Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Winter certainly arrived quickly this week and the mild autumn weather already feels like a distant memory. Thank you to all families for supporting students to stay warm and comfortable by ensuring they are dressed appropriately for the colder conditions.

As we move further into winter, a few helpful reminders include:

• Coats are encouraged during the colder weather, however, they do not replace a school jumper and are generally removed when students are learning indoors.
• While some children may insist they “don’t feel the cold,” we strongly encourage long pants and jumpers, particularly as the Learning Street can become very cold and windy during the day.
• Sturdy, weather-appropriate school shoes are recommended to help keep feet dry and students comfortable throughout the school day.

• School beanies are also a great option for keeping warm and Lucas Primary School beanies are available through our school uniform provider PSW.

   

Thank you again for your continued support in helping students stay warm, healthy and ready for learning during the winter months.

Semester 1 Reports

Due to the AEU Industrial Action that occurred during this semester, our reporting process has been impacted and will result in a modified student report at the end of this term. The reports will still include important student achievement information, however, the full written component will be reduced to meet the ‘in principle’ agreement reached by the Australian Education Union and the Department of Education. More details will be shared shortly to outline the changes and how parents and carers can gain more information about their child’s learning this semester. 

Reconciliation Week

Last week, our school participated in a range of Reconciliation Week activities designed to deepen students’ understanding of the journey we continue to share as a nation. Throughout the week, students engaged in learning experiences connected to this year’s theme, “All In,” which encouraged everyone to reflect on the role we each play in creating an inclusive, respectful and connected community.

As part of the week, we also acknowledged National Sorry Day, observed annually on 26 May. National Sorry Day provides an opportunity to recognise and remember the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly the Stolen Generations.

To support this learning, students created hibiscus flowers, recognised by the National Stolen Generations Alliance as the official symbol of Sorry Day. These flowers were thoughtfully placed around our Yarning Circle as a symbol of remembrance, respect and reflection.

Families may also notice Lucas Primary School’s framed “Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples” displayed in the entrance of the administration building. Over the coming weeks, our Koorie Champions will be taking the framed apology to Years 3–6 classrooms where it will be shared, viewed and discussed with students as part of ongoing learning and conversations around reconciliation and understanding.

Education Week

Over the past fortnight, we celebrated Education Week by showcasing many of the wonderful aspects that make Lucas Primary School such a positive and vibrant learning community. 

Throughout the week, we showcased:

• our staff by acknowledging the dedication, care and work they do each day to support student learning and wellbeing outcomes across the school,
• our students’ creativity through a future-focused design challenge where students imagined and created what Lucas Primary School buildings and uniforms might look like in 100 years’ time,
• the gifted student authors chosen to represent the school in the Ballarat Young Authors Program launch
• the learning taking place across the school through buddy sessions, where students shared pieces of work, they were proud of and explained why their learning was meaningful to them,
• our student leadership team by providing two students with the opportunity to take on the role of “Principal for a Day”, and
• the strong home-school partnerships we value so highly by welcoming families into the school to participate in our Kim Barne session on Friday afternoon.

Education Week provided a wonderful opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the many people who contribute to making Lucas Primary School such a supportive and engaging place to learn.

Upstanders Project

This week we had a behaviour reset after seeing an increase in unfriendly behaviours. All students participated in a “Being Our Best” session at recess focused on celebrating positive behaviour and reinforcing the importance of making respectful choices in the classroom and school yard. During the session, we recognised students demonstrating “upstander” behaviours and highlighted the positive impact these actions have on our school community.

As part of our ongoing work around bystanders and upstanders, we also met with a smaller group of students to provide additional support around positive problem-solving and managing challenges during play and social situations. This included the launch of our “Upstander Project,” which will help students develop practical strategies such as using respectful language, seeking support from trusted adults, giving themselves space and walking away from escalating situations. This group are busily creating a resource that can be used in the future to support students to regulate their behaviour and make appropriate decisions in moments of challenge.

Our goal is to continue building a safe, supportive and inclusive school environment where all students can learn and thrive. We encourage families to continue conversations at home about solving problems respectfully and making choices that support positive relationships with others. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support.