Principal's Report

Under the Dragon’s Wing

A couple of weeks ago the families of Year 3 and 4 were treated to a wonderful, puppetry inspired performance of ‘Under the Dragon’s Wing’. This performance was the culmination of months of writing scripts, making puppets, rehearsing lines and refining dance moves.

It was a wonderful celebration that showcased the talents and confidence of our students, as well as the richness of our Performing Arts program. It was an opportunity for the students to take risks, have a go, learn new skills and have fun along the way.

Thank you to the parent volunteers for assistance with costumes, props, the light and sound on the night, and to those who accompanied the rehearsal in the daytime. Thank you to the teachers for their support throughout the preparations. And of course thank you to our Performing Arts teachers Olivia and Keri. Olivia has dedicated so much of her time over recent months to provide us all with this memorable experience, and the support of Keri was significant and also appreciated.

Year 6 Camp

Our Year 6 students are the first cohort to have experienced Camp Jungai as they spent all of last week in the beautiful surroundings of Rubicon. Whilst the school had researched and visited the camp in advance, there is always a sense of trepidation when visiting somewhere for the first time. 

The camp was an overwhelming success. The range of activities, the onsite staff, the accommodation and the food all contributed to the students having an amazing week. I will leave the students to describe the experiences in the next newsletter, however during my visit last week I saw the students working incredibly well as a team.

Thank you to the parent helpers, Rose, Mark and Lee, for taking time off work and being of great assistance. Thank you to the teachers, Daniel, Serena, Anneliese, Grace and Jess for all of their coordination and support of the camp. 

Trivia Night

Saturday night was an opportunity for parents to let their hair down (or dye it, redesign it, illuminate it, etc.). Thornbury Theatre was glowing with colour and European retro flair as our parents came together to put on a trivia night to remember.

When I run school tours I always mention the role that a school can have in not only bringing students together, but also parents and families. These events are such a good opportunity to strengthen the Fairfield community spirit.

As always, there are lots of people to thank. We had a team of people at the theatre setting up the room from 2pm. Of course our award winning band Double Denim was a big hit, and thanks goes out to our quizmaster, quiz creator and sound and visual volunteers. There were also many parents involved in assisting with the silent auction and the selling of raffle tickets. A special mention to the coordinator, Megan Fairbank, who brought all the elements together to produce a fantastic night. Also, a thank you to Sarah Moody, our Communications Coordinator who managed the ticket selling process.

Curriculum Day – Friday 18 August

A reminder that on Friday we have our third of four curriculum days of the year. We are very pleased and fortunate to have members of the Region’s Wellbeing Team, including psychologists and speech pathologists, talk to staff about supporting students with diagnoses including ASD, ADHD and Anxiety. We look forward to sharing more in our next newsletter.

School Council Subcommittees

It is always worth reminding parents about the meetings of our School Council Subcommittees. These meetings are open to all parents and we ask that you keep an eye out for Thursday’s What’s On to see if there are any meetings in the areas of Policy, Finance, Buildings & Grounds, Social Club, and Sustainability that might interest you.

Principal’s Morning Tea – Friday 25 August

Every term I invite parents to join me for a cuppa and a chat as I provide an update on what is happening around the school. 

This term’s Morning Tea takes place next Friday (25th August) at 9am in the staffroom. All welcome!

Parent Opinion Survey

A reminder that the Parent Opinion Survey is open until Friday 8 September. All families are invited to participate.

• Access the survey at: https://www.orima.com.au/parent
• Select the School and Campus name: Fairfield Primary School
• Enter the PIN: 425357

This survey, created by the Department of Education and administered by ORIMA Research (ORIMA), is available online and takes 20 minutes to complete. Responses are confidential and the survey is conducted anonymously.

FPS uses the results to inform and direct our future school planning and improvement. While the Department uses the results for research purposes and to improve student outcomes.

…And Finally

I don’t normally mention non-school topics in my newsletter, however I feel that I have to talk about The Matildas. The glorious fervour of the women’s team has swept through the school grounds. There are more students playing soccer than ever on the oval. Whilst in the past the students might have named Sam Kerr as a player, I think Fowler, Carpenter, Ford, Catley and Arnold are now household names.

It is quite a special time to have so many people so excited and unified – and there is that extra bit of significance that the girls are getting the sporting glory. And for those that were there at the Trivia, the scenes (and pyrotechnics!) when Australia scored the winning penalties will live long in the memory.

On Wednesday 16 August, students are welcome to wear their green and gold/Matildas gear to school in anticipation for the evening's match. Whatever your team, enjoy the excitement and atmosphere of the game!

Enjoy the rest of your week.

~ Paul Wallace, Principal