A message from the Principal

I want to extend a warm welcome back to SKiPPS to all of our returning families and also to welcome those families who have enrolled at our great school for the first time (including the families of our 45 new Foundation students). 

I have thoroughly enjoyed taking time during the first two days of term to visit all of our classrooms, chat to students new and old and find out all about the things that have happened over the summer.

Our 319 students have all made a great start to life in their new class groupings thanks to the hard work of our teachers and our CAPSE (Creating A Positive School Environment) program. By taking time at the start of the school year to set clear routines in classrooms and build relationships with classmates, we lay the foundations for a productive, positive year of learning right across the school.

The positivity and calmness that we see throughout the school is a testament to the success of this approach. The new Foundation classes formally start their school journey at SKiPPS this Thursday morning and I am so excited to welcome them to SKiPPS and see them settle into their new routines and make new connections over the next few weeks.

At recent Education Department forums and conferences I have attended, much discussion has been around the stated aspiration that  Every student in every school has a great day, every day. I love the broadness of this vision and feel that it reflects what we have been striving for at SKiPPS for a number of years. There is so much that goes into success in education, not least the need to maintain a balance between academic learning alongside positive relationships, student well-being and engagement. 

Great learning starts with children feeling happy, safe and engaged and we are proud of the ways that we do this and are looking forward to building on these foundations this year. We understand the role that families can also play in this process and, later in the newsletter, share some key dates and events for you to play a central role in your child's education this year.

I really hope that 2023 will see the relentless challenges of the past 3 years diminish and allow our whole community and educators to focus on getting this balance right and ensuring there is a buzz in the school of students having a great day, every day. I hope that we can stop continually pivoting, being reactive and focusing on the immediate and instead spend time being more pro-active and deeply focused. 

Let’s hope that 2023 will be a year to reset, realign and replenish our spirits. 

Neil Scott

Principal