From Chris Chant,

Principal.

This week we took some time on Wednesday to pause and reflect in remembrance of those who have paid the ultimate price to preserve and protect our freedoms. Remembrance Day is usually commemorated in the local park but, like many things this year, we did something a little different to participate in this important event over the PA system. My thanks to our wonderful student leaders who conducted this important recognition and lead the school during the service.

(Thank you to our Year 4 students, Ashley, Cassandra and Rachel who helped install the works and to Kiema who also helped paint the poppies.)

Today we had our school photos with Arthur Reed Photos. All the children and the staff were looking their shiny, smiley best! Coming home, you will receive a flyer (on Monday) from the company to create an account with your child’s unique code. Following this, you’ll receive an email and/or SMS when your child’s images are ready to view on the secure website. You can purchase your school photos directly from their website.

2021 Prep Transition to School presentations went online for our families to view this week. This was a totally new way to deliver the content, but our very professional and capable team were able to address all the questions, provide the important details and assure parents that our 2021 start to school is well organised and ready to go. We had almost 80 families join the webinars and receive this important information. Many thanks to Emily Ding, Christelle Breimeyer, Georgia Leonard-Shannon, Emily Powell, Lily Owen and Megan Barclay, along with myself and Mrs Walker, for their outstanding presentations.

If you have a child starting in Prep next year and you missed the webinar, a recording will be made available on our website shortly.

Whole School 2021 Transition Day for our current students will be undertaken on December 15th. On this day students will meet their new classmates, meet the class teacher for 2021 and acquaint themselves with their new accommodation for the coming school year.

Our 2020 school year ends on December 18th at 1.20 and 1.30 pm. (Staggered as per Covid-safe rules) Please arrange after school care with TeamKids if you cannot manage the earlier time.

Excitement is building as the graduation preparation are underway; our Year 6 cohort have begun choreographing dance routines with their friends for the big day.

Lost property continues to build. Many families will be looking for items that have not returned from school to be washed and made ready for the next day of school. Children should be reminded to visit this space and families must label all items clearly with current names (do not leave the old ones on the tags as this adds to our challenges of returning the items).

U-turns are illegal in Balaclava Road. We have had several close calls with trams and other vehicles on the road. We ask you to drive safely (and legally).

Many students are now cycling to school. This has changed significantly since the return to school from the last COVID lockdown. My thanks to my team of older students who organise the bike shed and make sure the bikes are securely stored during the school day.

End of year assessments are currently under way and Semester 2 reports are being prepared by all our teachers. Your child’s report will be available via Compass on Friday 11 December. If you are a parent of a year 6 student, you MUST download any reports before the end of day on the last Friday. Your child will be exited from Compass that afternoon and there will be no further access. (Please organise to do this prior to the last day of school.)

Hats are required as part of our uniform policy. Broad-brimmed school hats must be worn in the yard and children without hats are asked to sit on the seats provided in the shade at the back of the main building.

Also a reminder that the old white polo is now no longer part of our school uniform. This was phased out and no longer meets our uniform requirements.

This year, we are running a literacy program called MiniLit.

"It is an evidence-based, explicit and effective early literacy intervention program for teaching reading skills to children who are in the bottom 25% of the expected range for their age group in Year 1 or 2." The students who are in the groups are loving the classes which are delivered 3 times per week.

https://multilit.com/programs/minilit-program/

From Nadia Walker,

Assistant Principal.

We’re very excited that our Prep Transition Program commences next week. We can’t wait to meet the 85 children that will become part of our wonderful CJC community in 2021.

On Wednesday 18th November, we’ll be welcoming half of our future Prep students on-site and into the classrooms to meet one of our Prep teachers and to engage in some activities, including a tour of the school. The other half of our future Prep cohort will be joining in transition activities online via Zoom, before they join us at school on Wednesday 25th.

Over the four dates, children will participate in 2 on-site transition sessions and 2 online Zoom sessions. The dates are:

18 November
25 November
2 December
8 December

When attending on-site, following advice from the Department of Education, we need parents and our future Preps to:

enter via Gate 2 on Sebastopol Street

Please don’t use the Balaclava Road school gate, and don’t enter the front office.

not mix with other children at the school
maintain strict physical distancing, no congregating of adults
parents and carers to wear masks at all times
use hand sanitiser for parent and child
no food to be offered or exchanged

Parents and carers will be asked to sign your child in, then leave the school grounds during the 45 minute session.

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with me via the school office.

From Christelle Breimeyer,

Acting French Director.

Chères familles de CJC,

C’est avec plaisir que nous avons accueilli les photographes aujourd’hui, nous avons enfin pu faire les photos de classes et vos enfants pourront avoir un souvenir de leur année scolaire de 2020.

Les examens du DELF arrivent à grand pas pour nos élèves de 6ème. Nous serons heureux d’accueillir la majorité d’entre eux pour passer cet examen à l’école. Veuillez consulter la page DELF de cette newsletter pour connaitre les détails.

Merci à toutes les familles qui ont rempli le questionnaire du programme français binational. Veuillez prendre note que la date limite pour participer au sondage est dimanche le 15 novembre prochain.

À tous ceux qui partent camper ou surfer ce weekend, soyez prudents sur les routes, la circulation risque d’être chargée après tous ces mois de confinement !

Je vous souhaite un magnifique weekend à tous !

Christelle Breimeyer

Dear CJC families,

We were delighted to welcome the photographers this morning to finally have the opportunity to take some individual, sibling and class photos to commemorate the students’ 2020 school year.

The DELF exams are fast approaching for our Grade 6 students. We are welcoming the news that some of the exams will be performed on site at the school. For more details, please visit the DELF page of this current newsletter.

Thank you to all the families that have already answered the French Binational Program survey. We would like to remind you that the cut-off date to voice your opinion is Sunday November 15.

To all of you who are planning to go surfing or camping this weekend, please be careful on the roads, the traffic might be intense after all these months of confinement!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Christelle Breimeyer

Community Notices,

Australian Girls Choir