PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Recently, I had the chance to look back over satellite images of Lucas PS which clearly highlight the incredible growth our school has experienced over the past five years. These images show just how much the site has transformed, from the expansion of buildings to the development of new play spaces. As you'll see below, the changes are significant, and the recent dry weather has also created a visible impact on the condition of our grounds.

These images have come at a timely moment as we enter an exciting new phase of planning for the school’s next stage of development. Under the guidance of landscape architect Justin Staggard, we’re working on a vision to create a natural, creative play space, alongside a master plan that will shape engaging and inspiring areas throughout our school.

As part of this process we are seeking feedback from both students and families. Students will be involved in a design workshop with Justin this coming Friday, and families will receive a short survey in the coming weeks to gather ideas and suggestions.

In addition, a large-scale map of the school will be displayed in the Administration Building, providing space for community members to share their feedback and creative ideas.

Creating this master plan is an exciting step towards building an environment where our students can thrive every day. It also enables us to take a thoughtful, strategic approach to future improvements.

Your voice matters and we welcome your input as we plan the next chapter for Lucas Primary School.

Traffic Safety Survey

Thank you to all those who were able to contribute to the School Traffic Survey over the past few weeks. Over 150 responses were collected providing vital feedback for Road Safe Central Highlands and our Ballarat City Council. 

We were lucky to have Gerard Ryan attend a staff meeting last week to help explain the opportunities that this information may bring, to help ensure the safety of our students as they make their way to and from the school. Gerard will also be attending the next School Council meeting to share his knowledge, answer questions and outline how this data will be used into the future.

It has been wonderful to be working closely with Siena PS as a joint project to create a united front.

School Council

Our School Council met on May 19th and the following agenda items were discussed:

• A financial update, which included March and April operating reports and profit report from Lucas Leap.
• A report on the development of a new play space and master plan for the school.
• An amendment to the School Council composition so that an extra 2 parents can join the team. Stay tuned for developments on this.
• A building and grounds report to highlight holiday work completed.
• A teaching and learning report to include professional learning for staff, upcoming excursions and school activities.
• A Wellbeing and Inclusion report to update council on Disability Inclusion revenue and professional learning in the Wellbeing space.
• A number of policies from Lucas LEAP
• Feedback from the recent traffic survey was shared.

We thank our School Council team for their support and dedication to the school.

Attitude to School Survey

Over the past two weeks, the Year 4-6 students have completed the Student Attitude to School Survey. This survey is completed every year across the state and provides an excellent opportunity for the school to gauge how students are feeling about their learning, social connections and general life satisfaction. 

The data collected is completely anonymous but provides us with trends to support cohorts across the school and drive school initiatives into the future.

Examples of initiatives that have come from this survey in the past:

• The school lunchtime clubs program
• Our Social Emotional Learning programs
• Student Voice and Agency strategies like table Goal Cards and the senior electives program.
• Our Buddy Benches.
• Student Buddy Program between senior and junior classes.
• The development of the Wellbeing Room

• Cyber bullying and digital literacy sessions.

   

Young Authors Launch

I was lucky enough to attend the launch of the Young Authors Program last week which saw 22 of our Lucas students join with almost 80 other budding young writers from across the Ballarat area. The Young Authors Program has been running for a number of years now and offers an opportunity for those students, who excel and are engaged in writing, to share their love of the craft and learn from authors.

The program consists of 4 workshops across the year where students meet up at some of the city’s iconic venues to immerse themselves in writing. It is often a memory that students reflect positively on at the end of their primary schooling.

Weather Reminder

The winter weather has set in across the region and, as such, it is a timely reminder to ensure students are attending school wearing appropriate clothing to stay warm and comfortable during the day. We continue to try and provide outside play opportunities when it is not raining so having a coat to put on during such times is important. 

As students are continually changing in and out of coats and beanies, it is an important reminder to please label everything so that lost items have the best possible chance of being returned.

Some reminders we provide students with as we lead into winter are:

• Please wear a coat to school, but it doesn’t replace a jumper!
• Coats and hats off inside and they go on when we go out for a break.
• Please label everything!
• Stay out of the puddles, wet feet means you are uncomfortable for the rest of the day.
• Keeping our uniform clean
• Wipe your feet before entering the building.