Remembrance Day

Our annual Remembrance Day Ceremony was held on Friday, with the students meeting in the hall for our ceremony. The School Captains and Vice Captains took the students through the significance of Remembrance Day and we listened to the Last Post. Thank you to Kate Nancarrow and the School Captains for running this very important event.

Prep Transition – Session 2 this week

Our first transition session for the 2023 prep students was a great success! We are looking forward to seeing the parents and students again on Thursday. Parents are encouraged to bring their children into the classrooms at 9:15am, sign them in and depart promptly to the Library where there will be tea and coffee, a chance to mingle with other parents, and listen to information which may be of use regarding your child’s start to school.

Community Appreciation Afternoon Tea

Parents are invited to attend our Community Appreciation Afternoon Tea on Tuesday 13 December between 2:30-3:30pm. This is an important occasion for the Solway staff to acknowledge the fantastic support received from families and the broader community throughout the year. No matter how small you may feel your contribution may have been, we cannot continue to operate the activities and programs at Solway without your support and so please come along. Teachers go to considerable trouble to provide the catering for this event, in recognition of our appreciation of this parental and community support, so it would be lovely to get a strong turnout. We look forward to seeing you there.

Solway Carols Evening

After having to cancel for the past few years, all classes have commenced their preparation for the Carols Christmas Evening to be held on Thursday 8 December commencing at 6:00pm. Students are encouraged to come along in their Christmas attire, ready to perform with their classes on this very special night on the School Calendar. Students will sit together with their classes during the evening.

Parents are encouraged to bring along a picnic dinner, rug or chairs, and to gather in front of the Performing Arts Stage anytime from 4:30pm, behind the students. We do ask that pre-schoolers remain with their parents throughout the night. Please note this is not compulsory, but rather a fun evening to get together and watch the students have fun!

Solway Orientation Days

In week 9, our prep-year 5 students will commence their ‘Next Steps’ program, designed to take the mystery out of the transition from the current year of learning to the next. Students will be mixed across a number of groupings for the first session, and participate in carefully designed sessions; these are NOT an indicator of the 2023 classes, and should not be interpreted as such.

The second session, where students meet their 2023 classes with their expected teacher, the Solway Orientation Day, is Tuesday 6 December. It will be excellent if all students in years prep-5 are at school for these sessions.

This can be an anxious time for the students who do not manage change with confidence, and an exciting time for others. Parents can support their children by maintaining a positive approach to the changes, and encouraging a growth mindset…… “you may not know this teacher well yet….. but you will soon, and it will be ok” or “ you will have the opportunity to make many more friends in this new class…..”. The transition exercise will be repeated for our third and final session on Tuesday 13 December for current prep-year 5 students, in line with the Department of Education State-wide transition day for year 6 students going to year 7, giving students another opportunity to get to know their new classmates. Parents are advised that requests for changes to classes at this time cannot be accommodated.

Students who will not be at Solway in 2023 will take part in the first session as this is general to moving to the next year level. When students meet their classes and teacher the students leaving Solway in 2023 will be supervised by the specialist teachers.

2023 Class Structure

In an effort to ensure class sizes remain low, particularly after the challenging impact of the past few years on the students, it is looking likely that Solway will need to implement at least one multi-age class for 2023 (Year 3/4 at this stage). Multi-age classes are not new to Solway and this will ensure class sizes remain as low as possible.

It is important to note that research indicates that models of single year level or multi-age classes have little to no difference in impact when it comes to influencing academic achievement. What matters most is the quality of teaching practice across the school. When teachers have consistency in their approach, know their learners and how they learn best and have a deep understanding of the curriculum and how to teach it, we see the most significant gains in student achievement. At Solway, we maintain our commitment to the ongoing professional development of our teachers as this leads to the greatest outcomes for all of our students.

As with all our local schools, our numbers have changed in recent years, culminating in smaller cohorts across year levels. These smaller numbers become increasingly difficult to split into smaller classes in single year levels.

Whether your child is in a single year level or multi-age class, our teachers will continue to teach at the point of need for each student, using assessment data to inform their practice and planning and working together to ensure every student reaches their potential.

Parent Payments 2023

At Solway, we endeavour to provide our students with the highest quality learning programs, equipment and resources that ensure our students are equipped to be productive, creative, global citizens. We are proud of the learning opportunities that our students enjoy. We would like to thank all of those families who have made a voluntary contribution to our school, which, alongside families volunteering their time has been a critical factor in our success. These contributions have allowed us to provide a high-quality education program, new playground, painting and upkeep, etc.

The impact of COVID over the past few years has significantly impacted our fundraising efforts in 2020, 2021 and again in 2022 as we were under restrictions during Semester 1 and then the winter season. We again seek families’ support concerning Voluntary Contributions in 2023, so that we can continue to deliver the outstanding education of which we are so proud. Government funding does not cover all the aspects of your child’s education that we provide at Solway. Without your financial support, the school would not be able to continue to offer the high standard and diverse range of programs and activities that are currently available, including the specialist program and low class sizes. Please note the Department's new format for the Voluntary Contributions does not allow for discounts for siblings.

The School Council met to review and discuss the school voluntary fees/contribution payments for the 2023 school year. In 2023, we will once again not be charging an excursion levy. Instead, families will be notified at the time of each excursion/incursion, and payment will be required before the event on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Policy

As we prepare for the end of year festivities, it is important for parents to remember we must follow the Department of Education Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality Policy. Cash vouchers that can be ‘universally’ used in the same way as cash such as a financial institution-issued debit card remain prohibited under the policy. A copy of the Department of Education’s Gifts, Benefits and Hospital Policy can be found here. If you are unsure and would like any clarification, please ask.

Kris Kringle at Solway

Following the success of the last few years, students will not hold a KK where they buy each other gifts in their classrooms, but may instead be offered the option to participate in a class KK by donating to a worthy cause. Classes may decide to put a gold coin towards a gift under a ‘Wishing Tree’ (typically at Kmart or the like) or make a donation towards a charity that supports families at Christmas, e.g. World Vision. There are many possible choices. The point is that students are asked not to bring gifts to school for each other, but to consider giving to someone in need. Three of our Year 6 students have written a piece about Koala Kids charity that families may wish to take part in. (See the charity collection section of the newsletter)

Gift giving at school can be tricky to manage, as some can feel excluded or left out. So we are asking students not to bring gifts for their buddies – a thoughtful card with perhaps a Christmas chocolate is sufficient. We also ask that our older students who may wish to give each other gifts as friends, do so outside school.

Camps 2023

You may have heard in the media that there are new guidelines for schools to follow in relation to camps, in 2023. Due to this, some schools are looking to cancel or condense the camping program.

At this stage, Solway staff are trialing the new guidelines, in the hope that we can continue to run the camping program as is. To do this, we will require parent help at all of our camps in 2023.

As our year 5/6 camp is the longest and earliest, I am asking for parents of our year 5/6 students in 2023, to consider attending as a parent helper. More information will come in early 2023, however the dates are 20-24 March, 2023. A valid Working With Children Check is required so please complete this application online now if you are able to consider this important role.

Lyn Rodda

Principal

Community News