Book Week Celebrations

What an amazing morning we had on Monday for our Book Week parade. I loved all the creative costumes the kids and staff wore, ranging from unicorns, llamas, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Peter Pan (and his shadow!), Alice in Wonderland and the White Rabbit, and a magnificent Wicked Witch of the West costume with full make up. It was lovely to see so many parents and friends watching on as the kids paraded their costumes.

The theme for this year’s Book Week is “Reading is Magic”, and I can’t think of a better way to describe reading than simply magic. In our school, we often talk about the importance of reading, but this year, I want to highlight the true magic that books bring into our lives. When we open a book, we are transported to worlds where anything is possible. Books create images in our minds of characters, places, fantastic creatures and voices that help us imagine things that would be very difficult, or even impossible, to perceive in real life. It’s like playing a movie or computer game in your mind.

At our primary school, we believe that every child holds the key to reading magic. Through reading, children also enhance their skills and knowledge in other curriculum areas. Educational research indicates that as a child’s reading abilities improve, so does their ability to understanding mathematical problems and write complex sentences.

As we celebrate Book Week, I’d like to thank Mrs Leanne Bentley and her crew of library captains and parent volunteers for their contributions towards Book Week and the Book Fair.

School Disco

The school disco happened a few weeks ago and was a tremendous success once again. The DJ this year was very engaging for the kids – they seemed to love all the prizes and the structured dances. It kept them going for the entirety of the disco. A special thank you to Rachel Husar and her team of volunteers for making the disco happen so smoothly.

Year 5 camp

On Monday 2^nd September, the year 5 students and teachers will be on their way to Ballarat for the camp at Sovereign Hill. This will no doubt be an exciting experience for the kids, many of whom have never been to Ballarat and experienced what life might have been like in the 1800’s during the Gold Rush era. I like that we provide a variety of camp experiences for the kids – it helps them develop a broader knowledge base that can then be used back in the classroom for things like writing and reading comprehension. Camps also allow the kids to develop some independence and build stronger friendship connections.

This should be a great camp for all to enjoy.

Visits by Jackson Taylor MP

Jackson Taylor has always been a strong supporter of our school and shows great interest in the work we do. On the 8^th August he spent the morning with the Year 6 students talking to them about how our government works. Following this talk, we moved to the basketball court area to officially opened the Inclusive Play Space.

He will also be joining us at assembly this week to present two students with their Writer’s Challenge Awards certificate and prize.

Three Way Conferences

Three-way conferences are happening again on Tuesday 17^th September. Like we did in Term 1, students will be invited to attend a short conference meeting with their parent(s) and their teacher(s) at a time throughout the day. For the most part, children will be at home on this day and only attending school for their interview time.

We understand that some families can’t make arrangements for kids to stay at home. That’s why we’ve arranged for our specialist teachers to work with the kids whose only option is to attend school. Normal lessons won’t be running. More information will be posted on Compass shortly so that parents can let us know if supervision is required.

Kind regards,

Mat Anderton
Principal

State School Spectacular

Science Week 2024

National Science Week 2024 – Save the Species Diorama

Thank you to all the students and parents for their diorama entries in this year’s National Science Week. The theme this year was, ‘Species Survival – More Than Just Sustainability’, which aimed to highlight the importance of science and innovation in ensuring the survival of different species in an ever-changing world.

Behind every amazing artistic creation (some even using real moss!) was thorough planning and research. Ideas ranged from drones monitoring parrots to wildlife bridges over roads – each focusing on the dangers the animal faced and how science could be utilised to assist these creatures.

I would like to thank everyone again for engaging with this year’s topic and hope that it leads to a lifetime of ecological awareness.

Diorama Entries:

Angela 4A – Polar Bears

Arlo 1C – African Elephants

Chloe 2C – Bilby

Clodagh 3B – Sperm Whale

Edmund 3A and Tristan 1B – Kakapo

Ella Prep A – Koalas

Evie A 4C – Polar Bears

Evie S 1C – Turtles

Georgia 4C – Mountain Beavers

Hannah 4B – Three Toed Sloths

Isla 5A – Turtles

Lukas 3C – Wombats

Mia 3B – Seals

Myla Prep C – Wildlife Animals

Ollie 3A – Tigers

Olivia 5C – Pandas

Savannah 2B – Turtles

Tanya 1B – Wildlife Animals

Wren 4A – Parrots

Mr Carlos Milan

Mountain Highway Intersection Upgrade Update

Exciting Milestone Achieved on Boronia Intersection Upgrade!

We are excited to share some fantastic news about the Mountain Highway, Colchester Road, and Albert Avenue intersection upgrade in Boronia! We’re transforming the old roundabout into a signalized intersection with extra lanes and safer crossings for both pedestrians and cyclists.

Over the past two weeks, the project team worked around the clock to make huge strides during our scheduled nightworks by:

• Clearing the roundabout and traffic islands
• Laying crushed rock and temporary pavement
• Preparing the site for asphalting
• Removing a public light pole in preparation for new lighting infrastructure
• Filling in the round about in preparation for new interim traffic arrangements at the Alchester village intersection

Bild Group and the Department of Planning and Transport thank you for your support as we continue to bring these improvements to life.

Contact Us: If you have questions, call or text 0400 400 091 or email Alchestercommunity@bild.group. For more details, visit VicRoads’ website and search for the Alchester Village Intersection Upgrade.

Bild Group

CARE Ticket Winners

Care Award Winners – Term 3 – Respect

On the 9^th of August we had a team of 64 Year 3-6 students attend the Rowville District Athletics Championships to represent our school. It was an event full of extremely talented athletes (including a few State level athletes). We were proud of the effort, behaviour and sportsmanship shown from our students throughout the day and hopefully this experience serves as a reminder of the importance to dedicate themselves to extra training sessions if they are wanting to compete at a higher level. A special congratulations goes to Laura W (4B) for winning her high jump event and Jasmine E (5C) for winning her long jump event. Both girls will progress to the divisional athletics on 18^th September. Thank you to Mrs Wheeler, Mrs T, Mrs Ascenzo, and Mrs McNamara who assisted on the day. And a sincere thank you to parents James, Lauren, Kitty, Catherine, and Laura for helping run the shot put events!

Shae Warren
Physical Education Teacher and Sport Co-ordinator

Fathers Day Stall

Twilight Market

Our Twilight Market is locked in for the 25th October 2024. Click here to follow the event page on Facebook. If you know a business who would be keen to sponsor the event, please contact us on 9729-2614.