Principal's Report

Health Update

As of Wednesday last week, I finally managed to return to school. Although I still have a way to go with my recovery, it has been so nice to be back with the students and my staff.

Contrary to the much cooler story, it turns out that I wasn’t bitten by a spider (this has disappointed a few of our year 1 and 2 boys). I won’t share too many details, but I managed to pick up a ‘charming’ little bacterium that has enjoyed eating away the soft tissue of my foot. The good news is we finally have the right diagnosis and treatment plan in place. I still have some mobility restrictions at the moment, but I am working my way back to being able to move around without support.

I appreciate the patience and kind words from many of you. I have felt very supported over the past few weeks.

Parent Opinion Survey

As mentioned in my last newsletter and in the Compass post that I sent out to families, we hope to have as many families as possible complete the Parent Opinion Survey.

At this stage, we have 13 surveys completed. For those who have completed it, thank you! I appreciate the time you have taken to share your perceptions of our school.

I would really like to see this number be significantly higher. The more responses we have, the more accurate the information we can draw from this survey. Please, if you can, respond to the survey before Friday, 30 August 2024.

I will send a reminder Compass post with the link again soon.

Further information from my last newsletter post: The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation.

Our school will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones.

The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Resources are also available in additional languages to assist parents/carers/guardians who speak a language other than English at home.

Please reach out to the school directly if you have any questions or for survey guides in your language.

Volunteer Induction Sessions

On the 13th of August at 8:45 am and on the 30th of August at 3:00 pm, I will be running a volunteer induction session. If you currently volunteer or you would like to volunteer, I hope to see you at one of these sessions. It will take less than 30 minutes to complete. 

It is important to note that all volunteers need to be inducted to participate in our school work.

As I mentioned last week, there are many ways you can contribute, including assisting with student learning support in areas such as reading, spelling, and maths. You can also help by supporting student clubs, working to improve the school's grounds through activities like working bees and the Garden Club, or lending a hand in the canteen or Breakfast Club on Thursday mornings.

So many of our school events, fundraising initiatives, and student supports are not possible without the time, goodwill, and care from volunteers. The work our volunteers do directly improves the lives of our students.

Being on Time

Students arriving on time and being ready for the start of the day is an important factor for academic achievement and engagement in school.

We understand that sometimes ‘life happens’ and a late arrival is unavoidable. However, it is important to try and have students at school on time and ready to start the day as often as possible. When lateness becomes frequent, it has a negative effect on a student's schooling.

Studies such as the one conducted by Finn (1993) in "The Journal of Educational Research" show that punctuality and regular attendance are strongly correlated with student engagement and participation in school activities.

Whereas students who are frequently late or absent often face challenges in keeping up with the curriculum, which can lead to lower academic achievement. For instance, a study by Gottfried (2014) in "Educational Researcher" found that chronic absenteeism and tardiness negatively affect academic performance.

We always welcome any of our late students like they have arrived on time with a Welcome Pass, a smile, and a thoughtful transition into their classroom so they feel as comfortable as possible settling in and getting ready for learning. We encourage all of our families to ensure that our students don’t need this process too often.

Disco

I look forward to seeing the students enjoy themselves at the School Disco this Friday. Please check out the Parents’ and Friends' Association Page of the newsletter.

Athletics Day 

I know that Bonny is still looking for some volunteers to support the upcoming House Athletics Day. If you have the time, we would love to have your support. Please reach out to Bonny if you are interested.

OSHC Update

We have been extremely fortunate with the implementation of TheirCare at our school this year, with many happy kids enjoying the service. Isaac and Kane have made it a place our students love attending.

Unfortunately for us, Isaac will be leaving TheirCare to embark on a Carpentry Apprenticeship. Isaac's last week with us is the week of August 19th, with his final day being August 21st.

As a thank you for the school's support, TheirCare will be providing a coffee van for parents and staff on August 21st.

We wish Isaac all the very best in his new adventure.

Warmly,

Tim Mulhall

Principal