Dear families and friends
Welcome back to the new school year.
We hope you enjoyed some quality family time over the holiday break and that you are looking forward to the year ahead. We are sure your child/ren is/are looking forward to connecting with school friends, old and new – and of course their teachers too!
Teachers and support staff returned to work last week and have been busy planning and preparing for their classrooms, programs and work spaces. They are looking forward to meeting families and are excited to meet their new classes.
We begin this school year much differently to last year and look forward to our community coming together for many school events throughout the year.
Please take a few moments to check in with some important information below.
Attendance
School is open for students and families from 8.30am. For safety reasons, we ask that students do not come onto school grounds unsupervised before this time. Teachers will begin opening classrooms with lessons commencing at 8.50am. Students are expected to wait outside their classrooms upon arrival.
The first few minutes of the school day are very important as this is when daily notices and reminders about events are given, notes are collected, communication books are checked and a range of other organisational matters are managed.
Students who arrive even a few minutes late, often miss this valuable information and disadvantage themselves.
Dismissal is at 3.10pm with school staff on Front Gate, School Crossing and Heath Lane duties.
Uniform / Hats
New uniform items that have been purchased can be collected from the front office. Second-hand uniform sales are available – please enquire through the front office.
As per our Sunsmart policy, a broad-brimmed or legionnaire style hat must be worn during outdoor learning lessons and play times when the UV rating is 3+ (mostly summer, autumn and spring months).
Hats are available for sale – please enquire through the front office.
New Website
Our new website is finally up and running which contains a live calendar for families to easily track school events. The calendar will be updated this week.
We will retire our current school news blog, Craigburn Connections, which will be integrated into the new website. Further information to be provided in how to subscribe.
Early this term, we have a new promotion photo / video shoot planned. More details to come. Many of the promotional images of the new site were taken in late 2021.
Term 1 Planner
We are in the process of finalising our Term 1 and Yearly Planner. In the interim, please save the dates for the following events:
- Acquaintance Night – Monday 13 February
- Growth and Development Parent Evening – Tuesday 21 February
- NAPLAN starts – Years 3 and 5 – Wednesday 15 March
- Year 3-5 Swimming – from Monday 27 March, Reception-Year 2 Swimming – from Monday 1 May
- Year 6 Aquatics – Tuesday 28 March
- Sports Day returns to Term 1 – Thursday 6 April
Student Free Days / School Closure
The dates for 4 student free days and 1 school closure day, as required by the Department, will be set at our first Governing Council meeting for the term on Monday 20 March and communicated to the community thereafter.
First Week Take Home Packs
On Wednesday, your child will be taking home an envelope, containing the following information:
- Student Change of Details form – only to be completed if there are any changes to family and emergency contact details, and medication requirements. Please check details thoroughly and sign before returning to school in the envelope – either in person at the front office or via your child’s class teacher.
- Materials and Services Charge with payment information and options.
- Permissions / Consent Forms – Updates
Please ensure you promptly return the student information updates. During the year if there any changes to your contact details, please communicate these to the school as soon as possible.
Safety, Traffic and Parking
Parents are reminded to follow local council traffic and parking rules and to be in consideration of local residents, when using the ‘drop-off and pick-up’ zone and when parking adjacent to the school for any length of time.
The staff car park is not to be used for the drop off and pick up of children as doing so is dangerous and causes congestion – unless using the disability access park or for emergency reasons.
We ask parents to refrain from parking in the staff carpark after 7.30am in the mornings and before 5.00pm in the afternoons.
Parents are able to access the disability park in the staff car when displaying the relevant permit.
Please contact the front office for emergency access.
Lost and Found Library Books
If you happen to come across any library books during the holidays we would appreciate you returning them to school so that they can be made available for others to borrow.
Please return all books even if they are damaged so we can repair or replace them.
More information to come soon
- BYO iPads for students in Years 2 – 6.
- School Sport – nominations for summer and winter seasons of school sport.
- Volunteering – throughout the year there will be opportunities to engage with school events and learning programs.
Staffing Update
Congratulations to Pearl Somerset (teacher) and her partner Shae on their new year arrival of baby Luka – wonderful news. Pearl will be on maternity leave for 2023.
We welcome the following teachers to Craigburn for 2023 and wish them a successful start to their teaching positions at Craigburn.
- Crystal Thanawathik – Year 1. Crystal joins us in an ongoing position having previously taught at Angle Vale.
- Judy Beal – Specialist Science / Technologies – Judy joins us for 12 months, providing a specialist role in Science and Technologies.
- Olivia Dean – Year 3. Olivia will be working in tandem, Thursdays, releasing Veronica Khalaf who takes on a coordinator role for the year.
Veronica Khalaf and Brooke Hamden continue in their coordinator roles on Thursdays throughout 2023, providing leadership support in our learning improvement goals.
Janine Mackay continues as student wellbeing leader, working in this role on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Teachers on Leave in 2023
- Sarah Jackson – full year
- Pearl Somerset – full year
Staff List 2023 and Room Locations
- Reception: Tahlia Woolford – D21
- Reception: Genna Dow – D22
- Year 1: Crystal Thanawathik – E23
- Year 1: Sophie McDonald 0.6 M,T,W and Adriana Mezic Th,F – E24
- Year 1: Pip Tonkin – E25
- Year 2: Brooke Hamden 0.6 M,T,W – Emma Bower 0.4 Th, F – A 1
- Year 2: Anita Wright 0.6 M,T,W – Karen Prideaux 0.4 Th, F – A3
- Year 2: Lisa Sporn – A4
- Year 3: Chantelle McMahon 0.6 M,T,W – Sophie McDonald 0.4 Th,F – C14
- Year 3: Veronica Khalaf – C15
- Year 3/4: Renae Humphrys – C16
- Year 4: Rebecca Hepworth – C16
- Year 5: Steven Webster – B9
- Year 5: Jodie Fischer – B8
- Year 6: Andrea Grant – B12
- Year 6: Mark Lemmey – B11
- Year 6: Tristan Fergusson – B13
Specialist Teachers / Leadership
- Performing Arts – Jimmy Marin – Music Room – F26/F27
- German – Carly Smith – D18
- PE – Karen Pettman Gym / Outdoors
- Science / Technologies – Judy Beal – A7
- EALD – Karen Prideaux
- Veronica Khalaf, Brooke Hamden – Curriculum Coordinators – Thursday
- Janine Mackay – Student Wellbeing Leader – Wednesday / Friday
- Nicky Taylor – Deputy Principal Leader
- Paul Luke – Principal
New Decks
We are pleased to have new eco-decking installed to the Reception and Year 1 verandahs over the holidays, with the works to be completed this week.
Lesson / Bell Times
- 8.30am – Students / families allowed on school grounds.
- 8.50am – Siren sounds and the school day begins. Students arriving late must sign in at the front office.
- 10.50am – Recess
- 11.20am – Lessons continue
- 12.50pm – Children eat their lunch in the classroom
- 1.00pm – Lunch play
- 1.30pm – Lessons continue
- 3.10pm – Children are dismissed.
We look forward to seeing everyone soon.
Kind regards,
Paul
