Congratulations on a great term!

We've made it to Week 11 - with many achievements along the way!

Our Year of The Dragon has started wonderfully. Each class, bearing the name of a Dragon quality, has set up for a year of success - teaching students how to get along as a class; how to share the voice space; how to listen to each other; how to respectfully disagree; how to work together; and how to think deeply and critically. Our classes really are daring and magical and brilliant!

This term we have seen students working hard on their reading and writing skills in class; practising mathematical mental strategies; being exposed to geography, PD/Health/PE, science and creative arts; going on excursions and having incursions (like Raw Art); hosting visitors from other schools; being involved in sporting groups, choir, swimming and dance group.

We've had Kindy students hosting their own Learning Conversations - with work to show parents as well as teachers providing guidance for what to do at home.

We've held Come and Play days and expos for our Inquiry work (Grapple and CTC). We've had great community engagement in our Hat Parade - and a lovely performance by the Lion Dance Kids company - wishing us much prosperity for the year!

Student voice gets "real"!

This term I have also been running a merit selection panel to find another office admin person to replace Mrs O'Grady (who retired). I got some great applications and scheduled to interview 2 people. I asked my Student Advisory Board kids to work with me in the interview process (Bassam and Sitayish).

So we met and talked about the qualities we needed for someone to work in our front office - the ability to be warm with kids and parents; to answer the phone and field enquiries; the work as part of a team with Mrs Yee and Mrs El Betyl; to offer First Aid; to photocopy; to multi-task; and to stay calm under pressure!!

We wrote questions and discussed the interview process. Then we interviewed our 2 candidates.

Our panel discussions are confidential - however, I want to share how impressed I was with the students. They were both professional, confident, welcoming, astute in their observations and honest in their feedback. I felt well supported and encouraged that student voice was a big part of the new person who will join our front office team.

Our 2 students reflected on their experience, here is what they said:

I found the experience very exciting to be able to help the school in various ways. Being able to interview and talk to people in person is thrilling too!

Overall, I am very excited to be on a panel and to help the school now and into the future. I am grateful that I am one of the kids on the Student Advisory Board.

~ Bassam

I felt really happy that I was on a panel and I loved how we were being serious but at the same time we had a lot of fun talking. My experience was really fun but also serious which I loved. I am excited for Afsana to start in the job!

~ Sitayish

There's a little clue about who is starting next term! A big thank you to Bassam and Sitayish.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Finally - our Press Gang has produced their first newspaper of the year! It is being sent home today in hard-copy. It really is a wonderful edition - full of writing for real purposes - to inform, to entertain, to make us laugh, to give us ideas and insights.

Congratulations to the 13 students in Press Gang!

Enjoy the 2 week term break when it arrives. For those celebrating Eid - Eid Mubarak!

School finishes Friday April12 and returns for students on Tuesday 30 April - with our ANZAC service in the hall at 9:15am.

3/4 Aspire

With Miss Alsalimy & Mrs Srinivas