Principal's Report
Dear Parents,
TERM 4 = NO HAT NO PLAY
It is hard to believe that we are in the last term of the year. I don't know if it's old age or the world is spinning faster but time has flown. It seems that it was only yesterday we were welcoming the Prep children to school. Yesterday, whilst in the Prep classroom I witnessed children writing and reading and I was blown away with the progress made. Children were writing some complex sentences and reading text which was in some cases very sophisticated.
Term 4 is always the busiest term of the year and this year is noexception. On Friday 13 October we welcome our Prep 2020 children to their first playgroup. All parents are invited to stay back afer
assembly and make our new families welcome.
Over the holidays work was carried out to
repaint the corridor upstairs as well as lay new carpet in the hallway and in the Prep classrooms. They look terrific so feel free to come up and have a look.
Summer uniform will be phased in over the
next few weeks and become compulsory on
Monday 21 October however, hats are to
be worn at all times when children are
outside. It may be a good idea to pack
sunscreen in children's bags and teachers
will encourage children to wear sunscreen
as the weather warms up.
I wish to acknowledge our Year 6 children.
This will be their final term of primary
schooling and we hope and pray that they
have a very enjoyable term. May they leave
St. Mary’s as independent, strong and
courageous children so that they embrace
with confidence, all that life holds before
them. Over the next few week we will hear
from our Year 6 children as they reflect on
their last seven years of schooling.
I started this newsletter by indicating that
this is a busy term. There are many events planned and new learnings to experience. There are a number of activities planned to inspire
children to be and do their best. (See Dates to Remember) As I have indicated numerous times, your involvement in your child’s education is vital. You are the primary educator, not any school, and by your example children learn best. I urge you to be involved as best as you can in the activities planned and as a staff we welcome your support.
As you are aware, the Fete will take place on 30 November. It would be great to see every parent involved in any way that you can. We need teams to set up and pack up so please speak to Megan or Michelle if you can help.
At the end of last term and during the holidays we went to Canada and the USA. We had an amazing experience and saw examples of deep learning in the seven schools that we visited. We met with senior staff at the Catholic Education Office in Ottawa on several occassions (including the Director) and showcased our learning journey. Canada has been a leading country in education and scores higher than Australia on the PISA scale (ranking of education world wide, Finland is the number one country). One of the major factors we found in Canada is that the system and the government believe in equitable education for all children and therefore provide funding for their education system far greater than Australia does. Perhaps it's time for us to campaign for better funding for education in Australia. I have never been political, however since returning from Canada, my vote will go to a party that puts education first. I urge you to do the same. We will be using the information from Canada and the USA to provide professional development for staff on deep learning and how to engage children in their learning more effectively.
There are a few important dates I wish to draw your attention to:
On Friday 29 November school will finish at 12.30pm to allow us to set up for the Fete. There will be NO after care available on that day.
Monday 4 November is a report writing day. The school will be closed. Please check with OSCH to see if they are operating on this day
Tuesday 5 November. Cup Day
Monday 9 December. Planning Day for 2020. The school will be closed. Please check with OSCH to see if they are operating on this day
End of School Year 17 December at 1.30pm
Have a great week ahead and don't forget to support our Fete
Dino