From Christian's desk....

A Very Brophy Trophy

On Tuesday I had the absolute privilege of attending the Parents Victoria Awards Ceremony at The Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne. It is with great pleasure that I share with the school community that two of our parents, Sue and Paul Brophy were the joint winners of the prestigious Joan Kirner Award! The annual award is given to a parent who has demonstrated, encouraged or facilitated participation or engagement in the school.

As outlined in the nomination, Sue and Paul have immersed themselves in school life since their daughter, Rhea started school in 2013. They have devoted countless hours to the many tasks and activities that support a busy primary school. From helping in the classroom to supporting camps, excursion and sporting events, to serving as members and office-bearers on both School Council and Parent groups, Sue and Paul have often given their services over and above the call of duty – always with courtesy, humour and a “we can make this happen” attitude.

Sue has served as Committee Member, Treasurer and roll-up-the-sleeves helper for many years with CHAPS, Croydon Hills Association of Parents, which co-ordinates and runs a vast array of fundraising activities each year. Since 2013, CHAPS has provided fundraising for various building projects at the school, including classroom purchase and refurbishment, playground installation and refurbishment, purchases of classroom resources and improvements to general facilities and grounds upgrades.

Sue has also been a driving force behind several of the school’s bi-annual Monster Family Fairs. In addition to her organisational skills, which regularly ensure a Fair that delivers in excess of $20,000 to the school fundraising coffers, Sue has done everything from selling ride tickets and marshalling crowds, baking and selling cakes, twirling fairy floss, serving tea and coffee, turning hamburgers, running lucky dips and other amusement stalls to reuniting lost children and their parents – sometimes in costume and always with indefatigable energy and a huge smile.

She is the supportive parent that every school dreams of.

Paul too has served on School Council for many years, taking on additional roles on various sub-committees such as Education and Buildings & Grounds.

In 2017, after a presentation at the school by The Fathering Project, Paul became the founding President of Men Of The Hills, a Parents’ Group for dads and other significant male role-models of CHPS students. MOTHS is now an official sub-committee of School Council, which serves a dual purpose:

To connect dads in the school community with one another – they are often isolated and dis-connected as most school committees are made up of women
To involve dads in school life and connect with their children. Such activities thus far have been dad & kids bowling nights, movie nights, mini-golf days and last year MOTHS hosted the inaugural Dads & Kids Camp Out On the Oval, which saw over 60 families take part in a wonderful display of community and family and is testament to what Paul believes in as his core values.

Establishing MOTHS has added hours to Paul’s already full professional and family schedule, but it’s success has garnered some fame in the local area and Paul has also shared what he has achieved with other local schools, such as Warrandyte Primary School whose Principal reached out when he read on Facebook of his work and the social benefits of the MOTHS model.

Paul will leave this lasting legacy as his gift to the school, in the shape of MOTHS which will hopefully endure for many years to come.

Both Paul and Sue epitomise what positive, caring and constructive parents can aspire to be in a school setting. They have always had the best interests of the school in their minds when they have put up their hands on countless occasions to fulfil any role they are given and to tirelessly assist in any task. They have been innovative and generous with their ideas and talents and, whether taking on a leadership position or making sure everything’s running smoothly at the coal-face, they are both great team players and an asset to any activity, event or social occasion.

Congratulations Sue and Paul!

Further, I would like to acknowledge and thank Sian Jamison (School Council President), Matt Nott (CHAPS and MOTHS), Robyn Miller and Angela Stevens (Admin Team) for their time, consideration and efforts in supporting Paul and Sue’s nomination.

Our Amazing Community

What a huge fortnight for the school and community engagement. On Friday evening approximately 60 community members came together for the CHAPS Family Rollerskating evening. Saturday night MOTHS held their second annual Camp Out On The School Oval and tomorrow we have our school Colour Run (please refer to the CHAPS page for more information on the Colour Run).

As a principal I am often engaged in professional dialogue with other principals and senior education leaders around the Department of Education’s FISO Dimension: parents and carers as partners. During reflections we challenge each other’s thinking around what success in this area looks like. In my opinion we are excelling in this area, clearly meeting the success criteria:

The engagement and involvement of parents/carers within the school is embedded in the school culture.
Parents/ carers have a visible presence in the school and their contributions are valued by staff.
Parents/carers routinely promote the school and celebrate its achievements in the wider community.
Processes exist in a range of forums for parents to provide feedback to the school and this is considered and used to shape future direction.
The school staff consult with parents/carers and students to develop guidelines and expectations around learning and behaviour, and to plan support for individual needs.

Thank you to our families who do so much to support the engagement of our children and the broader community in our great school.

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!

2020 School Fees

2020 school fee notices have been distributed to families via hardcopy and Compass this week. School fees supplement the government allocation to schools and are vital provide high quality learning experiences. The money the school receives from families is broken into three categories:

Essential Education Items, which parents and guardians are required to pay or provide for their child, eg stationary, books, digital subscriptions and school uniforms where required.

The school will purchase Essential Educational Items on parents' behalf. If parents choose to provide equivalent materials, this should be done in consultation with the school, and should meet the specifications provided by the school.

For our students....

This Week's Birthdays

Year 4 Camp - they had a ball!

Colour & Movement - You're Gonna Love It!