Principal Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope this edition finds you healthy. The season of colds, flu, and tummy aches has been in full swing over the last few weeks of this term.

I would like to thank you if you have taken time out to look after your child. Thank you for being patient with us if your child's teacher or our wider staff have been absent. We are finding that replacement teachers have also been unwell, making it tricky to find replacements when illness happens in the mornings. When we add in heavy rain and wet weather days, it has left us trying to find joy wherever we can this term!

The joy is around the corner, spring and a great set of events. To brighten up the end of term, we have a range of events for all students to participate in.

This week it is Literacy and Numeracy Week. A book parade is happening this Thursday in the last session. We have books being read to children across the week by guest teachers and staff.

We have 3-way conferences this week, as well as portfolio tasks for term 3 to be shared at the conferences. Check Compass for your child's grades. Please note this is for one piece of work and is a snapshot in time. The end of Semester 2 reports can change.

We are also hosting a book fair, G34 and 56 Hoop Time, Father's (Special Person) Day stall, Print-A-Car challenge, SRC PJ day, and a Canteen Footy Lunch to end the term and celebrate footy finals. That is three special dress up days in the next 3 weeks.

Looking back over the last few weeks, I would like to thank Mrs. Taylor for organising fun events for Science Week. The Grade 56 team and Miss Twentyman for organising 56 Hoop Time, as well as district athletics. Congratulations to those students through to the next rounds; well done. Congratulations as well to the Netball team who went all the way to district with their team.

Enrolments for 2027

A healthy and vibrant school community is based around positive enrolments. I am pleased to share that there will be 3 classes of prep students in 2027. Thank you to those families who have enrolled a sibling. The total for our school will reach 440 students in 2027. That is 135 more students than 5 years ago.

A challenge for 2027 will be places and spaces. I am currently in conversation with the Department regarding a new portable being installed for the school to relieve rooming pressures.

Play Equipment

The location of a new portable will most likely be in the space that the green play equipment stands. This equipment will be moved and relocated to the area between OSHC and the portables. Additional play equipment will also be installed. This is tentatively booked for a September holiday install. This will give the Prep to Grade 2 students a much larger play area that will open onto the oval. This is a combined project between the school, Parents & Friends and OHSC families. Thank you for your generosity in the fundraising space.

Thank you also to the P&F for the adult Trivia Night and to Leigh Marriott (School Council President) for organsing the questions. 

Curriculum Day

Friday 28th August, we will be hosting a curriculum day at school. The day will be student free, and there will be no OSHC offered as the team will be attending professional learning. Class teachers will be participating in a Maths professional learning day with TopTen Maths. The educational support team and OSHC team will join together to participate in professional learning covering Complex Behaviours and Trauma-Informed Practice.

Laptops Grade 2

The notebooks for Grade 2 are close to being finalised by Mr. Taylor. We are aiming to share them with students before the end of the term. There are recommendations from the Department of Education regarding the use of digital devices from 2027 onwards. The details are slowly emerging and will be shared with families in term 4. Our focus for the Grade 2s in term 4 will be on online / class safety, typing skills, and new software, and balanced with limited and responsible use.

SWPBS Parent/Carer Night (Online)

I will be hosting an online forum on Tuesday 15th September to share with families the changes in school with the introduction of School-wide Positive Behaviour. This will be a 30-minute online session with a space for Q&A afterwards. I will share details on Compass. It would be great to see a good turnout for this session.

We have had a soft launch of SWPBS throughout this term. You may have been receiving positive notes in your email for your child. Term 4 will have a larger focus for students, staff and parents. Having as many of us aligned on the purpose of this approach will be better for our school community.

Have a wonderful week.

Craig