Some words from the Principal

Well, we have made far to Week 10 of a 12 week term.... only a little bit to go!  What a wonderful night we had on Wednesday at the Christmas Concert.  A HUGE thankyou to Mrs Cole, Mrs Main and Mr Oldham for organising such a smooth and enjoyable night!  It was lovely today to be able to thank some of the parent helpers that have supported Karoo this year.  We recognise not all faces were able to be there today but please know that we thank, appreciate and value you! 

There is lots going on at this time of the year across the school so please ensure you continue to read compass posts to support a smooth end of the year. 

Student Transition Sessions

A reminder that students will find out their 2024 class teacher and class mates on Tuesday 12th December.  Students also participated in a Step up day this week where they were excited to learn about the their upcoming year level activities! 

2024 Classes - Multi Age Classes (not Composite Classes)

Multi Age classes are where children from different grades are combined into one class (Composite is when the teacher provides 2 different learning tasks based on Year level). The most common combinations are Year 1/2 , Year 3/4 or Year 5/6 and indeed many schools run whole cohort composite classes at various times. 

One of the reasons for multi age classes is uneven patterns of enrolment. Suppose our school had 60 students in Year 5 and 60 students in Year 6 (which isn’t too far off our actual numbers). This would require four teachers for two Year 5 classes and two Year 6 classes, 30 students per class.  If a multi age class was formed the arrangement would be 24 students in each of the five classes. 

All classes, whether a single year level or multi age class group, have children with diverse learning needs and abilities. When planning for student learning, teachers take into consideration the strengths, prior knowledge and needs of every student. They use this as a starting point to design the learning and work from where each child is currently at. In any class, there will be teaching and learning that occurs as a whole class, in small groups and at an individual level.

Research tells us that high quality teaching and learning is the key to a successful learning environment in any classroom, not the structure or makeup of the class. There is no evidence that student learning may be hindered in a multi age class.

In a normal Year 2 class some children might be working at Year 3 or 4 level in some subjects and some children at Foundation level in some subjects. This is not dissimilar to the ability levels of a multi age Year 1/2 class with students learning at similar levels. It is our teachers that are trained in differentiating the curriculum to meet the varying abilities of their students. They have a very clear understanding of the curriculum requirements and expectations for each year level. The provision of effective assessments ensure we know students’ needs, strengths, and future learning points. 

In 2024 the class composition for classes in our school will be:

Foundation – 3 classes

Year 1 – 2 classes

Year 1/2 – 1 class

Year 2– 2 classes

Year 3 – 3 classes

Year 4 – 3 classes

Year 5 – 3 classes

Year 6 – 3 classes

Curriculum Days for 2024 - Lock these dates in your diary now!

1. Monday 29th January
2. Tuesday 12th March (after the Labour day Public Holiday)
3. Friday 26th April 
4. Friday 7th June

Please note there will also also be a teacher professional practice days with dates TBC 

Mobile Phones in 2024

I would like all families to please be aware that in 2024 the Department are re-enforcing the Mobile Phone ban in schools.

For more information please visit this website: Mobile phones in schools | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au)

At Karoo PS mobile phones should not be at school and if they are, they should be handed into staff for safe keeping. Students should not be using mobile phones or smart watches on any school premises.

If students require adult assistance for any matter they need to seek out the relevant staff member that can assist them eg. class teacher or school first aid officer.

Please note that we will be following the Department's direction and having a focus on mobile phone use from day one 2024. More information will be provided in an upcoming 2024 newsletter page.

2024 Staffing

Staff returning to Karoo / New staff at Karoo

• Sophie Brown - after 12 months in Darwin, we are incredibly excited to have Sophie back at Karoo in 2024. 
• Emma Finnerty - Emma has been in Dubai since August 2022 and is thrilled to come back to Australia and we welcome her with open arms as well. 
• Lauren Kavanagh (PE) and Tim Wilson (Classroom teacher) will be new teachers on staff in 2024.  They both bring with them a number of years of experience and we are looking forward to them adding value to our amazing staffing profile.

Staff leaving Karoo at the end of 2023 / On leave for 2024

• Kylie Middlemiss – Kylie will be returning to her base school at the beginning of 2024 to take on a lead curriculum role at Monash Children’s Hospital.  A huge thankyou to Kylie for being part of our Principal class team for 6mths in Ashley's absence.  Kylie has added value to our school and we thank her for joining our team. 
• Jemimah Main – Jemimah has decided to broaden her teaching experiences and will be teaching Media and Art at Hampton Park PS
• Matt Leeson – Matt is looking to expand his career and is heading to Templeton PS
• Shelley Williams – has been at Karoo for 2023 is and excited to learn more at Brandon Park PS in 2024
• Eden Benizzi – was on contract until the end of 2023 and enjoyed beginning her teaching career at Karoo; she is heading to Lyndhurst PS for 2024
• Sasha Goss – Sasha was with us on a contract until the end of 2023 and is looking to return to her base school, which is much closer to home 
• Ben McFarlin – Ben started his ES career here at Karoo.  He is looking forward to expanding his wings at Wattleview PS from the beginning of next year
• Michele Murray – will be on leave for 2024 
• Kerry Legg – will be on leave until Term 4 2024 (Term 4 TBC)

Thank You!

I would like to sincerely thank the Karoo PS community (students, parents and staff!) for another fantastic year!

We have achieved so much together and I am so proud of our students and our community.  2023 has definitely been busy!  We have had a wide range of school events including the Colour run, Book Week, Education Week, Footy Day, Easter Parade,  Kindness Day, Harmony Day, Father’s/Mother’s and Special Others breakfasts, Meet the Teacher, Parent Teacher Interviews, Year 3,4,5 and 6 camps,  year level excursions and incursions and SO MUCH MORE!

THEN.... on top of all that, our regular day to day teaching and learning opportunities for all of our students!

So, please take the time these holidays to reflect with your children on a truly wonderful year of school.

A huge thank you also to our positive and committed staff, for always putting the students first in all we do.  Thankyou to our fist impressions team (the office), our committed ES both in the classroom, OSHC, library and classroom teachers! 

We cannot wait to do it all again in 2024!

I want to wish you all a happy and safe break and look forward to seeing everyone in 2024, 

Danielle Heatley

Principal