Capital works project update

This week Rod and Amanda met with students, staff and School Council to gain insights into what great learning looks like at Fitzroy Primary School. Students and staff brainstormed their individual ideas onto hexagonal pieces then worked together as a team to group similar ideas and identify common themes. The School Council meeting was held via Webex and parent feedback was collated digitally. What came out of the process were common themes across all three groups that gave a clear picture to the architects regarding the school community’s priorities.

Some of the common themes were:

Diversity and inclusion
School community and local community hub
Relationships and connectedness
Flexible, varied, quiet, calm, interesting spaces
Sustainability
Indoor/outdoor connections to nature
Attendance and engagement
Safe learning environments
Kitchen garden
Dedicated spaces for specialist programs
Welcoming entrances
Professional spaces for teacher collaboration and learning

We hear you!

Thank you to parents who met with the school review panel and architects in recent weeks, or parents who sent in responses. Three common questions came through from across the school community and I take this opportunity to update parents and carers.

Could the school provide extra tutoring support for students?

At the end of last year, the Education Minister announced that schools across the state would receive extra funding for a school based tutor. Fitzroy Primary School has been very fortunate to have Amy Giles run the tutoring program for children who require catch up or extension. Amy has worked with classroom teachers to write an Individual Education Plan for over 35 children and these are uploaded to Compass for parents to access. The school will continue to provide tutoring for children during school hours to ensure that the extra support ties in with classroom learning programs and helps children to reach their potential. At some point throughout the year, children may no longer require tutoring support and Amy will be in contact with parents if this is the case.

What is being taught each term?

We are currently in the process of developing a parent-friendly overview of what is being taught in classrooms throughout the term. In future newsletters and on Compass, we will

publish information about topics that are being covered so that you explore additional learning opportunities at home or in the local community as they arise. If you would like to discuss your child’s learning at any point in time, including future learning opportunities, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher.

Volunteering opportunities and community events

Thank you to parents and carers who are currently volunteering in classrooms and in the kitchen garden. There are additional opportunities to volunteer in other classrooms and specialist programs. All you need is a valid Working With Children Check and our volunteer coordinator can link you in with the teacher. We are currently seeking volunteers to prepare for and run a community BBQ this term. Please register your interest at the office.

School Council subcommittees

School Council are seeking parents and carers to join our Parent Engagement and Fundraising or Buildings and Grounds subcommittees. Meetings are held twice a term and are led by School Council representatives.

The Parent Engagement and Fundraising subcommittee plans community events like the Art Show and French Fete and are always seeking support to run these events. This year the Buildings and Grounds subcommittee are in the process of revamping the chook shed on Napier St. Plans are underway and the subcommittee would certainly appreciate help with this project. Please contact the office if you would like to join.

Renown kindergarten visit

Last week Rebecca, Jasna and I had the pleasure of visiting Renown Kindergarten for their prospective parent information evening. Renown runs a French bilingual program and we have had interest and enrolments from Renown who are seeking a French bilingual school in the Northern suburbs.

2022 enrolments and kindergarten connections

It has been great to see so many families coming along for school tours in the last fortnight. In the coming weeks the F/1 team will be hosting a visit from Acacia kindergarten and we look forward to welcoming children from our local community into our classrooms. We will also be reconnecting with other local kindergartens to engage in reciprocal visits and meet with kindergarten staff to begin planning for transition support with children who are already enrolled whilst engaging with parents who are considering Fitzroy Primary School next year.

NAPLAN

Well done to our grade 3 and 5 students who began their NAPLAN testing this week. I am so impressed by students’ confidence and resilience and express my gratitude to our staff

for providing students with support to do their best. NAPLAN testing continues next week and I wish our students the very best.

Eid celebrations

This week marks the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid celebrations. It has been wonderful to hear about how our families will be coming together with friends to break their fast and celebrate together. The school has a proud history of its families celebrating Eid and we look forward to hearing more next week.

Parent and carers club

Parents and carers club continues to run on Friday mornings at 9:30am in the staffroom. All parents are welcome! This is an opportunity to connect with parents across the community. We hope to see you there.

Staffing update

Last week Tooba Awais left her position as the Primary Science Specialist Initiative to pursue other opportunities and I wish her the very best in her future endeavours. The position will be readvertised in the coming weeks.

Semester two reports

Teachers are currently busy completing assessments and are now preparing for semester one reporting. In the final week of term you will be able to access your child’s semester one report on Compass, with parent-teacher interviews held at the beginning of term three.

Angela Richmond,

Principal

Buddies maths lesson