Dear Craigslea Community,

It’s an exciting week at Craigslea as two long-awaited projects reach completion, the redevelopment of our Year 1 playground into the new Year 1/2 Play Precinct and the refurbishment of our Year 1 classrooms. The playground has been in planning for many years, and it’s wonderful to see it come to life. Our students are eager to test it out and we are on track for them to do this mid to late next week.

Today, Year 1 moved back into their beautifully redesigned classrooms after a term and a half away. Both students and teachers are thrilled to be back in their fresh, modern learning spaces.  Students will learn back in J block from Monday 18 August.

Congratulations to our District Athletes

Last week a group of our year 5 and 6 students competed in the North District Athletics carnival.  Our students represented Craigslea with pride and enthusiasm.  I would like to extend congratulations to all our athletes especially those who placed in an event and who will go onto the Met North Track and Field event on 26 and 27 August.

Cross Country
We were fortunate to enjoy fine weather for Monday’s Cross Country Carnival. Students and staff embraced the sunshine, running, cheering, and showing great house spirit. Medals will be presented at next Monday’s assembly.

Book Week – Book an Adventure
Next Friday, we will celebrate one of my favourite school events, Book Week, a time to honour the joy of reading and quality children’s literature. Our parade will begin at 9:15 am in the hall, followed by buddy classes sharing their favourite books.  Families are welcome to join us in the hall for our Book Week parade.

Reading is the foundation of all learning. Did you know that a student who reads or is read to for just 20 minutes each day is exposed to around 1.8 million words each year, increasing their vocabulary by about 2,700 new words? These students are often our highest achievers. A small daily habit can have a huge impact on learning outcomes. I encourage all families to make reading together part of their daily routine.

School Opinion Survey
The annual School Opinion Survey closes on 22 August 2025. If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to share your feedback on what we’re doing well and where we can improve.

Facilities & Construction Update

• Year 1/2 Play Precinct – completion mid next week
• J Block refurbishment – complete
• Stop, Drop and Go project – out to tender

Class Placements for 2026
Next week, parents will be invited to share information about their child/ren to assist with class placements for 2026. This may include friendship considerations, preferred learning styles, or teaching approaches. Requests for specific teachers or class structures cannot be accommodated.

Class placement decisions are based on a combination of student learning data, parent and teacher insights, year level enrolments, and staffing allocations. Parent input must be submitted by Friday 5 September to be considered.

Planning for 2026 – Joining or Leaving Craigslea
If your family is planning to leave Craigslea at the end of 2025, please notify the school office as soon as possible. Likewise, if you know of families looking to join our community, encourage them to contact us.

Have a wonderful fortnight.

“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly and most underrated agent of human change” Bob Kerrey.

Yours in Learning,

Melanie Rehm