Term 4 is under way and once again we have hit the ground running. The weather warmed up beautifully for our Junior Sports Carnival last Friday and we look forward to the Senior Carnival this Friday. A reminder that Ashley King is on Long Service Leave for the first 4 weeks of term and I will be back at the helm during this time.

We continue to take enrolments for both this year and next year. If you know of anyone of Kindy age for next year, encourage them to enrol now or there may be no space for them next year.

Japan Tour   

On Friday morning of Week 9 last term, 19 students, 12 parents and 3 staff met at Perth International Airport to start their journey to Takanodai Elementary School in Kobe, Japan. The trip was a wonderful experience for all who attended and included several nights where the Kingston students stayed in a “homestay” situation with a Japanese family. They battled the language barrier, the food barrier, the accommodation barrier and came out with a greater understanding of their place in the world and a far greater cultural awareness. The students represented Kingston brilliantly and it was a pleasure to see them show their virtues and resilience.

Thank you to Ashley King, Penny Adams and Salv Basile who gave up a lot of their own time to supervise the trip. I know they loved the experience, but were absolutely shattered on their return, dreaming of nights in their own bed when they weren’t on 24hr call. An opportunity like this has a lot of Department and Government hurdles to overcome and reams of paperwork. A huge thank you to Anne Curd who spent countless hours throughout the year organising this opportunity. It was a mammoth effort.

Congratulations to everyone who was involved.

Enrolments

I would like to extend a warm welcome to the students who commenced at Kingston on Tuesday. Next year’s planning is very important to us. If you know that you are leaving Kingston next year and your children will be attending another school, please let us know. If you know of people who are moving into the area and plan to enrol, please let us know. This information allows us to plan for classes, staffing and budgets to ensure that Kingston continues as a great school.

Junior Athletics Carnival       

We had another fantastic carnival with lots of excited students from Years 1-3 and an appearance for specific events from the Pre-Primary students. Tents were set up on the outside of the oval from about 7.30am as parents claimed their spots to enjoy the day. Students participated with wonderful sportsmanship and commitment. As with all carnivals at Kingston, Mr Campbell organises maximum participation so that less time is spent in bays. This worked fantastically well on Friday.

Congratulations to Winton Warriors who were the winners of the Junior Carnival.

Our Senior Athletics Carnival will be this Friday. I expect to see the same level of enthusiasm, commitment and sportsmanship for our senior students.

School Arrival Time

I understand the pressures on families today and I believe that the school goes above and beyond to support families. Staff supervise children before school from 8.10am – 8.30am. We have recently had an increase in the number of students who start arriving at school between 7.30am and 8.00am. This situation is not manageable from a school perspective and I ask that parents respect the resources that are in place. The OSH Club can cater for students before school in a supervised capacity and information is available from the front office.