Leadership Report 

Dear Saltwater families,

As we begin to put up our Christmas decorations, it is time to reflect on all of our achievements and challenges as we near completion of our third year. We would like to extend our gratitude to our school community for their continued support.

School Building Works

As you may have have noticed, we still have a number of classrooms under construction. In true Saltwater style, this has meant we have had to move some of our existing classroom spaces to make way for a new Mod-10 (double storey portable) ready for 2022. Once again this has tested our resilience as we have managed to relocate four classes within a matter of days. To those classes that have been affected by this move, we can't thank you enough for your understanding and support. We have been extremely proud of how quickly the classes have settled in to their new learning environment. We think the students and teachers are pretty lucky to be our first ever classes to use Saltwater's state-of-the-art facilities! We can't wait until next year when the Stage Two building works will all be completed, allowing us to have a total of 66 classroom spaces for 2022.

Three-Way Conferences

The Three-Way Conferences are now live, allowing parents to book a time to meet both classroom and specialist teachers. The conferences are scheduled for Tuesday 30 November, Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 December. Due to COVID restrictions and to minimise the risk of COVID transmission, the Three-Way Conferences will be held virtually over WebEx. Your child/ren can access the teachers' WebEx through their Schoolbox page on the day of the conference. Attached is a user guide to assist in booking the Three-Way Conferences via the XUNO Family app on mobile phones. If you are using the website, the parent-teacher conferences can be found in the school menu at the top. The aim of Three-Way Conferences is so that our students are given increasing responsibilities and ownership for their learning and develop skills to communicate and articulate their growth and achievements over the past semester. Please note that it is crucial for every family to make a booking and to participate and support their child's learning. Your children will also need to be present during the conference as they will be showcasing their learning through Schoolbox. If you have any issues accessing the booking system through XUNO, please contact the office on 8366 7700 during school hours. 

Staffing for 2022

To accomodate our growing school, we have employed many new staff to cover both our primary and secondary subject areas. In the upcoming newsletters, including this one, we will be introducing you to some of our new staff for 2022. Along with our plans for next year, we have also added a new subject to our specialist program - SCIENCE! This will be apart of the primary school's 13-week rotation program, swapping with LOTE, Drama and Science.

Transition Programs

We are so excited to welcome back our 2022 Preps on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. This will be their final transition session, before commencing in February of next year.

Our Year 6 students will also have the opportunity to take part in a transition day, known as the Statewide Year 7 Transition Program. Students will be able to meet their secondary teachers and get a taste of what life is like as they enter into their next phase of their life - high school. This day will run from 9.00am until 3.00pm, with more information to follow.

For our current Prep to Year 5 students, our whole-school transition day will take place on Thursday 16 December, which is our last day of school for students. During this day, students will find out their class allocation, as well as have the opportunity to meet their new classmates and teacher from 9.00am until 11.30am. 

Year Six Graduation

For the safety of all involved, the decision has been made to continue to have our Year 6 Graduation as a student-only event. Our Year 6 families will have the opportunity to still participate in the evening from the comfort of their homes, through our live-streaming technology. Further details about the event will be shared via the Year 6 teaching team in the coming days and weeks.

Aladdin Production

Due to Covid restrictions this year, we have had to postpone our annual school production. Instead, Aladdin and its cast, will be taking the stage in Term One of 2022. We can't wait to be able to host families on-site for this exciting event. The students involved in the production are continuing to work hard to rehearse for the show and look forward to welcoming you all early next year.

Covid Safety

We would like to continue to thank our school community for adhering and supporting us in maintaining a healthy and safe environment for our students, staff and community. We would once again like to reiterate that these guidelines and regulations are provided to all schools by the Department of Education (DET) and the Department of Health (DH). Saltwater College closely follows the advice of the Department of Health and Department of Education and takes all reasonable steps to ensure the health and safety of each of our students and staff.  

If you have any questions or concerns, you can call the Department of Education and Training’s coronavirus (COVID-19) hotline on 1800 338 663. The hotline operates from 8:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 3pm Saturday and Sunday, excluding public holidays.

As these guidelines are continually changing, we will endeavour to keep the community updated as to current Department of Education Operation Guidelines. Please ensure to be regularly checking XUNO, Schoolbox and your emails to stay up-to-date.

Road Safety 

It has come to our attention, that some families are not following road rules when dropping off their child/ren to school. Although we understand there is limited parking spaces available, we would appreciate if families can avoid double parking and stopping in the middle of the road to let their child/ren out. Our crossing supervisor has also requested that cars do not stop on either side of the crossing lines. This has become a safety concern, as it blocks the view of those families trying to safely cross at the school crossing. We appreciate your cooperation with this matter.

If you have any concerns around current community roads and/or spaces, please feel free to contact the local council to discuss further.