing many tasks that relate to 2025. One of these tasks is organising an opportunity for all our families to meet with their child’s teacher on the first day of Term 1, 2025. Information that explains this process will be posted via Compass during the holidays.
Our 2025 Prep students will have a slightly different schedule for their interviews. Details relating to these interviews will be circulated during the holidays also.
A summary of our start to 2025 is below:
• Tuesday, 28th January – Compulsory Statewide Curriculum Day (PUPIL FREE DAY)
• Wednesday, 29th January – Parent Interviews for Grade 1-6 (11am-6.30pm) AND Prep Assessments (8am-4pm)
• Thursday, 30th January – Prep Assessments (8am-4pm)
• Friday, 31st January – Prep Assessments (8am-4pm)
• Monday, 3rd February – First full day at school for Prep
2025 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
This is just a heads up to our current families with a child in Year 2 and/or in Year 4, the 2025 NAPLAN dates are March 12-24 (these are the same for Year 7 and Year 9 NAPLAN). We will be attempting to have all tests completed by Friday 22nd March, leaving Monday 25th for final catch ups.
All things 2025 NAPLAN can be found here: https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan
Infographic from: https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/key-dates
For those who really like to plan ahead, NAPLAN dates to 2029 are also available in the link to the infographic!
Final day of 2024 – early dismissal & final assembly
The final school day for SGPS students will be Friday 20th December. Parents should note the earlier finishing time of 1.15pm.
The final assembly for 2024 will commence at 1.00pm. Students will be dismissed from The Hub at 1.15pm. School bus travellers be picked up at approximately 1:45pm.
Repeat Notices
2025 Booklists
Reminder, that the 2025 Booklists will close tomorrow Friday December 13, 2024- this will guarantee delivery on book collection day. Orders received after this date will not be ready until the start of the Term 1 2025.
Book Collection Day
Where: Spring Gully Primary School
Date: Tuesday January 21, 2025
Time: 8:00am to 4:00pm
From: Art Room