Principal's Report

Our school in 2020

Given the size of our school it can be challenging to work out grade structures for next year to support all students. Often however we do not have a choice as we have to balance a number of factors including staffing, students - gender, ability, etc. and budget.

In 2020 our class structure will be 5 classes and at this stage it will be:

Foundation/1

Year 1/2

Year 2/3

Year 4/5

Year 5/6

This structure allows us to balance the number of students and keep class sizes as small as possible across the school.

What are the criteria that we use to make up class lists?

Factors influencing class structure are:

 the educational needs of the students;

 the projected number of students in each year level;

 the ratio of girls to boys;

 the number of teachers employed at the school; and

 resources and facilities.

Factors which are considered in the placement of students include:

 academic performance – judgments over time

 work habits eg., ability to work independently

 behaviour

 gender

 social network/friendships

 social maturity

 special needs eg twins, siblings

With this in mind, parents are now invited to write to me about any additional information that will help us in determining a placement for your child. 

Parents are now invited to write to me about any concerns they may have for their child’s educational needs for 2020.

Please note, requests for particular teachers will not be considered as the best interests of all of the children and the effective management of the school must be taken into account.

Letters will be considered up until 4pm, Friday November 1st, 2019

Letters received after this date will not be accepted unless in exceptional circumstances. These letters are to be addressed directly to myself with all details and information provided kept in confidence.

While I have letters on file from previous years, I will only be taking into account letters I receive this year. Often friendship concerns become outdated as the children grow in maturity and have developed new friendships.

However, if you have information from previous years that you feel I need to know that is relevant in regard to your child’s placement, please include this in your letter.

As you may understand, the allocating of children to classrooms is a very complex task and one that requires patience and a great deal of thought and consideration. Please assist us to make this process as smooth as possible by taking note of the requests as outlined.

Please also be aware that requests are indeed requests and does not mean it will automatically happen. We have decided, on balance, in previous years to not grant some requests. This is done with all the information that we have at our disposal and every decision will be made for the betterment of all children.

Should you wish to discuss any concerns with 2020 grade placements in person, please contact the school office to arrange a time to meet with me.

Have a great week everyone.

Tabitha