Principal's Report
Principal’s Report 25th November
As we approach what has been a far more trying year than we expected, I want to thank our whole community for your understanding throughout 2022 as we have navigated another year, severely impacted by COVID. Currently, there is another wave of COVID across our community with several staff members, including me, as well as some students, having contracted the disease, for a second time in some cases. The word needs to go back out to our community that we still need to consider our basic COVID safe practices. COVID, along with the recent spread of Chicken Pox, are warnings that parents need to watch their children’s health very closely and consult medical advice where necessary. These are both reportable communicable diseases and need to be treated seriously.
Road Safety
I have just watched terrifying footage of a “near miss” outside our school where a child was called across the road by their parent and, unthinkingly walked into traffic, only avoiding tragedy by centimetres. I’m at a loss as to how I get this message across to parents about how dangerously many of you are acting on the roads outside our school. Scarily, after several near misses, this one being the worst I have seen, it seems inevitable that, at some point, a child won’t be so lucky. Please take care! Please take the extra time.
Please walk the extra distance. Please care for all of the children in our community. Young children do not have the road sense that adults have. Don’t call them out into traffic. Park your car and walk. We don’t want tragedy in our community.
High Abilities Students Community of Practice
This week, the students in our High Ability project group will be heading off to Bunjil Place for their final presentation and celebration day. I am so very proud of this wonderful group of children and their guiding teacher, Nicole Tolikas, for their dedication and creativity as part of this wonderful initiative.
Duties Beyond the School
For 2023, I have once again been elected as Chairperson of the Casey Central Principals Network and I have also been re-elected to the Board of the Victorian Principals Association. I have always enjoyed my time, working with other Principals beyond our school borders and I know, my contacts and connections through these roles benefit me in my work as the Principal of Lyndhurst.
Swimming Program
The school swimming program is in full swing but I continue to be disappointed at the number of students who do not attend. Swimming and Water Safety are such essential skills for children to learn to ensure they are safe near the water. I hope that parents who did not send their children to swimming this year, will reconsider in 2023. We want all of our children to be safe near the water and the school swimming program is such a great opportunity!
Book Fair
Thanks to Barb and her team of volunteers for running another successful Book Fair! It’s wonderful to see families wandering through the bookshelves in the library outside my office, choosing that special book that might just be the one to spark the love that we all want to see in our kids.
Year 6’s and 3’s On Camp
Over the next couple of weeks, we will still be sending our students off to camps! Our years 3 and 6 students will head off to their respective adventures to have a wonderful, challenging few days of learning and exploration.
Student Leader Speeches
Next week, the leadership team and I will be listening to speeches from our year 5 students who are nominating themselves for the first of our student leader positions for 2023. I am so proud that so many of our students have the courage to put their hand up for leadership positions and I look forward to hearing them next Friday. Following the speeches, I will sit down with staff and our 2022 senior student leaders to decide who our School Captains and our SRC Chairs will be for 2023.
Summer Celebration Concert
Coming up soon will be our Summer Celebration Concert. The children are busily rehearsing. At this stage, we may not be able to run our concert on the oval due to the recent heavy rain but we are exploring alternative sites around the school and we will let the community know closer to the date. If everyone could collectively cross your fingers and wish for fine weather on the evening, we would really appreciate it!
Remembrance Day
Thank you to our Assistant Principal, Moira McCann who took our student leaders to represent our school community for a Remembrance Day service at Cranbourne Cenotaph. Back at school, we commemorated Remembrance Day with some of our SRC representatives conducting a ceremony over the PA system.
Greg Lacey
Principal