Wecome to Term 3!

Dear Parents and Guardians

The recent holidays provided a much needed break for staff here after the events of last term which of course impeded on the previous term break.  It felt like a very long term for us and I’m sure it did for you too! However I feel really proud of the way that our school community responded.  Students, parents and staff are to be commended for their persistence and maintaining optimism and the spirit of cooperation in the face of such a challenging situation.

I took the opportunity to travel down to Melbourne very early in the holidays, to see family. It has been months since I last sat in a room with my father, who has been in a nursing home since late January.  While I have maintained contact with him and my family, thanks to modern technology, I was just so grateful for this window of opportunity to see him face to face.  As I raced around trying to see as many of my siblings and their families as I could, being fortunate to hear my younger nieces explain their Lego creations and my nephew speak of his reading interests, having a cuppa and a long talk with my sister and niece, spending time with my mother and daughters, I realised the importance of having connections.  I felt re-energised, rejuvenated in spite of also feeling a little sad.

Connections matter.  Strong ties with family, friends and the community provide us with happiness, security, support and a sense of purpose.  Being connected to others is important for our mental and physical wellbeing… (Beyond Blue Support Service)

I hope I won’t take these precious relationships for granted in future. 

Strong connections are what we strive to build at school- between staff, students and parents.  We know it has a direct influence on learning. Remote learning provided an experience of how crucial having those connections are.  As Term 3 commences we will continue to foster and nourish these connections with each other and of course with our faith. 

New Staff

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of four new members of staff.

Nicole Buccilli will be working three days a week to teach the specialist subject of STEAM to all classes.

Susan Holmberg and Belinda O'Brien have been employed to provide extra support across the Prep - 6 classes.

Rikki Cant will be working as an Education Support Officer in the Grade 1 /2 area.

We welcome (or welcome back) these new staff members who we know each bring their own knowledge and expertise and are very excited to have them join our enthusiastic team! 

In case you missed it- please find below an update on..

Events for 2020: Excursions, Camps and Swimming 

Due to the current circumstances and restrictions we have had to review all events for this year. It is not permissible to run swimming programs, excursions or camps in third term. It is not possible or practical to reschedule all of these events to fourth term. 

Therefore we have decided to cancel the swimming program for 2020.

The Grade 5 Camp to Melbourne has also, unfortunately, been cancelled. However at this stage, we hope to take the Grade 5s on camp this year to Forest Lodge (the same venue that the Grade 6s use for their camp) on November 9 and 10 (all being well). 

The Grade 6s would attend their camp to Forest Lodge on December 14,15 and 16 (if approved).

We are looking at taking both the Grade 5s and Grade 6s on camp to Melbourne in 2021.

Other incursions and events have been postponed. We are hopeful that the Grade 3/4 camp and events that normally occur in fourth term may proceed with some precautions but we will need to review this at a later date. 

School fee reduction or compensation will be arranged in fourth term to reimburse the cost of the swimming program and excursions/incursions that have been cancelled.  

Please contact me if you have any queries.

Thanks you for your understanding,

Joanne Coldebella

Acting Principal