Assistant Principal's

Report

Hats are Back

We have made it through winter, and while the mornings are still cold, the UV levels start climbing well before the weather feels like it. From now until the end of April, all students need to wear their school hat whenever they are outside for recess, lunch and outdoor learning. Please check that your child's hat is in their bag and clearly named. 

Reflections from my time at Westgarth Primary School

Over Weeks 3 to 6 this term, I was lucky enough to spend four weeks on placement at Westgarth Primary School as part of a course I am completing through the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership. I shadowed the principal there, who gave me great insight into how a school is run and the high-level decisions being made each day.

Part of the course involves completing a project for the host school, and mine looked at their Attitudes to School Survey data. The Attitudes to School Survey is completed each year by students in Years 4 to 6. It is one of the few places where children get to say, anonymously and in their own right, how school actually feels. Numbers on a page only take you so far, so alongside the data I ran a series of student focus groups. Small groups of children sat down and explained in their own words what sat behind the results. What makes a good learning day? When do you feel most listened to? What would you change if you could? They were honest, thoughtful and generous, and they noticed things adults miss.

FNPS Attitudes to School Survey Data

Spending so much time looking at Westgarth's data obviously made me analyse and reflect on our school's data and where we are at. I wanted to share some points that our whole school community can be proud of.    

This data point has increased dramatically over the past two years. It shows the trust our students have in the adults in our school and that they are feeling heard.

Having students interested and engaged in their learning is so important to our school. This is a testament to thorough planning and thought the teachers put into their lessons each week. 

These results belong to our students, our staff and our families. They are the product of years of steady work together.

None of this means we are finished. The survey always points somewhere next, and we will keep working on what it shows us. But it is worth stopping to say plainly: our children feel safe here, they feel known here, and they are interested in what they are learning. Not every school can say that.

Thank you to the Westgarth community for having me, and to our staff who covered so generously while I was away.

Book Week - Author Visits

Last week we were lucky to host two visiting authors. Heidi McKinnon worked with our Prep to Year 2 students on character creation and drawing, and it was a joy to watch children discover how a few simple lines can turn into a character with a personality all its own. Alex Miles took our Year 3 to 6 students through the writing process, from first idea to finished piece, and gave them a real sense of how a book actually gets made. A big thank you to Molly L for organising both visits.

Open Afternoon

Our Open Afternoon is on Wednesday 16 September at 3:00 pm. Families are warmly invited into classrooms to see the incredible learning that has been taking place across the term. Your child will be able to show you their work and talk you through what they have been exploring, which is often the best part. We hope to see you there.

Have a great week everyone.

It is good to be back. 

Joe