Principal's Report

Welcome back to Term 4

The beginning of Term 4 always brings with it the warmer weather, daylight savings and a general sense of wellbeing which creates a positive atmosphere.  After being back for two days and spending time in classroom I can really feel how everyone was able to take a more relaxed pace on the break and spend time investing in their own pursuits and things which give us a sense of accomplishment. 

 

Term 4 also gives a sense of accomplishment ready for the last part of the school year and understanding of how much each student and teacher has grown over the year.

We always need to remember that there is still 25% of the year of learning to take place, and that the learning in Term 4 is equally important as the learning from any other term of the year. 

 

It should be a great team of learning and fun ahead! 

Reading

At school we are often asked, 'How can we prepare our child for school?'  and while there are a lot of practical answers to this question such as learning how to eat from a lunchbox and how to tie up their own shoelaces, the one overriding thing that I believe provides students with a solid foundation for learning is 'Read to them'. 

 

Reading is like a magic key that unlocks so many other skills, the largest one being imagination which goes far beyond language development. 

 

The attached link is to a short article about what happens to the brain when an illustrated storybook is read to children, and how it engages their cognitive development. 

Click Here to access the article

Buildings and Grounds

Over the coming weeks, the Buildings and Ground Committee and School Council will be finalising the timeline for our outdoor space renew projects. This will enable our community to understand what works we are looking to undertake and when things may be happening over the next 3-5 years. 

 

I have also begun working to obtain quotes from builders for our toilet renovations. This process does take some time, with approval unlikely before the end of 2019. It is my hope that this work will take place at the beginning of 2020 once all approvals from the Department of Education have been obtained. 

Sick Bay

Our students have been pleasantly surprised over the past two days if they have had the need to attend the sickbay. We have begun using some of our additional maintenance funding which was announced at the end of Term 3 to get some work done in improving the sickbay.  

 

We are looking for anyone with the skills and knowledge who might be able to make some nice window coverings so that we can replace the current old blinds. If you think this might be you, please let us know at the office. We are also looking to replace the bed with a new daybed, repaint the room and create an environment where students who feel unwell are able to recuperate.