PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are currently in the middle of a hot spell of weather and I am not sure I have seen it this dry for quite some time. It is at these times we must continue to exercise caution in the heat to ensure the health and safety of the students.

Our air conditioners have been helping to provide a cool climate inside to make it conducive to learning and provide some respite from the heat when required. We are also ensuring students have plenty of hydration sessions and providing a variety of activities inside during break times.

We encourage all students to bring along a drink bottle of water each day, wear their broad brimmed hats outside and apply sunscreen throughout the day.

NAPLAN

This week, our Year 3 and 5 students will participate in the 2025 NAPLAN. This series of assessments will be conducted online (except Year 3 Writing) between March 12 - 24.

Conducting the assessments online present schools with several advantages including quicker access to results and more flexibility in the delivery of each assessment. Teachers have been preparing Year 3 and 5 students for the assessments to ensure we make the most of this learning opportunity.

There will be opportunities for catch up sessions should students miss a day. These will be organised with the students individually.

As a reminder, the following strategies can be used to support your child in the lead up to the assessments:

Parents:

1. Acknowledge that these assessments are part of the school day.

2. Talk about times you had assessments in school and how you approached them. (calmly and with a positive mindset)

3. Talk about challenge and how we approach moments of challenge. (Take a breath, grit our teeth, do our best and reflect on our efforts after the fact)

4. Maintain a normal routine on the morning of the assessments and maybe do something

relaxing and enjoyable in the evening.

5. Whatever you think of NAPLAN, keep the adult conversations away from the ears of your child. It is amazing how children will take on the attitudes and feelings of the grownups around them.

6. When discussing the assessments at the end of each day, ask open, positive questions that focus on the process that your child may have used. For example, NAPLAN always pops in some tricky questions, what strategy did you use when you were completing those questions?

School Council and Annual Reporting Meeting

Before our next School Council meeting on Monday March 17, our Annual Reporting meeting will be held to present the 2024 Annual Report to the School Community. This will include sharing our achievements in the areas of student learning, engagement and wellbeing.

The meeting will start at 6:00pm and run for approximately half an hour.

This will be followed by the first meeting of our 2025 School Council starting at approximately 6.30pm.

2025 School Council Members

Over the past month, we have conducted a nomination process for the 2025 School Council. We are pleased to announce the 2025 School Council will comprise of:

Marc Oliver, David Young, Jacqui Nash, Shannon Whitaker, Hayley Short, Stephen Francis, Jason Holmes, Naga Chayanam, Anthony Baker, Anthony Lai, Michelle Richards, Sophie Atkinson, Jenny Plews (Finance Report), Danielle Toose, Dylan Rodger (Non voting members)

We welcome our new council members; Anthony, Anthony, Michelle and Sophie and thank our continuing members for the dedication they are showing to the school.

Our first meeting will be held on Monday March 17.

Community Consultation - School Policies

Our school has a range of policies available on our website for your reference. These policies are regularly reviewed throughout the year to ensure they remain relevant and effective. We encourage and invite feedback from our community to help guide these reviews and improve our practices.

These policies include:

• Child Safety and Wellbeing
• Bullying Prevention 
• Complaints
• Digital Learning
• Student Wellbeing and Engagement
• Visitors 
• Volunteers

If you would like to provide feedback on any of the policies listed above, please don’t hesitate to contact Dave at the school.

Intervention Programs

Over the past month, considerable work and planning has been put into our intervention programs offered at Lucas Primary School. This year we have the following programs operating to support the needs of our students:

Tutor Learning Initiative - Tutors are working with students who require an extra hit of Literacy or Numeracy across the week. Students will generally attend 3 - 4 sessions per week for 10 - 20 weeks.

Literacy and Numeracy intervention Sessions - Education Support staff offer literacy and numeracy to small groups of students for 3 sessions each week.

Hands-On Learning Programs - A hands-on learning program is an educational approach where students actively engage in learning through direct experience and practical activities. Activities like cooking, sand play, building, gardening and craft are all offered as part of this program.

High Abilities Program - The High Abilities Program is designed to support and challenge students who demonstrate exceptional skills or talents in specific areas, such as Literacy and Numeracy. Students come together with others from across the state to spend time challenging themselves on a weekly basis. This program also includes our Young Authors program.

Below are a few photos from across the week to highlight the programs mentioned above.

Begonia Festival Art Competition

The Art Leadership team along with some Year 5/6 students and Mrs Glanville have been working hard on our Lucas PS entry for the Central Highlands Water Native Animal Art Competition. We were challenged with the task of painting a Tasmanian Devil while other schools across Ballarat were allocated different animals to create. The students spent lunchtimes throughout the term planning and painting this picture, and, I am sure you all

agree, have done an outstanding job!.

The artwork has been on exhibition in the CHW section of the Begonia Festival for the duration of the event. Festival goers have been encouraged to enter a vote for their favourite artwork. 

Year 3-6 Athletics Sports 

Yesterday, we ran our Year 3-6 Athletics Day, albeit in a modified format due to the heat. The students participated in five events throughout the day at Llanberris Reserve.

Congratulations to all the students for their enthusiastic participation and sporting attitude, which were key to the day’s success. It was fantastic to witness the effort on the track, as well as the support from the sidelines, with cheers encouraging their peers. We also want to thank the family and friends who came out to cheer on the students throughout the morning.

Such an event requires a lot of preparation, and we are grateful to Mr. O for all the work that went into organising the day and adjusting the program to accommodate the heat.

A Lucas PS team is now being formulated to move onto the next level.