Principal's Report
Newsletter Report Acting Principal May 2025
Term 2 is off to a smooth and busy start. We have a lot going on so I thought I would sort the information under headings for an easy read. routines, which has helped everyone ease back into the school rhythm quickly.
Staffing:
Welcome to:
Jen Parkes to Year 4—co teaching with Mrs Wright
Alescia Geddes to the ES aide team
Jarrad Rose to replace Maddie Angell when she goes on family leave at the end of May
Grounds:
We have ramps being built around the school funded by the Department according to their OHS plan. It will probably take the whole term for all of them to be completed. The plan had been for them to be completed over the last school holidays, but they ran late with their schedule at other schools. There will be some inconvenience, but we are working as best as we can to minimise that.
Safety:
SunSmart—From September until May -no hat no play. The UV rays are lower after that so now students do not need to wear their hats outside. You will need to find a safe place to store them as they will be required in September again.
Parking
-thank you for being mindful in the Kiss and Go Zone so traffic can flow through smoothly.
-just a reminder that parents should not be parking in the parking onsite between 8am and 4pm unless they are attending a swimming lesson. We already have a shortage of staff carparks, so we ask you to be considerate and not use them.
- please be mindful of speed limits in our school zone. It’s a 40 km speed limit. Be aware of cars opening doors and allow enough space for safe entry/exit of car doors.
-Be mindful students should exit from the safety door of the car—the one closest to the kerb
Behaviour
- Overall, student behaviour across the school continues to be outstanding. We’ve seen great success with our recent focus on respectful line-ups and calm, smooth transitions into classrooms. Our morning welcoming and priming circles are helping students start their day in a positive and connected way.
One area we’re currently supporting more closely is helping students manage their reactions to everyday challenges. From time to time, we’re noticing that some students are responding strongly to minor issues—what we might call "high-level reactions to low-level problems." This is a natural part of learning emotional regulation, and our wellbeing team is working closely with staff and students to provide strategies that help ensure small issues remain just that—small.
We’re really proud of how our students are engaging with this learning, and we appreciate your continued support in reinforcing these skills at home. As always, our focus is on creating a calm, respectful, and supportive environment where every student can thrive.
-Everyone has a right to feel safe. It is our responsibility to act in a respectful manner at all times. This is an expectation for staff, students and other adults associated with our school. We pride ourselves on working closely with families to support their child/ren. We will always have a professional and respectful meeting with you if we have concerns. For Child Safety reasons, parents CANNOT approach children other than their own to reprimand. If you have a concern about another child, you need to speak with one of our Principal Class Officers.
Gates locked
We will continue to leave the pedestrian gates unlocked for weekends and out of school hours. Thank you for your support regarding the targeting of vandalism and reports to police. This has decreased immensely. Let’s continue to work together to protect our school.
Visitors to the school must enter through Gate 1 and go straight to the office during school hours. Unfortunately, this is not always happening, so for the safety of our students all gates will be locked at 9.05 and reopened at the end of the day.
Events
All school events are on Compass, we are paperless (as much a possible). When an event is published you will get a Compass notification and will be able to give consent and payment through the app. If you have any concerns, please contact the office.
Deadlines will be adhered to (unless there are exceptional circumstances) as we need to have all administration tasks associated with each event completed at least one week in advance.
We have also been using the Insight portal on Compass to gauge the viability of some events such as camps. Unfortunately, all costs with camps have skyrocketed. We want to work with our families to provide events that are curriculum based and affordable. So, for particularly expensive events such as camps, we will use the Insight portal to decide viability and consider other options as necessary.
School Cross Country was fabulous. It was wonderful to see so many students living the THRIVE values by Trying their Best, being Healthy and particularly—being resilient. All participants should be especially proud of their efforts.
Election BBQ and Bake Sale. Thank you so much for supporting our school with the baked goods or volunteering your services. It was a huge day’s work organised by School Council but also a great way to connect with our community. The money raised will support the school’s STEM program.
After School Care
Camp Australia’s contract finishes at the end of term. After a very diligent and equitable process, School Council completed an extremely diligent process to ensure they were employing a company that fitted the needs expressed by our school community. The school had several Expressions of Interest from a range of companies. After a number of meetings, School Council decided the best provider for the school would be Their Care. We are working through the transition process with both companies to ensure our families have a smooth process.
The school and School Council would like to extend Camp Australia and all involved staff, for the commitment to our students, wonderful programs and community support they have given over the years they have been with us. They will finish with us at the end of term 2…..more details about the transition program will come soon.
As we move through a busy and exciting term, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the energy and activity happening across the school. While there’s always a lot going on, we’re proud to have strong systems and routines in place that help keep things running smoothly and support every child’s learning and wellbeing.
Our goal remains the same: to create a safe, calm, and structured environment where your child can feel confident, supported, and ready to thrive. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership—it truly makes a difference.
Kind regards
Deb Haddow
