It’s finally here!! You may have noticed a lot of movement around the school this week, that’s because we have been eagerly anticipating handover of Stage 1B of the capital works project. Just today we have received confirmation that the final actions have been completed (installing the phone system) and Monday will see FNPS operating out of our new office space.

To that end, Monday afternoon we will continue to move across into the new space. For any members of the community that are able to assist after school from 3:30pm – 4:30pm, we would very much appreciate any assistance that can be provided.

Education Week

This week is Education Week. Education week is an opportunity to celebrate every aspect of learning, with this year’s theme being ‘Spotlight on STEM’. The week has highlighted the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in our everyday lives, in the classroom and beyond.

This week, we also had the privilege of hosting a special welcome assembly for visiting Indian Principal, Asha Prahbakar, from the Bal Bharati Public School in Noida, India. Asha’s visit forms the reciprocal element of the Women in School Leadership (WISL) Program; a collaborative initiative fostering cross-cultural exchange and advancing leadership for social change within the education sector.

Our welcome assembly highlighted the importance of international collaboration in driving positive change. It was inspiring to witness the enthusiasm and warmth with which our students, staff and community welcomed Asha to Fitzroy North Primary School. A very special thank you to our music teacher, Tanya for preparing the Choirs and Marimba groups for their performances; my heart was filled with pride!

Asha’s personal high point of the week were her observations of engaging and experiential lessons across the school. These lessons included our 3/4 students creating their own Womera through a STEM lesson delivered by Joe, a student led exploration of the Gender Equity Project progress with Brad, an overview of IB Learning with Hannah, Play Based Learning in our Prep classrooms and Literacy Focus Groups in Years 1/2. Thank you to all of our students and staff for opening their classrooms and sharing their learning with Asha. Her feedback pointed out the incredible intellectual capital we hold in our school and the high engagement levels and levels of interaction between the students and their teachers. I was overcome with pride at the amazing experiences our students are engaging in.

The WISL Program, spanning nine months, has aimed to enhance the leadership capabilities of 12 women principals in Victoria and 12 women principals in Delhi. Through online professional learning sessions and reciprocal immersion experiences, participants like myself and Asha have gained invaluable insights into best practices in school leadership and community engagement.

This year's WISL program theme, "Leading schools for social change with a focus on learning and wellbeing", resonates deeply with the FNPS commitment to student development and education experiences that remain centered on the child. Asha’s presence at our school provided a unique opportunity for us to learn with and from her experiences and perspectives; enriching our understanding of global educational practices.

In addition to Asha’s visit, and as a part of my participation in the WISL program, this week our group also had the privilege of continuing our professional learning journey by attending the Victorian Teaching and Learning Academy and Melbourne University, where we engaged in workshops with academics Dr Maricia Devlin, Claire Lundy and Professor Lindsay Oades from Melbourne University. My personal highlight was Professor Oades' insights into student wellbeing and human flourishing, and its intersection with education. His workshop affirmed my strong belief in the transformative power of education in nurturing individuals to realise their full potential and lead fulfilling lives and I look forward to applying my learnings to the FNPS setting.

I would like to say a special thank you to Toby and the leadership group, Hannah, Joe and Jake for ensuring the school continued to thrive whilst I was out this week. Knowing that we have such a strong and capable group of leaders to continue ensuring FNPS runs smoothly is a great source of pride for me.

National Education Support Day

Also as part of Education Week, yesterday, 16 May, was National Education Support Day. This is a day for us to celebrate the amazing support we receive from our ES team and acknowledge their incredible contribution to FNPS. To Nicole, Emily, Patrick, Annalise, Andreas, Michael and Ryan, thank you to each and every member of you who make our loads a little lighter every day. We simply couldn’t do it without you!

Year 5 & 6 Camp

Next week our Year 5 and 6 cohorts set off on their final primary school camp to Camp Jungai. A wonderful, adventure packed week lays in store for the children, with the focus of Camp Jungai being pushing students (and sometimes staff…) out of their comfort zone. We can’t wait to hear about their adventures upon their return.

That’s it for me, see you all next week.

Go gently,

Tania

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