St Leonards Primary School

Newsletter 20, 10 December 2020

From the Leadership

Term 4 has been a whirlwind of exciting learning experiences for us all. Looking back over the year we have had many successes that continue to make St Leonards the fabulous school that it is.

The Celebration Day  was an outstanding success even without a parent and friend audience. Our learners were absolutely brilliant..  A big thank you to Nikki and Ian.  Once again you were fabulous.

Staffing Update

This is an exciting, yet sad, time of year as we welcome and farewell staff, as we know that they are our greatest assets. We farewell the following:

Jo Meredith is leaving us after two years.  In that time Jo has established herself as a popular member of our school community who puts our learners first at all times.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank Jo for her brilliant contribution to our school and wish her all the best for the in the next phase of her leadership journey.

Mei Lin had the unenviable task of establishing our Chinese program and has done this with enthusiasm.  Thank you for all of your work Mei and we would like to wish you all the best.

Tayla Kemp has worked in our Year 6 class this year and will be moving interstate. She developed wonderful relationships with staff and students and will be missed. We wish her all the best in her next adventure.

On behalf of staff, parents and students, I would like to thank and acknowledge the outstanding work of staff that are moving on due to career opportunities and wish them all the best for the future. We also wish a fond farewell to all our students and their families who are leaving our SLPS community in 2021. We hope that you enjoyed your time with us. We will miss you all.

Welcome and congratulations to the following teachers who have been appointed for next year:

Mandy Drinkwater, Jess Ogilvie, Liz Condous, Kathleen Rollings, Jasmine Miller, Bonnie Tohl and Hayley Phillips. Sharon Hill has been appointed as Literacy Coach in 2021 and Kathy Baker is Deputy Principal for Term 1 2021

We would like wish our amazing community a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you all in 2021.

Dave Henty-Smith - Principal

Jo Meredith - Deputy Principal

Kathy Baker - Inclusive Education Coordinator

2021 Classes

Room 1 - Year 4 - Hayden Schwarz

Room 2 - Year 4 - Susan Hallam

Room 3 - Year 2/3 - Hayley Phillips

Room 4 - Year 3 - Graeme Smith

Room 5 - Year 5 - Mandy Drinkwater

Room 6 - Year 5 - Kathleen Rollings

Room 7 - Reception - Jess Ogilvie

Room 9 - Reception - Judy Ireland

Room 10 - Reception - Ellen Barr

Room 11 - Year 1 - Judi Brown and Sonia Tu

Room 12 - Year 1 - Shelley Sayers and Sonia Tu

Room 15 - Year 2 - Bonnie Tohl and Jane Brooks

Room 16 - Year 2 - Sonya Winter and Dennis Moyle

Room 17 - Year 6/7 - Natalie Baggio

Room 18 - Year 6/7 - Jasmine Miller

Room 20 - Year 6/7 - Stevo Jurkovic 

PE - Heidi Bevan

Technology - Dennis Moyle

LOTE (Chinese) - TBA

Music - Liz Condous

2020 Graduating Class

Daniel C, Jacob N, Alesha R, Ruba L, Ruby C, Jade O, Yan L, Arush K, Jake R, Molly S, Georgia H, Rafael P, Eleni G, Kiana D, Mason R, Willow L, Nejla S, Cameron M, Alex R, Eliza L, Ashlee J, Lochie K, Kayleigh D, Ruben L, Owen J, Lilli M and Lana C
Thank you to our 2020 Ambassadors. You have shown outstanding leadership.
Congratulations to our amazing 2020 Year 7 class. We wish you every success in 2021.
Daniel C, Jacob N, Alesha R, Ruba L, Ruby C, Jade O, Yan L, Arush K, Jake R, Molly S, Georgia H, Rafael P, Eleni G, Kiana D, Mason R, Willow L, Nejla S, Cameron M, Alex R, Eliza L, Ashlee J, Lochie K, Kayleigh D, Ruben L, Owen J, Lilli M and Lana C
Thank you to our 2020 Ambassadors. You have shown outstanding leadership.
Congratulations to our amazing 2020 Year 7 class. We wish you every success in 2021.
Daniel C, Jacob N, Alesha R, Ruba L, Ruby C, Jade O, Yan L, Arush K, Jake R, Molly S, Georgia H, Rafael P, Eleni G, Kiana D, Mason R, Willow L, Nejla S, Cameron M, Alex R, Eliza L, Ashlee J, Lochie K, Kayleigh D, Ruben L, Owen J, Lilli M and Lana C

Notices

Diary Dates

Have a wonderful holiday break and we will see you in 2021.

Week 1 2021

Hats on in Term 1

  • First Day of School - Wednesday 27 January, 2021

Finance

The Governing Council approved the 2021 Materials and Services charges of $360 (no increase from 2020) at the meeting held on Tuesday 27 October 2020. An early bird discount of 5% will be given for fees paid by the end of the third week of Term 1, Friday 12 February 2021.

The Governing Council also reviewed the $50 Excursion/Incursion Levy and agreed to continue the levy in 2021. Where classes have unused 2020 levy monies, a credit will be placed on the system for parents to apply against next year’s levy.

Materials and Services Charge 2021 School Poll

Thank you to all families who responded to the polling letter and returned their voting slips by Wednesday 25 2020. The results of the Poll are as follows:

55 for

9 against

Therefore, as per Department for Education requirements, due to the majority of families who responded voting in favour of the amount staying the same, the Materials and Services Charge of $360 will become the legally recoverable amount in the event of non-payment for 2021.

