Principal's Report
From Christian's desk....
2020 Fair
A small team has been quietly working away, putting in place preliminary plans for our 2020 Fair. The biannual event, to be held next year on Saturday March 21st, 2:00pm – 8:00pm, has been a major fundraiser for the school in the past and has contributed to substantial facilities upgrades.
If you would like to contribute, you are invited to join me and the community members who have already committed to the Fair Committee in the Staffroom on Wednesday October 23rd at 7:00pm. Volunteers may wish to contribute to:
- Fundraising – Facilitating the Silent Auction and Raffle
- Logistics – Assisting with bookings and event organisation
- People Management – Ride ticket distribution and event day volunteer distribution
- Vendors – Facilitation of community stalls and food trucks
- Grounds Management – Event day set up and pack up
The Royal Oddball
Last night our Middle School presented the first night of our 2019 Production, ‘The Royal Oddball’. Without spoiling the narrative for those attending tonight, the mix of contemporary music, vibrant costumes, whimsical performances and energy provided the audience with ‘The Greatest Show’!
A huge thank you to Ros Lawrence and David Moreland, who not only wrote and produced the script but directed our staff and students through the production. Thank you also to the huge team of staff for their support of the event. The extra hours and effort you have put into this endeavour is reflected in the smiles our students wore all night! Thank you also to the team of parents who volunteered their skills to ensure the event was a success.
Finally, well done to all of our students, you should be incredibly proud of your teamwork and achievements over the past eleven weeks. You are a talented bunch!
Bunnings Working Bee
Last week a huge team from Bunnings joined a small group of Croydon Hills community members to enhance both the space between the PAC and Library and a garden bed in the Farm. As you can see, the results are spectacular. A highlight for mine is seeing the design ideas of the students reflected in the final product. Cam S's cartoon this week (at the top of this page) is his take on the very popular Fairy Garden.
Curriculum Days 2019 & 2020
Each year, Victorian government schools have a provision of four Curriculum Days that are used for a combination of professional learning, lesson preparation, school organisation, assessment and/or reporting. This year our school has already had our four Curriculum Days. Our school will be open on ‘Melbourne Cup Monday’ 4th November, however we are fully aware and accept that many families plan for and take holidays over the long weekend. If that is the case for your family, please enter a parent approved absence on Compass.
Next year School Council can confirm the dates of three of our four Curriculum Days:
Tuesday 28th January– School Organisation for 2020.
Wednesday 29th January– Teaching and Learning Planning Day for Term 1.
Friday 8th May – Staff Professional Learning: Misty Adoniou.
Misty researches and writes in the fields of literacy and teacher professional knowledge, and is a passionate advocate for the use of quality literature to teach children to read and write. She works with educators around the globe leading professional learning in spelling, grammar and writing. Her latest book is ‘Spelling it out – How Words Work and How to Teach Them’.
Our final Curriculum Day will be allocated to our School Review, our review dates are yet to be set by the Department.
School Review
All Victorian government schools undertake a review every four years. The school community completes a comprehensive self-evaluation against the FISO continua of practice, which involves students, teachers and community members.
An independent analysis is also completed of a school’s performance against their goals and targets in their school strategic plan. The review evaluates the school's strengths, areas for improvement and the impact of its improvement efforts.
At the end of the review, a new four-year school strategic plan is created and endorsed by the school community.
If you are interested in being closely involved in this process you are encouraged to join School Council in 2020.
Christian Holdsworth - Principal