Õ¬ÄÐÉñÆ÷

Is it just me or is this year flying?!  I cannot believe that next week is officially halfway through the term!  So much has been happening it’s hard to know where to start, and there’s a lot of information to share with you today…. So, sit back, relax and get ready for bumper edition of Õ¬ÄÐÉñÆ÷ Chatter!

 

School Council Elections

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing members of the school council, Kirsty, Leah and Kath, for their dedication and support during their time on the council.  A special mention must be made to Krysia Mosley who has dedicated over 10 years of her time at Õ¬ÄÐÉñÆ÷ being part of the school council.  It’s definitely the end of an era.  She has seen the good, and the not so good…and she continues to turn up and support our school.  Her kindness and dedication will be deeply missed, and I believe her positive impact will continue to be felt for years to come.

As this chapter of the school council draws to a close, it’s time for the School Council Election process to take place from Monday the 24th of February 2025.

Õ¬ÄÐÉñÆ÷ Council consists of:

• 6 elected parent positions
• 3 elected DET positions
• 1 Executive Office (Principal)

We have 3 parent vacancies to be filled, and 1 staff vacancy.

If you decide to stand for election, you can arrange for another school parent to nominate you, or you can nominate yourself. Nomination will be available from the school office and through a Compass notification that will be sent next week.

Once the nomination form is completed, return it to the office within the time stated on the notice of election which is stated below.

If there are more nominations received than there are vacancies on the council, a ballot will be conducted after the call for nominations has closed.

 

 2025 Election Timeline

 

• Notice of School Council elections and call for nominations – Monday 24 February 2025
• Close of nominations – Monday 3 February 2025
• Display list of candidates, nominator & seconder (if required) – Wednesday 5 March 2025
• Prepare ballot papers and Distribute (if required) – On or before Wednesday 12 March 2025
• Close of Ballott – Wednesday 26 March 2025
• Count votes & declare ballot (if required) – 28th March 2025
• First Council meeting to elect office bearers (the Principal will preside) – Wednesday the 23rd of April, 2025

 

 

What is a school council and what does it do?

 

All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally formed bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within centrally provided guidelines. In doing this, a school council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students.

 

 Who is on the school council?

 

There are three possible categories of membership:

• A mandated elected Parent category. More than one-third of the total members must be from this category. Department of Education and Training (DET) employees can be Parent members at their child’s school as long as they are not employed at the school.
• A mandated elected DET employee category. Members of this category may make up no more than one-third of the total membership of the school council. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members.
• An optional Community member category. Its members are appointed by a decision of the council because of their special skills, interests or experiences. DET employees are not eligible to be Community members.
  The term of office for all members is two years. Half the members must retire each year, creating vacancies for the annual school council elections.

 

 Why is Parent membership so important?

 

Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help shape the direction of the school.

Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying in itself and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.

 

How can you become involved?

 

The most obvious way is to vote in the elections, which are held in Term 1 each year. However, ballots are only held if more people nominate as candidates than there are positions vacant.

In view of this, you might seriously consider standing for election as a member of the school council or encouraging another person to stand for election.

 

Do I need special experience to be on the school council?

 

No. What you do need is an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future.

 

What do you need to do to stand for election?

 

The principal will issue a notice and call for nominations following the commencement of Term 1 each year. All school council elections must be completed by the end of March.

If you decide to stand for election, you can arrange for someone to nominate you as a candidate or you can nominate yourself in the Parent category.

DET employees whose child is enrolled in a school in which they are not employed are eligible to nominate as parents for the school council where their child is enrolled

Once the nomination form is completed, return it to the principal within the time stated on the notice of election. You will receive a Nomination Form Receipt in the mail following the receipt of your completed nomination.

If there are more nominations received than there are vacancies on the council, a ballot will be conducted during the two weeks after the call for nominations has closed.

 

Remember

 

Ask the school for help if you would like to stand for election and are not sure what to do.

Consider standing for election to council this year.

Be sure to vote in the elections.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me on 9428 1909 ´Ç°ù 0412431228 for further information.

 

Building Update

 

There are a few things to share regarding our new build.  Firstly, the next two weeks will be loud as the building will be demolished!  We have been told to expect big machinery, big movement and big noises during this time.  All going to plan, demolition should be complete by March 7th!  Yes, it will be noisy, but the sooner it comes down, the quicker they can start constructing our new building.

Unfortunately, it has been brought to my attention that there have been members of our community trespassing onto the building site after hours and over the weekend.  This is incredibly unsafe and dangerous behaviour.  As a result, security cameras have been installed, and the school will be shown footage to identify individuals.  If you see anyone enter the building site after hours, please tell them to get out of the building site, inform their parents and let us know.  As a community, we all need to look out for each other and keep each other safe.

 

The Resilience Project Authentic Connection for Parents & Carers Webinar

 

We hope you’re as excited as us about your upcoming Authentic Connection f´Ç°ù Parents and Carers Webinar (with other schools) with Hugh on Tuesday 11th March, 6:30-7:30 pm (60 minutes) AEDT.

The biggest impact happens when we work together. This one-hour session combines cutting-edge research with candid storytelling to help parents and carers understand the benefits of letting go of shame, perfection, ego and control. It then shares the same evidence-based strategies being taught in your classrooms so they can be practised at home (and beyond!).

