Principal's Message

Assemblies

Junior Assembly

Wednesday afternoon saw our first Junior Assembly in the hall hosted by our student leaders and 1/2H. We sang the new version of Advance Australia last week where a one-word change to the first verse has been made to recognise that Aboriginal people have lived here for more than 60,000 years.

The word "young" was replaced with "one" so that the first two lines read: "Australians all let us rejoice/ For we are one, and free."

It was very impressive to hear 1/2H announce their Strength Spotting awards

Senior Assembly

Our Year 6 student leaders were presented with their badges in Assembly - it is a very special moment and  I was impressed with their approach to the occasion with the remainder of the Senior School being very supportive.

School Captains, Emma and Surya and Student Representative Council Presidents, Shriya and Mehek began their assembly hosting roles with confidence.

Congratulations also to:

Sport Leaders

Griffin, Aarav, Melrain, Isaac, Coby, Eddy and Claire

Indonesian Leaders

Sai, Adi, Roy and Auritro

Visual Arts Leaders

Zoey, Justine, Jocelyn, Angelina, Lucas and Lily

Performing Arts Leaders

Kaleb, Ella, Xavier, Noah, Alana and Lavinia

Community Leaders

Ollie, Ninad, Brandon, Jay and Armaan

Facilities Leaders

Sukriti, Ayush, Leo, Josiah and Jonathan

Health and Wellbeing Leaders

Michael, Josh, Pearl, Cassidy, Dheer and Catherine

Sustainability Leaders

Lisa, Bella, Shaun and Jude

Senior School Information Night (Year 3-6 parents) Date Changed

We have had to shift the date from this Thursday to next Tuesday 16th evening for our Senior information night. With the fluid situation with COVID restrictions we will hold it via Google Meet (not Zoom - as we need to provide for more than 100 attendees.) It is vital that you attend this night as there is information about the year ahead, camps, curriculum and important information that all families need for the beginning of the year. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and I know how much families value being able to hear form all teachers.

meet.google.com/ycn-cpgw-eqv

Sentral - Thank You

Can I thank all families for their patience as we transition all payments except for Uniform to Sentral. As often happens at the beginning of the year there are many notices and payments to be sorted, and using a new system although in the long run should be easier does present a few challenges. Ally is our Sentral whizz and so if you need any help please contact us in the office so we can help.

Notice of School Council Elections and Call For Nominations

We have four (8) vacancies on School Council for four (4) parent members and two (2) Department of Education and Training (DET) members. In addition, there is one (1) Department of Education and Training (DET) member casual vacancy. In addition, there is one co-opted community member to represent the Kindergarten that is filled by the co-option of a parent by School Council.

What is School Council and what does it do?

All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally formed bodies that are given powers to set key directions of a school within a centrally provided guideline. Members of School Council meet for two sub-committee meetings and two council meetings each term.

Who is on School Council?

There are three possible categories for membership:

A mandated elected parent category - More than one third of the elected members must be from this category. DET employees can be parent members at their child’s school.

A mandated elected DET employee category - Members of this category may make up no more than one third of the total membership of School Council. The principal is automatically one of these members.

An optional community category - Its members are co-opted by the decision of the council for their special skills, interest and experiences. DET employees are not eligible for this category. Our School Council has one community member position co-opted by the School Council to represent the Kindergarten.

The term of office is two years. Normally half the members retire each year and this creates vacancies for the annual school council election. Retiring councillors may renominate.

Why is parent membership important?

Parents on school council provide important viewpoints and valuable skills that can help to shape the direction of the school. The parents who become active on school council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may find their children feel a greater sense of belonging.

What do you need to do to stand for election?

If you are interested in standing for election, please see the office for a School Council Nomination Form, complete it and return it to the office by 3.45pm on Monday 15 February. Where the number of nominations equals the number of vacancies in any one-membership category, there will be no need to go to ballot. If the number of nominations exceeds the number of vacancies, a ballot is required.

Student Kitchen Garden Program

As I highlighted last week we are redeveloping our Student Garden and Cooking program across the school. Bu Mundy has spent a great deal of time and effort in developing a program that allows all students time in the garden with Cafe Studio time to cook on a rotating fortnightly basis. Students were thoroughly engaged in working in the garden and cooking on Thursday and Friday. I know its going to be a highlight for many students. I was able to visit with Ms Uhlendorf as she introduced a range of herbs and plants to the 1/2W students and then they spent time picking strawberries.

We know how challenging 2020 was for everyone and providing this Kitchen/Garden program is and important part of engaging our students in 2021.

Again, (we were unable to get this off the ground in 2020) I am calling out for any parents that would be prepared to help out with a parent group to support our garden. If any one and those that are still interested from last year could contact the office to have your name added to a list, as soon as possible, and we will organise a meeting.