Whoa! What an extremely packed and ‘drama’ filled two weeks it has been to finish off term 3! While unfortunately, we had to endure a disappointing and sad experience this week, we have been lucky to have had many exciting and positive items on the learning calendar as we head into the holidays.
This week our community was deeply saddened by the vandalism experienced in the sculpture garden. Our Sculpture Garden, created by our students and Artist in Residence at the time, Amanda Shelsher, is the centrepiece of our school entry and sets the tone of our beautiful school as students, parents, teachers, friends and visitors arrive. The unique and iconic space represents who we are as a school so it is understandable how deeply we have been affected. Moving forward, the school is continuing to investigate strategies to protect us from further damage and we believe that our community can play a significant role.
Over the holidays, we ask that our community remain alert and aware of happenings on and around the school grounds where possible, and please report any inappropriate behaviour to relevant authorities and the school through our normal communication channels. Together we hope to keep a ‘collective’ eye over the school.
Moving on to better news, the last two weeks have been jam-packed with engaging and memorable experiences for both our students, families and teachers.
In week 9, Mr Marshall led the CPS team into the 2021 Interschool Carnival at Bob Hawke College. From all reports, it was a fantastic day and while Churchlands did not take home any silverware, Mr Marshall was very pleased with the efforts of the students, specifically highlighting students who had been putting in extra time to train for their events - and achieving due to this effort. Well done Mr Marshall and the team!
While we may be experiencing car park problems currently, some Year 6 students have been working on their own contribution to a solution. I would like to thank Mrs Reid and Mrs Idle who led both the STEAM and Drama team in creating a full-length advertisement on the CPS car park rules. If its premiere showing at last week’s assembly is anything to go by, I’m sure the video that can be viewed on our school website, is going to have an impact. Congratulations students for showing such initiative to make a difference in your world – and congratulations on the finished product. The technical (and acting) skills on display were unbelievable. Well worth checking out.
In week 9, our school councillors under the guidance of Mr O’Mara undertook their annual fund-raising drive. This year our school leaders thought it was important to contribute to our ongoing Solar Buddy program. To raise money to help purchase next year's Solar Buddy kits, a ‘Dress up as someone you admire day’ was planned and carried out in week 9. It was wonderful to see how so many students put so much thought into who they admire, and it was great to see many interesting and inspirational humans, including some family members and teachers, gracing our school grounds for the day. In the end, the team raised over $400 for the cause. A job well done.
On top of the councillors efforts, we want to thank both the Lions Club of North Beach and the Lions Club of Floreat for contributing further. After coming to help cook sausages at our Learning Journey back in week 8 and seeing our school community in action, the Lions North Beach decided to donate half of their fundraising amount back to us. Lions Floreat, our founding partner for the Solar Buddy project, has also contributed the bulk of our required funds (over $1000), a fantastic and much-appreciated effort. So thank you to both Lions Club chapters, it is fantastic to see this community partnership grow before our eyes, and we look forward to working together again soon.
On Tuesday, it was time for our year 5’s to put this funding to good use with the preparation of this year’s batch of solar lights. Thank you to Mrs Samsa and Mrs Reid for continuing to promote and manage this great cause, inspiring our students to make a difference.
This term the year 6 team has been led on a wonderful journey of growth and discovery by Mrs Idle with the preparation of the 2021 musical – Star Warts and the Umpire Strikes Back! I had a chance to see the finished performance on Tuesday night and what stuck out was the amount of fun the students were having working together and expressing themselves creatively, and how much their confidence has grown over the term. A huge thank you goes out to Di and the Year 6 team for putting so much effort and time into organising the show. You have created such a memorable and positive experience for our young students – one they will remember forever, a priceless achievement.
Finally, I would like to thank the P & C who completed their Lapathon duties with the Lapathon Raffle assembly this afternoon. It was a monumental effort this year, with the team raising over $15,000! There was much excitement at the assembly as students enjoyed the festivities of the raffle and appreciated the chance to win a prize. On behalf of the school, we would like to thank all parents and families who contributed and to the P & C for organising the event, as these funds are vital to help create the learning experiences and environment we expect for our students. There were also some amazing individual family fundraising efforts that I would like to acknowledge, including the Edwards, Belotte, Wall, Hart and Ganepola families each raising over $200. Thank you!
I wish everyone a safe and relaxing holiday, whether you are travelling or enjoying the comforts of home, and we look forward to having students back on Wednesday 13 October for another productive and exciting term.
Luke Johnson
Acting Principal
