From the Principal
Dear Parents, Guardians and Carers,
Please continue to keep the Luthra family in your thoughts and prayers following the recent passing of Justin’s (1M) father. The family has asked for privacy at this time, and we respect their wishes by not sharing further details. We invite our school community to surround them with prayer and support in the days ahead. Donations of food vouchers can be given to the school if families wish to contribute.
Deputy Principal
As many of you are already aware, our Deputy Principal, Rachael Williams, will be moving to St Joseph’s, Warragul, at the beginning of Term 4. Although we are disappointed to be losing Rachael, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the wonderful contribution she has made to our community and to express our gratitude for her time with us.
Rachael has been a much-loved member of our school for nearly four years, serving with dedication and generosity of spirit. Most mornings, she is here from 6am - replacing teachers, preparing plans, and ensuring the day runs smoothly before most of us even arrive. Her care for students, her support of staff, and her leadership have been pivotal in building and maintaining the strong, positive culture we value so highly.
While we will all miss Rachael greatly, we are also excited for her as she takes up this new opportunity to continue her leadership journey. We know she will bring the same warmth, energy, and commitment to her new community that she has shown so strongly here.
On behalf of our school, I thank Rachael for her invaluable contribution and the many
ways she has enriched our community. Please join me in congratulating her and wishing her every blessing as she takes this next step in her career.
Looking ahead, our school will formally advertise the Deputy Principal position for 2026 later this term. In the meantime, we have invited internal expressions of interest for an Acting Deputy Principal role for the remainder of this year. This will mean some internal staff changes, but we will ensure consistency and transparency throughout this process, with any vacancies backfilled by teachers familiar to our students.
Carline Drop Off
Carline has been working well and I appreciate the communities support adjusting to
the challenges of the shared entrance and exit. If families can please pass this on to
families who use grandparents or other carers to collect students as sometimes they
might not by reading our newsletters and miss our messaging.
Please keep to 10km/h inside the carline loop. Please slow on entry and exit of carpark to 5km/h be aware of people crossing/riding. Please reverse park into first 10-15 carparks only. Please drop children in the ‘Kiss and Go’ Zone but please don’t exit and leave vehicles as it is difficult for cars to get around. Please don’t allow students to exit vehicles in traffic on the road – please pull over to the side of the road.
Building Project Update
Along with the DOSCEL Board, Rachael, Leah and I had our first tour of the new building and they are accelerating with their progress! From 6 weeks behind to on target within 6 weeks shows they have been going at double time which is great news for our school. Over the next two weeks we will look to populate a furniture order and hopefully get some pictures out for families.
This Friday, August 22, we will be celebrating Book Week with a dress-up day and a parade. Students are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book character or in a costume that celebrates the joy of reading. The theme for the 2025 Children’s Book Week is “Book an Adventure!” inspiring children to explore new worlds through stories, so let your imagination run wild! A Book Week parade will be held on the Junior School deck at 9:00am, and all parents are warmly invited to attend.
Warm Regards,
Stephen Pitt | Principal