From Christian's desk....

Colour Run

Last Friday our community enjoyed the most wonderful Colour Run family fun event. The dual purpose event, hosted by CHAPS, connected students, their siblings young and old, parents, carers and extended families whilst raising in excess of $7000 for the school! The CHAPS Committee and helpers should be so incredibly proud of all they do for our community.

Thank you also to the members of Wonga Park CFA who joined the fun. I encourage families to view the photos in their full glory on our school Facebook page and on the CHAPS Facebook page (this page is private, you must apply to be a member).

School Council, CHAPS and MOTHS Representation

As the year is winding down I would like to invite community members to start talking to each other about what they could do for our community. This year we have had tremendous productivity from our three formal school groups. Collectively the School Council, CHAPS and MOTHS have delivered our school facilities upgrades, community events, community services and opened doors that the school staff do not have the time, energy or capacity to do.

CHAPS alone has raised in excess of $45,000 for the school with the Christmas Raffle still to come. To put this in perspective, our new playground was $48,000 and the financial commitment that has been made to the new Prep Courtyard is currently $36,000. By the end of the year CHAPS will have almost single-handedly delivered these two projects to our students!

MOTHS has continued their great work with the community, not only providing Dads and other male role models a chance to connect but also supporting CHAPS events.

The School Council has supported DET, government and community grant applications that have the potential to provide the school hundreds of thousands of dollars in facilities upgrades; having secured in excess of $35,000 so far this year with $215,000 pending (fingers crossed). Further, they have played a key role in our school governance and strategic planning.

If you are interested in being more actively involved in our community, please pop in and see me. Alternatively, join in as a classroom helper!

Prep Information Evening

Last night our Prep staff and the Principal team welcomed our 2020 Prep parents and carers into the school for an Information and Meet the Teacher evening. We shared the great features of our school and also shared our new Prep Learning Area. Highlights of this space include:

New carpet squares in The Hill classroom.
Two new learning through play spaces in The Hill classroom and modern relocatable portable.
- NB: The Hill classroom will no longer be an open classroom for two classes.
A Prep courtyard that has similarities to the current canteen courtyard including shade sails and picnic seats.

School Organisation and Staffing Updates

Over the course of the semester the Principal team have been building our staffing profile and school structures. In 2020 our school will have:

32 classes
- 6 classes in Prep with an average class size of 19
- 9 classes in Junior with an average class size of 22
- 9 classes in Middle with an average class size of 24
- 8 classes in Senior with an average class size of 25
Weekly specialist Performing Arts, Physical Education and Visual Arts lessons for all students.
Weekly specialist Indonesian lessons all students in Junior, Middle and Senior.
Twice weekly Sensory Gym with our Physical Education teacher for all Prep students.
Weekly specialist Science lessons for all Senior students and co-teaching of Science with the classroom teacher and the Science Specialist for all students in Prep, Junior and Middle.
Literacy support lessons delivered by specialist teachers for children needing additional attention to their understanding of phonics and word knowledge.
At the end of the year we will be farewelling:
Claudia Michelin, who has recently been appointed as the Visual Arts Teacher at Parkdale Primary School. We wish Claudia well and thank her for her 9 years at Croydon Hills Primary School. Claudia will enjoy having an hour a day of her life back as she moves to a school much closer to her home.
Samantha Barkley, who successfully gained a position at her previous school, Mitcham Primary School. Sam is pursuing ‘on-going tenure’ within the Department of Education and saw this as a great opportunity. Thank you for spending 2019 with us Sam!
Shannon Irwin, who will transition to the Secondary School setting as she joins Ringwood Secondary College. Shannon, a Secondary trained teacher applied for and was successful at gaining ‘on-going tenure’, a significant achievement for any teacher.
Angela Gregory who has spent six months as a teacher in Prep as a replacement for Katherine Tapscott as she began her Parental Leave. Angela will join Burwood East Primary School in 2020.
In 2020 we will be welcoming:
Cindy Fletcher – Graduate teacher, currently a Multi-Lit Phonics instructor (Integration Aide) at Mount Evelyn Primary School.
Belinda Kaberry – classroom teacher currently at Yarra Valley Grammar.
Breanna Waugh – Graduate teacher, known to our community through our Out of School Hours Care.
Jessica Oakey and Nikki McInerney - both currently teaching at Heathmont East Primary School.
Josh Cram – classroom teacher currently at Boronia Heights Primary School
Emily Ceko – classroom teacher currently at Milgate Primary School
Zoe Webster – Indonesian teacher currently at Ivanhoe East Primary School
Tina Fiorentino – Visual Arts teacher currently at Wantirna Secondary College.
Christmas Carols On The Oval
Each year our school hosts a family Christmas Carols evening. This year’s event in on Wednesday December 11th at 7:00pm and promises to be a wonderful, Christmassy evening with performances by all classes, the Junior and Senior Choirs, staff and MOTHS. Please feel free to invite your extended family and friends.
Why not plan a family picnic in our school grounds beforehand? The Canteen is offering a range of pre-ordered picnic food, including burgers, hot dogs and pizza. Order Forms are available on the Canteen News page of this Newsletter, on Compass or from the Office.

Please note: this is an alcohol-free event. I look forward to seeing many families there!

Christian Holdsworth - Principal

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