It is fantastic to see everyone back at school.  There was definitely an excited buzz on Monday as for many students it was the first time that they have been outside of home environments and away from school for an extended time.  Due to this we have had a big focus on reconnecting and establishing rules and routines. 

It has been great to see everyone trying their best to follow the new protocols that are in place to keep our students and staff safe:

• Stop drop and go
• Communicating via phone or email rather than entering the school office
• Limiting the items coming from home to school
• Keeping physical distancing on school grounds

Many of these safety measures are not our preferred way of working, however, for the time being it’s what is required so students can be back at school.

Thank you to our whole school community for your support during learning at home.  We understand that this was a challenging time but hopefully you can look back and appreciate the positive moments.  I know as a staff we have discussed some real positives, such as the greater sharing, communication and engagement with families on Class Dojo. 

Veggie Beds

This year we were successfull in gaining a Local Schools Community Grant which was funded by the Australian Government.  The grant was provided to each Federal electorate to benefit students and school communities in advancing small scale projects.  We received $7,500 to go towards the establishment of a new garden area which involved clearing old vegetation, spreading ground covering, laying stepping stones, plumbing a new tap, and building six vegetable garden beds. 

The vegetable gardens are a welcome and much needed addition to our school environment.  The previous beds were falling apart and situated around the back of school which restricted access and use by classes.  The new location will allow for greater visibility and use.  This area will enable more opportunities for students to engage in hands on learning and authentic inquires, such as researching plants that grow at different times of the year, measuring growth, experimenting with optimal growing conditions, care for plants growth and cooking with the harvested vegetables. 

Colour Run Fundraising

Thank you to everyone who was involved in our Colour Run Fundraising.  It was a great success and we raised $7,341.73.  As stated in the fundraising correspondence, towards the end of the year we will look at the money we have raised over the last year and decide on some priorities on how this money will be used.  This usually involves parent, student and staff input.

At this stage we are looking at holding our Colour Run on the last day of the year in conjunction with our Big Day In.