Here is the link to register for the webinar:  

 

Language for 2025

 

As you are all aware, our 2025 Visual Arts teacher is Karen.  She is very excited and an incredibly artistic person and has a passion in this area.  She is the best LOTE teacher I’ve ever worked with, so she has set the bar pretty high for us to find someone to teach LOTE to the same level moving forward.  With limited space this year (and limited expertise in LOTE across the state and country) we made the decision to investigate other options for 2025.  There are a few things in the pipeline, and I hope to be able to confirm our plans for how and what language we will be delivering in 2025 in the coming weeks.

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, we will form a working group in Term 3, consisting of interested students, staff and community members, to determine the future direction of our school’s choice of Language other than English (LOTE).

 

Assembly tweaks

 

Thank you for all the valuable feedback we received following our first online assembly of 2025. Some parents have shared that they appreciate the online assembly format due to work commitments preventing them from attending in person, while others have expressed dissatisfaction with the trial.

Given the limited shade on our grounds at the moment, we will continue holding online assemblies during the months when we need to be SunSmart (i.e. when hats are required). When hats are not necessary, assemblies will take place on the netball court. We hope this approach will accommodate as many people as possible.

 

Welcome BBQ (without the BBQ)

 

I would like to extend a huge thank you to Kristy and her fundraising team for their creativity and resourcefulness in planning our 2025 Annual Welcome BBQ. With a third of our school grounds being taken up by construction, hosting it on-site simply wasn’t an option. However, thanks to their innovative thinking, they’ve found a great alternative.

We are excited to invite you all to join us at Mountain Goat Brewery on Thursday, March 6th, starting at 5 pm. It promises to be a fantastic evening, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Finally, as a school community, we strive to model the values we want to see in our children. It’s important that we all treat each other with respect and kindness in every interaction. Our actions set an example for the next generation, and by fostering a positive and supportive environment, we help shape the community we all want to be a part of.

At our school, we are committed to consistency. We are always here for you, dependable through both the good times and the not-so-good times. While we don’t always make decisions that please everyone, we always make decisions that are in the best interests of our students and the school as a whole.

Thank you for your ongoing support in creating a respectful, caring, and thriving community for all.

 

 

That’s from me this week.  I look forward to seeing you around the school grounds.

Stay safe.  Stay healthy.  Stay happy and remember to be kind to yourself and others.

Megan 😊

Foundation

 

• Enzo V – For such an excellent start to the year! We love how you have shown resilience and wonderful listening skills when sitting on the carpet.
• Scarlette O – For such a positive start to the school year. For contributing to classroom discussions, trying your best and including others.
• Oskar S – For an incredible start to his first year at school. Well done Oskar for working effectively with your peers and having an ‘I can do it’ attitude in all aspects of learning.

 

Year 1/2

• Will J – For being a kind and supportive friend to others and for helping his peers settle in to the new environment! Well done Will!
• Alessia S – For settling into Grade 2 with a can-do attitude and enthusiasm. She has shown kindness to her new classmates and is always keen to lend a helping hand, demonstrating strong leadership and support. Well done Alessia!
• Tara J – For an unbelievable start to year 2! You are a wonderful learner, and your ability to have a go at tricky things will take you far! I can’t wait to see what you do next!
• Gabe D – For settling in well and having a fantastic start to Year Two! Well Done 🙂
• Santiago P – Congratulations on such an enthusiastic start to school, including making lots of contributions to class discussions and for being super helpful!
• Heidi L (Science) – For using great investigative skills in our schoolyard safari

 

Year 3/4

• Annabelle W –  For Showing incredible resilience during our first 3/4 Area Sport session. Her perseverance was truly inspiring!
• Fox B – Amazing creativity in writing and sharing ideas during class discussions!
• Emilio D – For being so helpful in the classroom. Your willingness to assist others and your positive attitude has made a big difference in 3/4. Well done superstar!
• Rowena H – This 3/4 legend has bee such a kind, friendly and supportive member of our team. She has been so welcoming to all our new students, and has done her best to make our space safe and warm. Great job, Rowena!
• Isaac M – (PE) – For his excellent leadership as captain of his team in PE this week! Well done Isaac!
  

 

Year 5/6

• Elodie H – For starting the year with such fantastic routines and showing care and empathy to her classmates and friends. Great job Elodie!!
• Arthur O – Congratulations on your engagement and effort in crafting a thoughtful cold write narrative. Your creativity and dedication really shine through in this piece! Well done Arthur.
• Helen S – For making an excellent and smooth transition into Õ¬ÄÐÉñÆ÷. Your positive attitude, hard work and respectful approach to everyone is a pleasure to have in our classroom.
• Mia S – For your thoughtful and moving Acknowledgement of Country. Your descriptive language created beautiful imagery and reflected the importance of showing gratitude to Indigenous Australian people and the land.
• Hunter S – (Art) – For some fantastic focus on his geometric design
• Callum M – (PA) – For his active participation and creative way of retelling our indigenous Dreamtime stories in Performing Arts!

Chess Club – Fridays, 8:00 – 8:50 AM

Hot Shot Tennis – Fridays, 8:00 – 8:40 AM

• Chess Club
• Hot Shot Tennis