Assistant Principal  -Curriculum

Happy Easter, everyone.  Parents, guardians, friends, students and staff.  It’s important to remember at this Holy time the reason for this long weekend: Jesus died for our sins.  Today we finish the week with an interactive Stations of the Cross.  We will walk around the school, reliving the 14 stations that depict Jesus’ last few hours before he dies on the cross.  

Today is the last day for our PE teacher, Lilly Fryar.  Lilly has accepted a job in Wee Waa to be closer to her partner.  Lilly, we will miss your enthusiasm and passion. You have shown an unconditional high regard for young people with everything you have done with us.  Thank you, and good luck.

Lilly Fryar and I, yesterday in the quad

That brings me to staffing news.  Lucinda Bradford has accepted 9 days of casual teaching to fill in for Miss Fryar’s classes for the rest of this term.  In the meantime, the permanent PDHPE role has been passed on to a recruitment agency as we increase the effort to find a teacher to take over in Term 2.  Two weeks ago we welcomed Mrs Judi Sheedy to take the vacant HSIE load for three days per week, Wednesday to Friday.  Thanks, Judi, for joining us.  I visited Mrs Sheedy during her first class to present her with her official name tag.  The feedback so far from students has been positive about Mrs Sheedy.

Mrs Judi Sheedy is presented with her name tag

Mr Frank Patricks has returned to help us with the other HSIE classes, which we are very grateful for.  We have offered a permanent HSIE teaching role to another teacher.  We will tell you more about that person soon.  Mrs Sophia Haggerty has started her maternity leave with Mrs Katelyn Foley having her classes for the rest of this term.  Mrs Allison Nagel goes on maternity leave at the end of term.  I would like to thank our wonderful casual teachers for filling in and helping the school run.  I would also like to thank all teachers for having lessons so well explained on Compass.  Even if students or the teacher are away, the learning continues.

With all these teacher changes, we will have a new timetable for Term 2.  Look out for that when it lands towards the end of term.

The last thing I would like to mention is NAPLAN.

Year 7 during one of the four NAPLAN tests recently

It’s not much fun to sit four big tests in a week, but that’s what each of our Year 7 and 9 students had to do.  We used the linkway (carpeted area next to the gym) and the two Drama classrooms for these tests.  That way, we could fit over 100 students in the same area with some of the flexible doors being opened. The main reason I am mentioning these tests is to commend the way both groups, Year 7 and Year 9, conducted themselves.  They were enthusiastic, respectful and cooperative at all times.  Well done, students.  You were a credit to yourselves.  I’d also like to thank all staff for helping, especially Ms Nat Mellowship who worked with me to coordinate these NAPLAN tests.

Thanks, everyone.  Have a great long weekend.  I look forward to seeing your smiling faces when we return.

Mr Stephen Chapman

Assistant Principal - Curriculum

Never stop learning; for when we stop learning, we stop growing  - Jack Lewman