Dear parents and carers,

As term 3 comes to an end, please be aware that students will be dismissed earlier than usual next Friday 16th September, at 2:30pm. School will resume on Monday 3rd October for the start of Term 4.

Ngulu-Nganjin – Grade 4-6 Production

Last week our Year 4, 5 & 6 students performed a fun filled road story/musical called Ngulu-Nganjin at the Clocktower in Moonee Ponds. Ngulu-Nganjin means everyone’s voices in Woiwurrung, the language of Wurundjeri people. Embodying everyone’s voices, our school community, led by Roz Girvan, worked collaboratively to develop the script, music, dance choreography, costumes, props and backdrops for this production where our characters encountered different First Nations’ languages and cultures. The students worked very hard rehearsing their parts throughout the last two terms and were very excited to be given the opportunity to perform live their class scene as well as to perform in the finale with rapper and Butchulla man Birdz (recently nominated for the National Indigenous Music Awards Album of the Year). For those of you who were fortunate enough to attend we hope that you enjoyed a fabulous show.

See the playbill here for more details.

Camps

This week we have had our Year 3 & 6 classes attending camps.

The venue for the Year 3 camp was Camp Angahook in Aireys Inlet. Students participated in a range of activities including low ropes course, archery, orienteering and hut building. The students also participated in exciting activities with the experienced environmental group Ecologic, including estuary discovery activities. Through the camp based and off-site activities, students' resilience, team building and organisational abilities were developed.

The Year 6’s attended The Summit Outdoor Adventure Park in Trafalgar East. Students engaged in a range of activities to encourage and foster resilience, leadership, confidence, team work and personal growth. The activities that the students participated in included; Giant Swing, Snowy River Challenge, High Wire, Cave Challenge, Leap of Faith, Scavenger Hunt and Inflatable City.

A big thank you to the teachers and parents who made the camps possible for our Year 3 & 6 students through their attendance.

The Victorian Professional Learning Community (PLC) initiative

The Victorian Professional Learning Community (PLC) initiative supports Victorian government schools to build effective PLCs. Participating schools are at the forefront of working collaboratively to improve student learning outcomes. Since the end of last term Principal Class staff members and team leaders from across the school have been participating in professional development to build their capacity and skills as Instructional Leaders to build a professional learning community at Clifton Hill Primary School.

What are Professional learning communities?

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are an approach to school improvement where groups of teachers work collaboratively at the school level to improve student outcomes. PLC schools start from a simple idea: students learn more when their teachers work together. Building a PLC is a proven way of creating a culture that ensures student learning drives teacher learning through targeted professional learning, classroom observation and the support of school leadership.

The professional learning focus in 2023 will be on the implementation of PLCs in the school. Teams of teachers across the school will become the building blocks of PLCs and will use a consistent and structured cycle of data-driven inquiry to inform classroom practice. These teams will be given time and support to plan, implement and evaluate high-impact teaching and learning programs.

Health and Wellbeing

The viruses out there continue to have an impact on staff and student health, but the good news is that the COVID cases here have dropped considerably. Thank you, parents and carers, for keeping children at home until they are well again for school. It is becoming a little easier to source relief staff to replace unwell staff. We are very fortunate to have some regular replacement teachers who are very much a part of the staff team.

Gareth Buck

Assistant Principal

Clifton Hill Primary School acknowledges the Wurundjeri people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we come together to learn, and we pay our respects to Elders of the Kulin Nation past and present.

4VG Production Reflections