From The Principal's Desk
Dear Parents and Carers,
What a fantastic week we had for our Grade 4 Camp! It was wonderful to spend some time with the students in a different environment and seeing them thrive in the outdoor activities. We were blessed with the weather for most of the time and I am sure there will be some tired but happy Grade 4 students. Thank you to Mrs Williams and the Grade 4 team for organising this event and to the staff that also attended.
Under the new teacher agreement any staff member that attends a camp is entitled to time in lieu. Therefore, you will some of the staff from the camp take a day off from school over the next few weeks.
Last week we celebrated Education week early by conducting our Book Fair and holding our Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day on Friday. It was wonderful to see so many visitors come and see the students in their classroom and see our school in action. Thank you to those who supported our plant drive sale and Book Fair sale. We found that both of these were very successful for the school.
We also had students in Grade 3-6 represent the school in Ballarat and District Cross Country at Ballarat High School. Congratulations on these students for representing our school and to Ben H, Ryder R and Huon A who made it to the next division of Regional Cross Country.
Over the past few weeks, we have worked with our School Council and our student school leaders to refine what the vision of our school is moving forward. The Values and Vision we currently have were established in 2012 and refined in 2014, so they have served us well. However, our school has grown in staffing and students and it is time to redefine what we believe this school is about moving forward.
We have managed to present 3 vision statements to the students and our School Councillors and they discussed these and then voted on the one they liked the most.
Our current version of our Vision is below, as seen on our website.
Below our School Council members having input into our possible new Vision, Values and Purpose statement on Monday 8th May.
Our students leaders considering what they think best represents our vision and values on Thursday 11th May.
On Wednesday our Grade 5-6 students represented the school in football and played many of the local teams. We had a mixture of boys and girls playing and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Thank you to Mr Egan who managed the team for the day.
As of next week, our teachers and students head into Assessment week and this will provide evidence for our teachers to complete their analysis on where the student growth has moved to and begin the process of writing the reports. On Tuesday 6th June, teachers will have a report writing day (student free) to complete their reports. The reports will be posted on Compass on Monday 19th June.
School Photos
Friday this week we have our school photos taking place. Please ensure students are looking their best for their school photo.
Uniform update
Due to our contract with LOWES expiring in May, it was recommended by School Council to investigate all options before resigning another contract. The school created a uniform taskforce, including members of Delacombe Primary School Council to make enquiries into other suppliers, and compare options, to ensure that our Delacombe families are receiving the best price and quality uniforms.
As part of this process, we contacted 3 local companies including LOWES to draw up proposals which were then looked over by staff and school council members. After receiving feedback from families regarding uniform supply shortages and high costs, and after comparing all options, the taskforce made the decision that Beleza will be able to offer great quality uniform, at a more affordable price.
We do understand that Beleza’s shop operating hours are limited in comparison to LOWES, and this may be a concern for some families, but Beleza have ensured us that their online and delivery service is exceptional, offering the option of uniform being delivered to your door or alternatively to the school. We have also been assured that stock control is of high importance at Beleza and there is a short turn around if something you require is out of stock. Layby is also available and they have 10% off sales multiple times throuought the year.
Our hope was to get the best price and quality for our families at Delacombe P.S. and we believe Beleza will be the best supplier for the job!
Facilities update
We have made changes to our P-2 shade sails so that they are at a height that detracts from some of our weekend visitors getting on top of them. We have also installed two new shade sails in this area that hopefully should last us for some time.
School Council update
At School Council the following was approved to move to the next stage:
- Tennis court area: We accepted the quote of one company to provide a synthetic basketball, soccer and netball court and with a new fence installed around it. The proposal of what we are looking to achieve here is shown below (with 6 bat tennis courts). The proposed costs have come in at $150,000 - $168,000.
Advanced Notice
Some key dates and events coming up:
- School Photos will be on Friday 19th May
- Report Writing day (Student free)- Tuesday June 6th
- Next assembly is Wednesday 24th May
Have a great week – Scott, Marnie and Stephanie