Ryan’s Rambling 

Dear Parents, Grandparents & Friends,

Our week began with the warmest days we have experienced all summer. Despite the heat, our students managed exceptionally well and we ensured that many extra drink breaks and SunSmart practices were put into place. Our hearts certainly go out to the many families across the state who have been adversely affected by the recent bushfires. 

On Tuesday, our school braved some intermittent and quite chaotic weather conditions with almost all seasons represented. Despite this, I was very proud of how well our students managed a number of transitions in and out of the classrooms during surprise showers. 

I thank all of our parents who managed time out of their very busy schedules to meet with our teachers for this year. Our staff have reported an overwhelming feeling of support from parents, which we are very grateful for.  Our relationship with our parents is integral to all successes at school. Without your partnership, our students won’t reach their potential. Therefore, I encourage you to continue an open line of communication with school. When concerns arise, we will address them. When success happens, we will be there to celebrate them.

It was also wonderful to have so many members of our Dana Street Community here to enjoy our picnic. Uncle Barry Gilson delivered a touching Welcome to Country and I thank him for making the time to highlight the importance of our Indigenous Culture. Thankfully, the weather was on our side with a cool change coming through just as the evening began. I also thank Tyler and Sam for providing some wonderful music entertainment for us during the evening.  

Finally, I am sure that many of you have read or heard about the recently released Grattan Institute’s “The Reading Guarantee”. Whilst it is 107 odd pages long including references and preamble, I recommend you read the recommendations on page 4 and 5, at the very least. The reason I share this with you all is that our instruction of Reading at Dana Street has been evolving over the last 18 months.  I have written about this a few times over the last year and a half, but our focus on the key areas of Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Oral Language has been a rewarding journey to be on. Yes, we are always going to endeavour to continually refine, research and reflect on what we do; however, it has been reassuring to know the direction we are headed is embedded in the very latest of scientific consensus.   

The weather for the weekend looks to be warm. I do hope you’re able to take full advantage of it. 

Ryan 😊