From the Principal
Our Vision
Each child has a gift or talent. It is our job to find it and to show it to them.
Our Mission
Identify the talent, develop the confidence and create the leader.
What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?
Dear Parents and Carers,
Term 3 is speeding by and as usual, a lot is happening. It seems the impact of influenza is decreasing as we enter the last month of winter. This is helping the school to build momentum, back to full capacity, as student and staff attendance returns to near normal. Thank you for your ongoing loyalty and support of our great school.
Foundation 2023
Enrolments for 2023 Foundation students are now due. Please lodge completed forms with Brooke Sheppard as soon as possible. This will assist in the staff recruitment processes for the 2023 workforce plan, which will begin in the coming weeks.
100 Days of School for Foundation Students
On Thursday, the Foundation students celebrated their ‘100 days at school’ milestone by dressing up as centurions and participating 100 themed activities and games. The staff set the standard with their costumes and antics.
Grease Production
This week our Year 5 and 6 students saw Cheltenham Secondary College's production of Grease the musical. The students reported that the performance was really entertaining and the music was loud.
Professional Learning Communities
The P.L.C. facilitation team (Courtney Mason, Kayla Mugford, Madeleine Simos and myself) is working through extensive professional learning, to prepare the staff for the 2023 implementation.
Professional Learning Communities is an approach to school improvement in which groups of teachers work collaboratively at the school level to improve student learning and well-being outcomes. The quality of teaching is the most powerful lever schools have to increase student learning and well-being. Evidence from high-performing school systems around the world shows teaching quality improves when teachers work together. The Victorian P.L.C. initiative will provide training and ongoing support to implement P.L.C.s in all Victorian government schools.
The Victorian P.L.C. model builds the cultures, processes, and practices in schools that privilege success for every student. The model facilitates an ongoing sharing of knowledge, collaborative planning and targeted teaching that accelerates student learning and well-being outcomes. Key to the success of this work is the capacity for these practices to build collective efficacy (effect size of 1.57) and shift teacher mindsets, i.e. teachers believe that they are responsible for the success of every student in their school and, more importantly, that they are capable, collectively, to progress the learning of all students regardless of their background.
Professional Practice Days - Next Student Free Day Monday August 15
The staff visited schools on the last Professional Practice Day and will so again this term on Monday August 15, which is a student free day. Highly effective, evidenced based practices will be decided on, for Le Page Primary School’s implementation over the next four years, that being the period of the current School Strategic Plan. Literacy and Numeracy practices are being observed, A Foundation to Year 2 Phonics framework will be implemented in 2023 and the focus on improving student learning outcomes in mathematics will be the major focus.
Indigenous Perspectives
This term Shelley Bradley has been teaching the students about Indigenous Australian Culture. Links with classroom programs, Art and Music lessons has made the unit of study more relevant and fun for the students. On Monday August 8 an Australian Indigenous Elder will present a cultural focus to the F-2 and 3-6 students.
Resilience Rights Respectful Relationships
Jarrod Bradley teaches R.R.R.R. on a weekly basis at all year levels, and the students are enjoying the topics and themes. Explicit teaching, role play, open-ended questioning, problem-solving, and creativity are elements of lessons based on real-life experiences, on relationships with one another. Targeted lessons aligning with the Victorian Curriculum include:
Link to the Year 56 program content:
https://www.ccwerribee.catholic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/RRRR-5-and-6.pdf
Rolling Facilities Audit
An extensive Department of Education and Training audit was completed. All maintenance items have been listed and priorities. The first and major job to be done is the roofing on both Block A and B. Funding is being processed by the DET for this significant work.
Shade Sails Up-date
Shortly the frame for a large sail will be constructed between the Art Room and Block A. We anticipate the work to be completed in Term 4. This project is funded by a government grant of $25,000, which all schools received. The same company will also replace the storm damaged sail now removed from the lower playground area.
Habit 6: Synergise
To put it simply, synergy means “two heads are better than one.” Synergise is the habit of creative cooperation. It is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems. An example of synergise is listening to others’ opinions and creating a compromise including many different ideas. Synergy makes a team stronger. It makes the team more effective. When everyone is benefiting from a relationship it is healthy and prosperous. That should be the goal of any individual, organisation, or team.
Principals Day
Thank you to all the students, staff and parents who showered me with kind words, cards and gifts. The biggest surprise was when a staff member sang a tribute song at the morning tea celebration. It is a privilege to work at Le Page Primary School, with the best, students, staff and parents. I am the lucky one!
Thought for the Week
“There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” — Mister Rogers
Have a great weekend!
George Danson
