From the PRINCIPAL'S DESK

Merry Christmas

On behalf of the entire school community I would like to wish all of our families a safe and merry Christmas.

We have had a terrific year and we all should be proud of the achievements of our school.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Year 6 Student  Leadership team who have done a magnificent job in their various roles. Lachlan, Kiara, Sam, Joey, Riley and Toni, congratulations on a job well done.

On Tuesday 20 December, we conducted our Year 6 Graduation at Peppertree Hill. Our students looked fantastic and had a wonderful time. A huge thank you must go to the Year 6 teachers and the organising committee for making this night such a memorable experience.

The major award winners on the night were:

Aston Award (Presented by Alan Tudge, Federal Member of Parliament) – Fiona

Ferntree Gully Award (Presented by Nick Wakeling, State Member of Parliament) – Bailey

Rotary Award ( Presented by Helen Wilkie, Rotary) – Rebecca

Our Preptastic, Transition program has been a resounding success. Our new 2012 Preps are certainly ready to begin their Primary education.  Our Prep teachers should be congratulated for organising such a productive school experience. This year, included a group of Year 6 students who assisted with conducting the program. These students showed great leadership qualities and developed a great rapport with the new students.

Although, we are all ready for a rest, I am very excited about some of the new educational opportunities that we will be initiating in 2012.

School resumes for students on Thursday 2 February 2012.

David Mann

 

ARTICLES

On Tuesday 8^th November the Year Six students presented their drug education night.  It was a great turn out with many family members participating.  The students produced and ran the evening themselves, with very little assistance from their teachers, and they really showcased their talents to all involved. 

The parents firstly assembled in the gym and were hosted by Angela and Chandler who entertained everyone with their first activity, ‘What is a drug?’, and then clearly explained the purpose of the night and how it would run.  The parents were then split into to groups to participate in four activities around the school, rotating every 20 minutes.  The night concluded back in the gym with a highly entertaining quiz and resources for parents to take home and discuss with their children.

All students had a role to play; from running the rotational activities, hosting, organising the quiz, resourcing pamphlets and information for parents and working behind the scenes on invitations, timetables, hand-outs and displays.  They handled these responsibilities with confidence and maturity, impressing both teachers and parents alike.  We are very proud of our Year Six students and would like to congratulate them on such a successful presentation.

We would particularly like to thank our Federal Member of Parliament Mr Alan Tudge and Kate Arnott from the Knox Youth Council, for their participation in the activities and speeches on the night.

Below is a small example of the feedback we received from the participating parents:

‘It’s a very important topic and very good introduction for kids and a good help for parents to talk to their kids deeply and confidently. An easier way for kids to accept the concept and walk away form dangerous drugs’

‘A very informative evening which was well presented by the students. Allows for parents without information on drugs to be more educated and allows an opening for children and parents or guardians to talk about it openly. Well done students and well done to Park Ridge for initiating the DRUGS discussion’

Melissa Roberts

 

NEWS

Crazy Christmas Raffle

Our Christmas Raffle is our last fundraiser for the year, and we are asking families to donate in order for us to be able to put together hampers for prizes.

Some ideas of things we are after are christmas decorations, cards, Shortbread, toys, books, lollies etc…. anything that can be put into a hamper and that you would like to win. We ask that items be brought in as soon as possible so that we are able to put them together and display them in the office foyer before the raffle is drawn. 

We also have lots of other prizes to be won. Please note that raffle tickets will be sent home on Friday with the eldest child. Please remember to write the contact details of the purchaser on the tickets.

Thank you for your continued support.

Free Dress/Crazy Hair Day

On Tuesday 15 November we are holding a Free Dress/Crazy Hair Day. Please bring a gold coin donation to support community services, eg. The Apex Foundation, State Schools Relief.

The Apex Foundation improves the quality of life of Australians who have special needs. The main beneficiaries are children – Australia’s future.

State Schools‘ Relief is a not-for-profit charity supporting Victorian children and
young people to reach their full potential.

Please support these worthy causes.