Principal's Report

Welcome back to another term.

It has been great seeing everyone return after a relaxing break.  I did a school uniform check yesterday and overall it looks good. Full school uniform is required every day and this includes black, red or white shoes. 

Farm

Our farm works were due to start over the holidays however due to a delay in ordering materials it has not yet started.  The remodelling of the barn area will include an outdoor learning space that is covered and a more open plan (with wider entrance and glass doors) – it will make it a nicer area for the students to play. 

Undercover Basketball Court

You will notice that our basketball court has been finished off with all lines and pictures painted on the ground.  It makes the area look a lot brighter and fun to play in.  This was what the Colour Run earlier in the year raised money for. Now it’s complete.  Thank you!

Planning for 2023 

I am busy planning for the 2023 school year.  We are incredibly lucky to once again receive funds to continue running our tutoring program (LEAP).  This is the 3rd year in a row that Victorian schools have received this money and our students benefit enormously from it. 

Classes

Creating classes is an arduous task and takes several weeks to complete.  When making grades the following needs to be considered to ensure our school runs the best it can: 

• Even numbers of students in classes
• As close to even numbers of boys and girls
• A range of academic abilities
• A range of social and behavioural abilities 
• Parent requests
• LPS teachers putting in their requests for what works best for students
• Student friendships
• New students starting at LPS in 2023

In preparation for this could you please send any requests you have for 2023 to rowan.balzary@education.vic.gov.au and as always we will do our best to accommodate your request however, as you can see above there are many mitigating factors that may stop a request from occurring. It is a very mathematical process! 

All requests are due by Monday 7th November.

Rephrasing Questions 

The below list features alternatives to “What did you do at school today?” to which parents/carers often report that they get a reply of “Nothing!” from their children. These questions may help you to initiate the conversation with your child/children:

“When were you happiest today?” 

“What made you smile today?” 

“Who were you kind to today?” 

“Which places did you visit at school today?” 

“Did you do anything nice for someone today?” 

“Was it a quiet/busy/noisy/fun/relaxing/challenging day today? Why?” 

“Did you spend time with a ‘new friend’ today? Would you like to become better friends with them/anyone else?” (Possible future playdate) 

“Did you mostly work by yourself, with a partner or in a group today?” 

“If you could do something from today again, what would it be? Why?” 

“Did anything funny happen today?” 

“Who did you talk to the most today?” 

“If you were the teacher today, what would you have done more of or less of? Why?” 

“What were some good choices you made today?” 

 “What work are you proudest of from today?

Give it a go, see what they tell you! 

Have a great fortnight,

Mark Moorhouse

Principal