From the Principal

Dear LPS families and friends, 

Welcome back to another term focussed on learning, wellbeing, and our whole of school community. 

In our classrooms

Learning

School reports were published last term and we hope you have had the opportunity to reflect on them with your child. These reports are a valuable tool in helping you know where your child is with their learning and how they can continue to progress.  

As I mentioned at last week's assembly, term three is always a favourite term of the year for me. Students are well and truly transitioned into their year level and it’s tremendous to see their learning stamina grow and develop. 

Please read Mrs. Zahra Harvey’s learning and teaching report about how students are making connections to enrich their learning in all areas of the curriculum.

Grade 3 Excursion

Yesterday, our year three students headed off on our first-ever extended excursion to Phillip Island.  From all reports the students had a sensational day. I was told that walking at the Nobbies was a highlight as well as learning many new facts, such as Koala’s poop about 200 times a day, at Moonlit Sanctuary. Thank you to the staff and parents who both organised and supported this event. 

Sporting success

This week we had three teams of year 5 and 6s head out to compete in the divisional finals. Congratulations on the following:

• Our netball team played exceptionally well all day and ended up runners-up;
• Our AFL team were brilliant and also ended up runners-up; and
• Our girls' tee ball team ended up winning by 1 run to become the division champions.

Thank you to the staff and parents who supported these events.  Please read Mr. Thomas’ full report on the Physical Education page. 

Wellbeing

On Monday we will be having a Friendship morning in our Circles groups to compliment our new whole school Friendology program.  Students will participate in a range of activities related to friendship and the skills they have learned throughout the term. We look forward to sharing the whole school display we are creating. 

In our community

Events

Our wonderful PFA continues to work tirelessly behind the scenes to organise events to help raise money for our school.  I, for one, cannot wait for the trivia night and look forward to an evening of fun, laughter, and hopefully not too much deep thinking. If you are interested in attending our trivia night, please see Lynda or Magdalene at the office for more information.

New Enrolments 

If you have a sibling joining us here at LPS, please submit an enrolment as soon as possible. Enrolments for Prep 2024 are closing on 28 July. 

Opportunities at LPS

Maths at LPS

As I type this, I am filled with enormous pride.  On Thursday, 20, we hosted 35 leaders from 22 different schools across the Knox area.  Mrs. Harvey shared the wonderful work we have been doing in Maths.  While the focus was on our new Maths Masters program, we also shared our work on Maths learning goals and investigations.  As we took these leaders around our school to see what we were talking about in action, it was evident how engaged and motivated our students were.  They were confident and articulate in discussing their learning and the process when practising their maths masters goals. I would like to thank Mrs. Harvey for leading the implementation of this program at LPS and sharing this with schools in our network.  I would also like to thank our teachers and students for being so receptive to adults coming in and observing and asking them questions about their learning. 

Sports! Sports! Sports!

Whenever I take prospective families on a school tour, as I enter the gym I always comment on how lucky our students are to have Mr. Thomas as their PE teacher.  For those who don’t know, Mr. Thomas is the regional coordinator for our area, which, for us at LPS, means if there is a sporting opportunity for our students, it is very likely that they will be involved.  Mr. Thomas is very proactive in ensuring that our students are exposed to many different sporting activities and events and works many additional hours to ensure students can access these opportunities.  This week alone, we had students compete in division netball, basketball, and AFL, as well as district basketball.  A lot of time, planning, and training occurs so events like these can take place. Thank you Mr. Thomas for providing these wonderful opportunities for our students.  

In our staffroom

Our staff continue to learn and grow as educators to develop and refine their practice. This term we are focusing on instructional routines.  Instructional routines are specific and repeatable designs for learning that provide students with a familiar way to approach new or different content.   Instructional routines support teachers and students in having access to high cognitive tasks by reducing the cognitive load and demand needed to attend to “what am I doing next”.  Instructional routines are a bit like a set play in basketball. If everyone knows the play, the game will run more smoothly resulting in achieving a goal. And just like when set plays have to be adjusted due to what’s going on in a game of basketball, instructional routines allow teachers to adjust their teaching based on ideas that emerge from students. 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Kristine Roose, A/Principal