Dear Queenscliff Parents and Carers,

A message of Gratitude

As the school year comes to a conclusion, I would like to extend my appreciation, admiration and respect to our QPS teacher, administration staff and support staff. I feel incredibly grateful to work alongside such dedicated, passionate and knowledgeable staff who go above and beyond to create a positive learning environment for our students, deliver quality educational programs and ensure the daily operations of the school are seamless and organised. Thank you.

I would also like to extend a big thank you to all of the parents, carers and community for their support in 2023. Since my appointment as Principal at the beginning of Term 3, I have been in awe of how supportive and collaborative our parent community is at QPS. It is always important to take a moment to pause and reflect upon what we, including students, parents and staff, have achieved in 2023.

In 2024, I look forward to seeking new opportunities to build on and create new ways to strengthen the communication and connection between parents and our school. Thank you QPS for welcoming me into your community with open arms. I feel like the luckiest Principal to be part of such a nurturing, caring and supportive community. I am excited for 2024 and all that it will bring.

Transition Day

On Tuesday 12 December, students will participate in a Transition Day where they will meet their teacher for 2024 and spend half of the day with their new class in their new classroom. The purpose of the day is for students to familiarise themselves with their new teacher, classmates and new classroom in preparation for their transition into 2024. Students will receive a letter from their new teacher on the day so that they can learn more about their new teacher.

Teachers will engage in a comprehensive handover at the end of the year where information and data about each student will be passed on to the teacher for the following year. This ensures our teachers have a deep understanding of every student in their class in 2024 before the commencement of the school year and the parent ‘Meet and Greet’ sessions in Term 1 of 2024.

Students will find out who their classroom teacher is, the location of their classroom and who their classmates will be for 2024 on Tuesday at Transition Day.

Classes and Staffing for 2024

‘Tis the Season of Giving

As the festive season is upon us, we are organising a special gift drive for Feed Me Bellarine. Families are invited to donate a wrapped gift for a child and place it under the Christmas tree in the foyer. Please ensure your gift is wrapped and labelled with the gender and age range that is suitable for the gift. If the gift is suitable for both genders, please write ‘neutral’. We have been impressed by the generosity from our parent community already and these gifts will be distributed by Feed Me Bellarine to children in need this Christmas. We will be delivering the donated gifts to Fed Me Bellarine on Wednesday 20 December.

Year 3 Camp

On Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 December, Year 3 accompanied by Mrs. Fullard, Mrs Petrie and myself ventured to Anglesea Discovery Camp for the Year 3 Camp. I was incredibly proud of our Year 3 students who demonstrated optimism, resilience and teamwork throughout their time at Camp. They participated in a range of engaging outdoor activities including hut building, giant swing, archery and beach games. I was impressed that all students slept through the night on both evenings and together took care of one another. Congratulations to the ‘Pink’ team who were the overall winners of the Camp challenges. A special thank you to Mrs. Fullard and Mrs. Petrie for their time and energy at Camp, as well as their outstanding leadership in organising such a special event for our students.

Christmas Picnic

Yesterday we had our end of year Christmas picnic where we had soloists, groups and classes perform songs, dances and musical instruments. I was blown away by the impressive singing and musical talents of our students and it was wonderful to see our community come together to celebrate the conclusion of 2023 and to spread Christmas cheer. A special thank you to Mr. Jarrah Wishart, our Music Teacher, Mrs. Petrie and Mrs. Lang for all of their organisation, leadership and expertise in making the evening so special with memorable musical numbers.

Colour Run

Due to the weather this afternoon, unfortunately we have had to postpone our Colour Run until Next Wednesday the 13th of December.

Final Assembly and Year 6 Graduation

Our final assembly and graduation ceremony for our Year 6 students will be held on Friday 15 December 2023 at 9:00am. We encourage all of our parents and carers to join us for our final assembly for the year. Special end of year awards will be presented to students from each class, including:

• Excellence Award - High academic achievement across all curriculum areas and strong growth

Endeavour Award - Consistent effort and persistence towards learning and achieving their best

• Citizenship Award - Role model of our School’s values and has made significant contributions to the school and wider community

We will also farewell our families who will be finishing their journey at Queenscliff Primary School in 2023, with their youngest child graduating from Year 6.

