Dear Parents,

70^th Anniversary Day

It was wonderful to welcome so many past and present parents, family, friends, teachers and students to the 70^th anniversary celebrations yesterday. The morning assembly included a speech from School Captains, Abi and Sam, along with Vice-School Captains, Demi and Ollie. The visitors were then treated to a performance from every year level representing the seven decades that Greythorn has been open for. The performances were certainly a highlight of the day with each year level singing and dancing with amazing enthusiasm, delighting everyone in the audience. This was followed by a rendition of Happy Birthday and the cutting of the anniversary cake. After recess the students enjoyed their dance party in the stadium. Visitors were then welcome to tour the school in the afternoon and they enjoyed the display of memorabilia in the Hall along with the delicious afternoon tea on offer. During the afternoon tea, Mr Price and the choir entertained everyone with the singing of three beautiful songs. At the end of the day every student was presented with a GPS cupcake. It was a wonderful day for everyone and a fitting way to mark the school anniversary. I would like to sincerely thank every staff member for their hard work and support with all of the organising and preparations leading up to yesterday. It was this team effort from everyone that enabled the celebrations to be so successful. In particular, I would like to thank the staff who were part of the organising committee for their ongoing work with all planning and preparations. The committee consisted of Claire Knell, Terry Price, Aude Joyce, Jen Tarulli, Orna Foley, Charlie Reid, Georgette Kalfadellis and Bec Banez. Commemorative mugs can still be ordered online via My School Connect. These are being produced by Kylie Batten and I would like to thank her for the ongoing work with their preparation and sales. Photos of the day are on our school Facebook page.

Year 5 Camp

The Year 5 students, teachers and parent volunteers had a great time at camp Rumbug last week. The weather was clear and dry for the majority of the time, giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy all of the outdoor activities on offer. The highlight for many was the spectacular flying fox that runs across a beautiful valley, as well as the challenging mud run. Congratulations to all of the students for the way that they participated so positively in every activity and the exemplary behaviour that they displayed throughout the three days away. Thank you to Orna Foley, Caitlin Shipsides, Max Mays, Jen Tarulli and Charlie Reid for attending the camp, ensuring the students had a wonderful and memorable experience. Thank you also to parent volunteers Kristy Kindl, Iris Chan, Jasmine Featherston and James Hansen for also attending the camp and being integral members of the team.

District Cross-country

This year’s District cross-country carnival was held at Macleay Park on Friday, May 12. Our team consisted of 60 students across all of the age-group categories. The weather on the day was cool but clear, allowing all competitors to compete without rain. However, the conditions under foot were heavy with the several days of rainfall prior to the event. Congratulations to Mrs Deckert and the team for their outstanding achievements on the day as Greythorn placed equal first with Mont Albert PS at the end of the carnival. A fantastic achievement against a much larger school. Students finishing in the top 10 places in their respective races will progress to the Division final that is being held at Ruffey Lake Park in June. Thank you to Casey Deckert for all of her work to train the students in the team leading up to the carnival and managing all of the administrative requirements for this event.

Jess Wilson Visit

The State Member for Kew, Jess Wilson attended our assembly on Monday. She attended assembly to present the school with a set of new flags for our flagpoles. The set included the Australian, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islands and Victorian flags. A new pole has been installed so that all four flags can fly together at the school entrance.

Student Reports/Parent Teacher Interviews

The teachers are currently in the process of writing student reports for Semester 1. These will be published on Compass on Friday, June 16. The annual Parent/Teacher interviews will be taking place on Thursday, June 22. Please note that this will be a designated curriculum day and therefore, student free. Information regarding the booking of interview times will be published shortly via Compass.

Working Bee

Despite the wet start to the day, a band of hardy volunteers attended Saturday’s working bee to assist with the yard clean-up and gardening tasks. Thank you to the thirty parents and students who attended on Saturday as they did a wonderful job clearing leaves as well as mulching and planting. Their hard work ensured that the grounds looked neat and tidy for yesterday’s anniversary day.

Andrew Searle
Principal