Dear Parents/ Carers,

STUDENT NUMBERS

As you know, on Thursday the 8th of Feb we formed 2024 classes. We have 21 classes in 2024, with 500 students enrolled at the school. This is very close to what we expected, but it was still important to make sure we knew how many students were enrolled before we formed classes. History tells us that this model works best.

MEET THE TEACHER AFTERNOON

Every year the staff look forward to meeting families at our annual ‘Meet the Teacher’ afternoon. This year’s dates are - Tuesday 27 February (K-2 + 5S) and Wednesday 28 February (3-6). The note went out on Wednesday 14/2/24. Make sure you keep your date and time in your diary, so you don’t miss the meeting!

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

At Fairvale, teachers mark the roll at 9am. This means, if your child arrives after 9.00 am they need to go to the office to be marked as “LATE” not “ABSENT”. The office staff will give them a red slip to take to their classroom. This will tell the teacher that they have done the correct process and been to the office.

If your child is away, you will receive an email asking you for an explanation for the absence. You can easily respond to the emails OR you can call the school on (02) 9724 3470 OR explain the absence on the school app OR fill in one of the ‘student absence notification’ notes:

RESPECT AT SCHOOL

This term, you will notice new posters around the school that aim to help support a safe and respectful culture at our school.

These posters are part of an initiative to remind everybody to treat our hard-working school staff with kindness and respect. Every school community around the state is very different. While most schools are respectful and harmonious, violence and unsafe behaviour in any form is not acceptable in schools. School staff and students have the right to learn and work in safe and respectful learning environments. With that in mind, I encourage you to join everyone at our school in getting behind this important initiative to make a positive change.

We value our partnerships with you to support our students to learn, grow, and belong. It is up to us – the school and the parent-body - to be good, respectful role models for our students. Together, we can create a safe and harmonious environment for our students and staff.

I hope you will support this initiative. What do you need to do? It is easy: Please treat our students and staff with kindness and respect, at all times. We are here to help you. I invite you to contact me if you have any questions.

VOLUNTARY SCHOOL CONTRIBUTIONS 2024

We have not asked for voluntary school contributions since 2020, so some of our families may not be familiar with this term. What is a voluntary school contribution? This is a voluntary payment from families that is requested by schools to supplement existing funding. These payments provide additional resources to ensure all students have the best opportunities to learn at school. The amount was very minimal, we asked for $30 per family - this equated to 75 cents per FAMILY per SCHOOL Week. Due to the pressure on all households in recent years, we have decided as a school not to ask for voluntary school contributions in 2024. We will continue to look at keeping the cost of incursions and excursions relatively low and, at times, the school will cover some of the costings for other events. Larger families or families needing additional support should contact the school to arrange an appointment to speak to a school executive.

HEALTHY FAMILY BULLETIN – FEBRUARY EDITION

Click on the link below to learn more about health star ratings, 2024 Active and Creative Kids vouchers, alternate screen time, free books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, free gyms in parks, a healthy lunchbox recipe and celebrating Lunar New Year festivities with home-made oven-baked spring rolls.

Click here >>> https://bitly.ws/3cubW

Have a great fortnight,

Chloe Fletcher

Relieving Principal

I respect and acknowledge First Nations people as the traditional owners of the land on which I work, live and visit.

https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/rights-and-accountability/complaints-compliments-and-suggestions/guide-for-parents-carers-and-students

Principal's Into Learning Award Winners