Year 6 Graduation Dinner

The Year 6 Graduation dinner will be held on Thursday 14 December at 360Q. It will be an opportunity for staff, parents and students to celebrate their achievements during their time at Queenscliff Primary School and to commemorate their final year of primary school and as a cohort before they depart for high school. I would like to thank Eliza Williams and Naomi Grillinzoni

for their leadership in organising such a special event for our Year 6 students and their families.

Flag Poles Project - Lions Club

I would like to thank the Lions Club for their significant financial contribution to our school to assist with the installation of our three flag poles at the front of the school. We now have the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags on display.

Grounds Committee for 2024

We have formed a Gardens and Grounds Committee for

2024. Thank you to Jackie Morris for leading this initiative and coordinating the committee. Hazel Brown, Richard Fewster, Stuart Kent, Nathan Ulph, Melissa Fitzgerald, Ebony Tannouri and Dune Richards will form the committee along with myself. The committee will have their first meeting on Monday 11 December to devise a masterplan for gardens and grounds for QPS in 2024.

If you are interested in being part of the committee or feel you have skills and/or a passion for grounds and gardens, we would love for you to be part of the committee. If you are interested, please email our Garden and Grounds coordinator, Mrs Jackie Morris at jackie.morris@education.vic.gov.au . We have many exciting opportunities ahead of us to transform our grounds and gardens in 2024.

Voluntary Financial Contributions for 2024

This week, families will have received a letter outlining information regarding the voluntary financial contributions to the school for 2024. For our school to provide high quality, engaging and inclusive programs, we invite families to make a voluntary contribution to the school. Voluntary financial contributions to our school will be based on two categories:

• Curriculum Contributions of $370 - These financial contributions pay for curriculum items and activities, stationery, online subscriptions and resources for Specialist subjects.
• Other Contributions of a minimum of $50 - These financial contributions pay for non-curricular items, including playground development, improved technology and our School Building Fund.

We invite families to make their voluntary financial contribution to our school by the end of the school year in 2023 or by Week 4 in 2024 to assist us in purchasing resources and planning for learning programs in 2024. Payment can be made via credit/debit on Compass or at the school. Information on payment methods will be outlined in the letter to families.

For 2024, parents will NOT be asked to purchase book packs or supply stationery. The school will purchase all stationery in bulk and supply the students as they need it throughout the year. Payment for the bulk supply of stationery will be funded by parents’ voluntary contributions for curriculum. Payments for excursions, events and camps in 2024 will not be included in the voluntary financial contributions from families. Costs to families for these events will be outlined on Compass throughout the year in 2024 as the events and excursions arise.

Thank you for your support and valued contributions to our school.

Fundraising Committee for 2024

We are looking to form a QPS Fundraising Committee for 2024 made up of parents and staff members. The committee will be involved in collaborating with the School on priorities for fundraising initiatives, planning and coordinating events. Parents and carers who are interested in being part of the committee are to email the school directly at queenscliff.ps@education.vic.gov.au

School Council

Our final School Council meeting for 2023 will be held on Monday 11 December 2023. I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to our School Council members for their contributions, efforts and time over the past year. Thank you Sharna Thomason, Lisa Golightly, Richard Fewster, Floor Martino, Heidi Boyd, Naomi Stacey, Naomi Grillinzoni, Ebony Tannouri, Sylvia Tomkin and Melissa Fitzgerald.

2024 Term Dates

The first day of Term 1 in 2024 will be Tuesday 30 January 2024. Teachers will have a Curriculum Day on Monday 29 January 2024, which will be a student-free day.

Our final day of school in 2023 will be Tuesday 19 December. I encourage families to pop in to school to extend your gratitude to your child’s teacher for their dedication in 2023 and to say farewell before school concludes. I look forward to seeing families visiting our grounds and I would love to see you to wish you a Merry Christmas and a relaxing holiday break. I wish every QPS family and student a safe, restful and rejuvenating holiday break. I am sure many adventures will be had and I look forward to hearing about them in the first week back in 2024.

Nyatne baa Gobata
(Thank you and take care)

Mat McRae Principal