It has been a very busy term with a lot of very exciting events. I would personally like to thank all of the students for their commitment to their learning this term, I have been amazed by the enthusiasm and dedication. I would like to thank all of the parents and caregivers for their support during a busy and ever changing situation. I would also like to acknowledge the staff at Pimpala who have remained flexible, motivated and passionate about educating our students.

We also have some very exciting news and changes about our staff. Rose Knight has successfully been appointed to the ongoing Auslan position, Richard Kemp has successfully been appointed to a position at Reynella Primary School for Term 4, 2021 and Terms 1 and 2 in 2022. Christine MacLean will remain in the Student Wellbeing Leader position and Troy Martinsen will remain in the Year 6/7 classroom for the remainder of the year. I know you will join me to congratulate them on their new or continuing positions.

Our Junior Primary students all went to the Adelaide Zoo and the behaviour was exemplary, I would like to thank the volunteers who supported our teachers and students. We are not able to plan events without our amazing community.

We had a lot of fun at our Disco a few weeks ago, the students enjoyed dancing and socialising with their peers, this event would not have been possible without our wonderful Governing Council Volunteers and staff. Thank you for your support with this event, the students are very grateful.

Term Four is always a time of change and change can be a very exciting experience, for those of us who do not like change it can be a bit daunting. When having conversations about changes it is important acknowledge the concerns and encourage them to remain positive and focus on the exhilarating journey that change can bring.

Our students in Year 5-7 will be participating in Aquatics and Water Safety in Week 5 and our Reception to Year 4 students will be participating in Swimming Lessons in Week 7.

Transition visits will start soon for our 2022 Receptions. I would like to invite all parents and caregivers of our 2022 Receptions to attend a ‘Welcome to Pimpala’ BBQ on Tuesday 19, October. Please phone the Administration Office if you are able to come for catering purposes.

Sadly we will be saying goodbye to our Year 6/7 students at the end of next term as they take their next step in their lives, they will begin to visit their various Secondary Schools.

With the school holidays just a few days away I wanted to wish you all a safe and enjoyable break. I hope that you all take a few quite moments with the important people in your lives. I am hopeful that the weather will be nice and we can enjoy a lot of restful sunshine before we begin another busy term.

I am very excited about what the future at Pimpala holds and I cannot wait to continue this journey with you all, I will see you all back to school on Tuesday 12, October.

School will be dismissed at 2:10pm on Friday, 24 September, 2021. Have a great holiday everyone!

There will be a Student Free Day on Monday, 11 October to enable staff to participate in Professional Learning.

OSHC will be available.  Please book at dl.1059.oshc@schools.sa.edu.au or phone 0413 482 521.

We are still trying to get final enrolment numbers for 2022 and we need your help.  Can you please let us know if you are aware of anyone you know who is looking to enrol at our school for next year.  Can you also please advise if are planning to leave the school. 

This really helps when we are trying to plan the number and year levels of classes for next year. The early advice of any changes can assist us to make the best decisions about the structure of classes, the teachers of the classes and which students will be the best fit for each class.  

Thank you for your assistance.

Enrolment packs have now been distributed to all year 6 and 7 students. Thank you to those families who have already returned their enrolment form. 

It is important that you complete the 2022 enrolment form by week 10 of term 3 - this week!  Secondary schools rely on this information to help them with timetabling, classroom spaces, student resources and teacher allocation. If you cannot find your enrolment pack email and/or have not received a hardcopy, please contact the high school ASAP so they can send you another enrolment form.  

This term our school will be participating in the Department for Infrastructure and Transport’s Way2Go Bike Ed program. It is a practical program for our students in year 4 delivered by qualified instructors.

Please return the consent form as soon as possible if you have not already done so.

Your child will receive a Way2Go Bike Ed student learning journal and a bike check card that will record the roadworthiness check of her/his bike from the first session.

Through participating in Way2Go Bike Ed students:

• build their knowledge and understanding of the road laws and traffic environments
• develop bike handling and maintenance skills
• develop decision making skills for off and on-road bike riding.

Each student will participate in 6 Friday sessions on 29/10, 5/11, 12/11, 19/11, 26/11, 3/12.

Students who own or can access a bicycle are requested to bring it to school for each session.

Please bring your bike to the hall where it will be safely stored. Bicycle SA has 15 bicycles that are prioritised for students who do not own or cannot access a bicycle.

We will need volunteers for these sessions to support our students. Please contact the Administration Office if you are able to support, all volunteers will need a Working with Children Check and to have completed the RHHAN-EC training.

Swimming for students in Years R-4 will be held at the Noarlunga Swimming Centre in Week 7 of Term 4, 22 November to 26 November.  Year 3 and 4s will be accommodated during this week, after their Term 3 lessons were cancelled due to the COVID-19 shutdown earlier this term.

Year 5 students who were also affected by the shutdown will undertake a Beach Safety Course on 11 November, 2021.

More information about both of these programs will be sent home soon.

Transition visits have been scheduled for the following Tuesdays:

2 November      9:00am - 10:40am

9 November      9:00am - 11:30am

16 November    9:00am - 12:00 noon 

Prior to the transition visits, the transition students and families are invited to a "Get to Know You" BBQ on Tuesday, 19 October, 2021 from 4:30 to 5:30pm.  Please let us know how many will attend.

We will also be organising interviews with one of our reception teachers on Wednesday, 27 October. Information about this will be distributed to families soon.

Principal Tours have been scheduled for the following date and times:  

• 18 October, 2021 at 9:30am and at 4:30pm

Please book in with the Administration Office if you plan to attend by phoning 8326 0900.

Please wear a mask at all times.

Please note: as will all school events, the Principal Tours are subject to change/cancellation due to COVID-19 restrictions.

If this date and times don't suit you, please ring the Enrolment Officer for an alternate time.  We look forward to meeting you.

Our U11 soccer team did us proud in last weekends Grand Final but unfortunately went down 6-2 in what was a much closer game than the score reads. We surprised the match favourites with Jordan B scoring a brilliant opening goal, but McLaren Districts were just too good on the day. Well done Zac M for scoring our second goal, and our entire team who finished 3rd in the league and runners up in the 'The Cup'.

During the year we had many players in our soccer teams so thank you to the Graham Miles for co-rdinating soccer at school this year, and thank you to the coaches, team managers, officials, parents and players for making it fun for everyone.

Put this date in your diary!  Wednesday, 1 December, 2021.  

We are optimisitic that we will have an End of Year Celebration this year - COVID-19 regulations permitting.

More information will be sent home next term.

The Graduation ceremony for students completing Year 6 and Year 7 and starting secondary school in 2022 will be held at the Performing Arts Centre, Wirreanda Secondary School on Thursday, 9 December, 2021 at 5pm.

The Graduation Dinner for students and staff will be held after the ceremony at St. Francis Winery.

More information will be sent home next term.

Autism SA runs Family Workshops which are designed for any family member of carer that supports an individual on the Autism Spectrum as well as for individuals on the spectrum.

Here is a list of the workshops which have been planned until the end of the year.