From the Principal 

Diana Ellis

A member of our school community is looking for help to get their child to and from school on certain days of the week, the family live in the vicinity of Buffalo stadium. If you may be able to offer support, please contact the office 5427 2455.

Fire Safety

Over the last two weeks I have attended bush fire preparedness briefings at a regional and network level. The information communicated from experts is:

• Temperatures are predicted to be higher than average through summer
• Below average rainfall is expected
• An El nino event has been declared.

This will result in warmer and drier weather conditions. Grass and forest vegetation will cure and dry faster. Bushfire risks will increase.

By all accounts from experts in the field, it is predicted that we will be faced with a severe fire season.

In terms of bush fire ratings – we are rated a level 3 Bushfire At Risk school. On catastrophic days we will be closed. No bus routes will operate and no staff, including contractors are to be on site.

The decision to close is issued by the Department of Education. It is not a school based decision.

The new Fire Danger Ratings

There are four levels of fire danger in the new system:

• Moderate - Plan and prepare
• High - Be ready to act
• Extreme - Take action now to protect your life and property
• Catastrophic - For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas

Fire Danger Ratings will be issued on days when there is a fire risk.

Each fire danger rating will have a clear set of messages including the actions the community can take to reduce their risk.

Ratings are forecast using Bureau of Meteorology data for up to four days in advance, based on weather and other environmental conditions such as vegetation.

The rating is your trigger to take action to stay safe.

At this time of the year, we encourage all families to make or review bushfire plans. On days of high and extreme risk we trust families to make decisions that are best for your family.

Uniform

Currently we have an increasing number of students who are not meeting our Dress Code. We expect students to wear blue items. Increasingly we are seeing glittery shoes, colorful socks, jewellery, nail polish etc. 

The reason we have a dress code is for a sense of belonging and connectedness and for fairness and equity. We do not want some students wearing brand items whilst some of families are struggling to find housing and to afford food and clothing.

We strongly encourage you to ensure your child is dressed in school endorsed clothing as per our policy.

Pre-school visits

It is the time of the year where we engage in regular and reciprocal visits with our early education and pre-school centres. Myself and Miss Quinn (our pre-school to school Transition Leader) have been making regular visits to the pre-schools and the pre-school teachers have been bringing their students for visits where they have participated in literacy sessions in our Foundation classrooms. These opportunities have been a chance to share best teacher practice with our early years educators and for our pre-school students to begin to familiarise themselves with the school setting, prior to the formal organised transition visits.

As a result of regular liaison with the pre-school teachers we are noticing an increase in some concerning behaviours. Increasingly we are seeing many students with poor oral language and speech skills that require further intervention. We are also noticing a decrease in students core muscle strength and the ability to sit up for any length of time. Fine and gross motor skills are also an area of concern with many students lacking the hand/finger strength for cutting and drawing. Sadly, many of these issues are arising due to the amount of time children are spending on devices and they do not have the vocabulary and oral language skills to engage in sustained conversation.

Muscle strength is decreased as a result of children being sedentary and often lying on couches or beds whilst they use devices rather than standing or sitting and building core strength.

Other areas of increasing concern are the ability to share and socialise appropriately and follow the general structures of play and the ability to problem solve. 

In 2024 we are hoping to run parent forums where we can address some of these issues and engage in experts in the fields, such as Occupational Therapists to help provide strategies for parents to address these issues.

School Captains

On Wednesday this week, I had the privilege of listening to our aspiring school leader applicants present their speeches in their quest to become 2024 School Captains. The speeches were well written and presented and demonstrated a clear level of pride in our school and a commitment to help drive school improvement. There were 30 applicants (7 boys, 23 girls). We will now continue a process of consultation with the senior unit teachers and the current School Captains, along with the results of the peer voting that took place after the speeches. The shortlisted applicants will then be interviewed by students and staff leadership members.

Last week I enjoyed some time out at Carlsruhe where the students were engaged in their jobs. An energetic team of students were busy trying to maintain the gardens and get rid of the weed. 

Around the classrooms and in corridors our staff continue to put up some great displays of learning that has occurred. If you are in the school, I urge you to take the time to appreciate some of the displays.

This week we even had Halloween Pumpkins at school for show and tell.

Pupil Free Day

Next Monday (November 6) is a pupil free day. This day has been endorsed by the Education Department for teachers to write achievement reports.

Remembrance Day.

This year Remembrance Day falls on a Saturday. There will be a service at the R.S.L.

The Service starts at 10.30am and is scheduled to be completed by 11. 15am. 

In our garden at school we currently have some Flanders Poppies in bloom , just in time for Remembrance Day.

I see red

Last week students and staff wore red to acknowledge and raise awareness for Dyslexia, childhood brain cancer and Day for Daniel (the Daniel Morcombe Foundation). This was not a fundraising day but more an opportunity to raise awareness. Our prep students were not only wearing red but also enjoying trialling their gyrocopters that they learnt to make during their Science Incursion.

Principal

Diana Ellis