From Christian's desk....

Prep Transition has started

Over the past week we’ve welcomed our 2020 Prep cohort into our school for Prep Transition. The children have had two classroom experiences so far and are set for experiences in Visual Arts, Performing Arts and Physical Education next Friday. As always, our new Preppies in Transition come from a wide range of backgrounds and pre-school experiences and they have all been super-excited to be part of their new school.

2020 Year 6 Commemorative Hoodie

Last Chance!

Tomorrow is the last day for our 2020 Year 6 children and families to order their commemorative hooded jumper. This item of school uniform is hugely popular with students and adds to that special feeling of ‘being a Year 6 student’.

Due to the unique order requirements, this item must be ordered now and will not be available to purchase after tomorrow. There are currently 32 Year 5 students who will not have Year 6 hoodies for next year if the form below is not completed and returned to the Office, with payment, tomorrow.

If you have not already done so, I urge you to give this matter your urgent attention.

Help with the design of our Prep Courtyard

Next year we are remodelling the garden between The Hill Classrooms and the Junior School Portables. If you’d like, your family may wish to attempt to design the space. You may like to draw inspiration from the Canteen area, the current landscaped areas on the hill or perhaps a more ‘earthy’ look. Please provide me a copy and submit designs to https://draffin.com.au/news/draffin-design-comp/

Please see the map below as an area guide.

Upcoming Family Events - School Camp Out (Rescheduled) & Roller Skating

Two great community events from our fabulous parent groups, CHAPS and MOTHS:

Unfortunately, we have had to move this Saturday's MOTHS Camp Out On The Oval to the following weekend (Saturday Nov 16th) as rain, hail and strong winds forecast for this weekend would be more than a dampener on dads and kids activities.

If the change of date does not suit those who have already signed up for the Camp Out, please see the Office for a refund. If November 16th works for you and you haven't already jumped aboard, fill in the form below and return next week and we'll all have a great time on the oval on Saturday week.

Not to be outdone, CHAPS (Croydon Hills Association of Parents) have organised a family Rollerskating and Rollerblading evening for Friday November 15th. This is not a fundraiser, but an opportunity for parents and their kids to have a fun evening on wheels or blades - or a social time for parents while their kids do the hard work on the skating rink.

Placement of staff and students into classes for 2020

On Friday our Leadership Team will begin developing our 2020 staffing structures. Following that exercise, our staff will begin the task of allocating students to classes for 2020. As per the norm, our staffing allocations and final class structures will then be announced in late December.

As with our teaching teams, class groups are developed after careful consideration, balancing a range of issues and needs. Factors such as academic ability, behavioural challenges, friendships, and previous teachers are all taken into account to create balanced classes.

Students are given the opportunity to list friends they would like to be with for the following year and we ensure that at they are placed with at least one student on that list. It is important to note that an important part of any student’s journey through their schooling is the development of vital life skills. This includes meeting, getting to know and working with different personalities.

On occasions parent perspective can also add information to support this process. If you have any valuable information, regarding the class placement for your child for 2020 that is above and beyond what the classroom teacher and leadership team already know of your child you may wish to make an appointment with your child’s classroom teacher to discuss your thoughts. This meeting needs to take place by tomorrow, Friday November 8th. Please note: parent input on the placement of their child with a nominated class teacher is not an aspect where parents have a choice.

The entire process is completed by the current teachers and Leadership team. I encourage you to trust our school’s judgment and, like I do, value our teachers as high calibre people that care first and foremost for our children. The welfare of every child in our school is our prime consideration. Ultimately, it is our current class teachers, as professionals with all available information, that are in the best position to know which class students are placed into for the following year. I am sure that you would understand that it is not always possible to accommodate all requests, but we do endeavour to provide student groups that are in the best interests of individual students and the school as a whole.

Christian Holdsworth - Principal

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