School Card

School card application forms will be sent home early next year to families who were eligible this year. If you believe that you are eligible for school card, please request a form from the Office or complete the process online.

 Victoria Sierros, Finance Manager 

Admin Matters

  • Office staff will be onsite from Monday 11 January. Due to roof renovations being carried out during the holidays please call the Office on 8294 9811 first re any enquiries as we will not be able to allow people onsite. 
  • Having the correct contact details is very important. Please contact the Office to update any phone numbers or email addresses. 
  • Skoolbag and QKR! are a convenient way to get current information about what is happening at St Leonards and to make payments or order canteen items. If you have not already done so please go to either the app store or google play store to download the apps and connect to St Leonards Primary School.  

QKR! How-to Guide

Download

Skoolbag How-to Guide

Download

Reminder

2:05pm Early Dismissal tomorrow, Friday 11 December.

Absences, Late Arrivals and Early Leaving

Please note that the school SMS number has now changed. The new SMS number is 0436 483 127. This is our preferred method for letting us know about any absences.

Messages should include name, room number and reason for absence eg illness or family.

Alternatively, please call the Office on 8294 9811 to leave a message with office staff.


 

2021 Uniform

Reminder

All new uniform is held off site and can be ordered via the link below. We have a small amount of discontinued uniform stock available to order through QKR! from the 11 January until stock runs out.

Uniform Pre-orders

To pre-order our new 2021 Heritage Collection uniform please follow the link or visit the uniform page of our website.

https://belgraviasportsonline.com.au/collections/st-leonards-primary-school

Current uniform can still be worn. It will be phased out gradually over the next two years.

Thank you

To all the people who have offered their help at our school this year, in whatever capacity, large or small, we extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to you. It has been especially appreciated in this year of COVID interruptions. We look forward to an ongoing association with you in 2021.

 

Karen's Corner

Oh my goodness … just let me take a moment to catch my breath!! 

Well I really can hardly believe it (I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot this year particularly!!) but seriously, I am struggling to believe it’s almost the end of the term and the end of the YEAR!!   And what a year it has been!!   I am, as always filled with emotions … so many emotions!  Thinking especially about the incredible Year 7 Class of 2020 about to leave our school and embark on the next chapter of their lives, embracing the next adventure that is High School!!  As I write this, the final touches are being put together for tonight’s Graduation, to celebrate the amazing group of learners who will very soon be saying goodbye to our wonderful school community!  For some families it is a final goodbye as they prepare to leave St. Leonards for the very last time and for others, with younger siblings still enrolled with us it’s only ‘see you later’  rather than goodbye!

I like to think that we should just bid each other a ‘see you later’ as this year comes to a close, because honestly, we are all family whether you have learners still here at our wonderful school or if you are parents and caregivers of soon to be Old Scholars’ I sincerely hope that our paths will cross again sometime, somewhere!    The Wiradjuri word that best describes it is guwayu – which means in a little while, later or after some time … and that, dear friends, sounds pretty good to me!!

For those moving on with their families to new communities and therefore new schools, I wish you every success as you embrace the new and exciting changes and challenges that will present themselves!  If change has you feeling a bit wobbly, you might like to have a chat to your children about resilience … chances are, given it’s one of our school values, they might be able to offer you some ideas on how to be resilient, using a growth mindset attitude … you might be pleasantly surprised with what they tell (teach!) you!   Sometimes, I’ve found (and am still learning!) it’s easy to forget how much our children have grown,  how much they know and sometimes I think I’m guilty of not given them enough credit for things … it’s just me, right?!

So as we farewell our Year 7s, we prepare to welcome our next group of learners to our school … can you cast your mind back to when your child started here at St. Leonards?  Probably seems a lifetime ago or maybe it seems like yesterday … either way, as we look forward to a new year, a fresh start, a reset … I wish you and your loved ones, peace, joy and love!  May 2021 be a fabulous year for each and everyone of you … may you make plans, dream dreams, embrace the new, leave the old behind and most importantly take time when and where you can, to relax, regroup, laugh, make new memories and spend times with family, friends and people who make you smile!

Merry Christmas friends, I hope the spirit of Christmas and the true meaning of this special time of year is happy and memorable for each and everyone of you!  Take care and please remember, it’s only guwayu not goodbye!!

Love to you all,

Karen Marks, Pastoral Care worker

Community News

Dover Kindergarten: Occasional Care Program

Please see the attached document for information regarding the Dover Kindergarten Occasional Care Program which caters for children aged 2-4 years old.

Download

School Holidays Activities

School Signage

We are excited to announce that we are now offering signage on our school’s fence line in Glenelg North.

This is an opportunity for SLPS to partner with the community and help with promoting local businesses.

You can benefit by purchasing your space and gain invaluable exposure to families, passing motorists and locals as well as showing your support for our school community. 

 There is a limited number of signs so get in before they are all gone.  

 If you are interested or know of someone that might benefit from advertising to our local community please contact  

 Michael on 0414 350 225 or Sponsorship.StLeonards392@schools.sa.edu.au

St Leonards Primary School

Learning Together

Respect, Resilience, Readiness

"Building a community that inspires curious, creative and innovative thinkers."

Principal: Dave Henty-Smith

Deputy: Jo Meredith

Inclusive Education Coordinator: Kathy Baker

Enrolment Officer: Mel Worden