From the Acting Principal 

I am grateful for…

The opportunity to step into the class and teach our year 6’s as part of their secondary transition preparation. It was a privilege to introduce our year 6’s to their very first ‘Philosophy 101’ class last week. There were some incredibly rich conversations and debates as we explored ethics and morality.

Remembrance Day

On 11 November 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after four years of continuous warfare. With their armies retreating and close to collapse, German leaders signed an Armistice, bringing to an end the First World War. As a mark of respect to those who have died and suffered, Australians are encouraged to pause at 11 am to observe one minute’s silence at 11:00am and remember those who died or suffered for Australia's cause in all wars and armed conflicts. Our Junior School Council will be selling the following items this week: poppies for $2 and $5, slouch hat badges for $5, keyrings for $4 and arm bands for $3. The reason we sell poppies is because they were one of the flowers that grew in the battlefields of France and Belgium in the First World War. 

World Teachers Day and thank you to our PFA!

An enormous thank you to our Parents and Friends Association for the very generous morning tea they put on for World Teachers Day! Our staff really appreciated the gesture, and it helped to acknowledge all the hard work that they put in every day. Thank you for making this day special.

Update on building projects

You will have seen that our new shade sails between the prep and year 1 buildings were installed last week. We are also currently in the process of obtaining padding for the poles supporting the shades, and we expect this to be in place shortly. The shade sails were partially funded through a shade sail grant and the balance paid by our PFA. Thank you to the PFA for supporting this project. The new shaded area will be of great use as we enter summer. 

Contractors have been to the school site to quote the renovation works for the toilet blocks, and we are awaiting on the outcome of the tender process to progress the works.

World Kindness Day

As World Kindness Day approaches, we were recently reminded of the value of kind words. Late last term, we received an email from a local tram driver, in appreciation of the words on our school sign, when we wished Linda Jones farewell. The driver wished us all the best and acknowledged the importance of the role of school principals. The same driver has recently emailed again to let us know that many of the drivers at the local depot are trying to solve the riddles that are currently on the school sign and are grateful for the opportunity to engage with the school community, even from a distance. It was so kind of them to take the time to email us again. 

Prep to Year 2 Swimming

We have received many positive reports of the value of the swimming program in which our junior students are currently participating. We hope you are able to see the progress your children have made by the end of the program this coming Friday. Thank you to Joel Pollard and Paul Hodges, our PE teachers, for arranging this program.

Sporting News

This coming Friday, our year 5 and 6 students will be participating in a lightning premiership day with a difference. Our students have been training in dodgeball, volleystars, kickball and capture the flag. This is the first time these sports have been chosen for a lightning premiership day and we wish all of our students a wonderful day full of fun in their chosen sports. Our teams will be competing in these friendlies against the other schools in our sporting district.

Prep Orientation

We are excited to welcome our 2023 prep students to their first orientation session this coming Wednesday afternoon. The new preps will spend the first two Wednesdays visiting the prep classrooms. The following two Wednesdays will be spent in our specialist classrooms. Our year 5 students will be assisting with the orientation program each week, in preparation for their move to year 6, next year.

Matthew Vines and Karen Bentata-Grimm