From Christian's desk....

Art Show

On Monday evening the school community gathered for the Art Show. The atmosphere and celebration of student work was overwhelming and the most tremendous reflection of the Visual Arts at our school.

Well done to teachers Claudia Michielin and Briony Jansen, Visual Arts Captains Ella and Taylah, staff who committed their time and volunteers. Your contributions were very much appreciated and are a demonstration of what makes our school such a wonderful community.

As I shared on the evening, the student artwork was of an exceptionally high standard across the board and a product of years of exemplary learning experiences facilitated by Claudia and Briony.

Journey Tracks – Ellie’s Art

Our school proudly acknowledges the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land and waterways on which our community meets, learns and grows.

One targeted program that the school offers for our First Nations students is Journey Tracks (delivered in partnership with EACH). One of our students in the program drew upon her learning in Journey Tracks and that from our Murrundindi visits last term to develop her own piece of Art. The student-led project involved collaborating with EACH staff, Croydon Hills Primary School Visual Arts teacher Claudia Michielin and the indigenous artists at Dezigna to create an Indigenous version of our school sports top.

As with all Indigenous Art, there is a story and meaning associated to the design:

The gum leaves represent the connection to the land and the beautiful native trees within our school grounds.
The handprints on sleeves represent the students helping each other through and through.
The diagonal red sashes show the pathway students take on their learning journey.
The blue lines represent the waterways that surround us within our local community.
The red triangle shows a star symbol which represents our students reaching for the stars, following their dreams.
The boomerangs, spears and snakes all represent elements of indigenous culture.
The large design on the back is a meeting place. The dots around the outside represent the school community, including staff, volunteers and parents. The large symbol in the middle represents the principals, our leaders who give guidance, support, care and knowledge to the staff and students. Just like the elders within our indigenous communities.
The wording below acknowledges that our school is situated on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation.

Prep 2023 Uniforms

Last night at our 2023 Prep Transition Information Evening I shared with families the process of ordering Prep 2023 uniforms.

Families may wish to have a uniform fitting with appointments to be booked using this link: https://signup.zone/uEeFz7WzeSJ4RBQny. Alternatively, families may wish to order based on their knowledge of their child’s size (sizes are quite consistent with normal clothes). To do so please log onto Flexi Schools.

Cyber Safety

This week Channel 10’s Mirror Mirror presented some extremely confronting content regarding cyber safety, which I encourage all families to watch (available anytime on Ten Play). The reference to the open chat site Omegle was quite shocking.

Regardless of your feeling of relational trust with your children, I strongly encourage you to block the site from all devices. This link may help you.

Important Information and School Update regarding the 1:1 Take Home Device Program for 2023 Senior Students

This week I shared with Year 4 and 5 families of School Council’s decision to transition from the previously preferred parent-managed Bring Your Own iPad program to a school-managed 1:1 Take Home Chromebook Program.

As articulated in the slide-pack, the school acknowledges there is a transition period for those who already have access to an iPad. NB: this does not preclude current Year 5 families with iPads from transitioning to Chromebooks for Year 6.

Families in Year 3 2022 may take note of this change if they were planning on purchasing an iPad for their child in 2023 for school in 2024 and 2025.

Christian Holdsworth - Principal

Wellbeing & Culture

A Positive Look at Responsibility