PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Term 4 Week 4

Dear parents and carers,

The busy start to the term has continued over the past fortnight with a raft of experiences and learning opportunities for the students. With the swimming program for our Prep and Year 3/4 students concluded, the timetable can be cleared for the students to have one last push towards the end of the year. 

The final term is an exciting one as it provides an opportunity for the students to showcase all that they have learned throughout the year. Over the coming weeks we will head into a period of assessment and reporting to help unearth the learning growth from the last 12 months. Although academic growth will be a priority, it is often the development in the non-cognitive space that allows for students to really shine. How have they developed their ability to problem solve, organise themselves, reflect on the learning behaviours and persist when faced with a challenge are just a few skills that often underpin academic success. 

The reporting process for the term ahead will consist of a written report that outlines the student achievement and the growth they have achieved in each area over a set period of time. As always, we encourage all families to discuss learning progress and involve their children in planning goals and strategies for the future. If you would like to discuss your child’s learning, please feel free to contact their teacher for a chat.

Traffic Safety Around the School

I want to take a moment to emphasise the importance of safety around our school during pick-up and drop-off times. Unfortunately, I must once again urge all motorists to exercise extreme caution. Daily, we witness illegal and dangerous driving manoeuvres that endanger our children and other pedestrians. It’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt.

Actions such as parking in bus zones, stopping too close to the Children’s Crossing, making U-turns in front of the school, and exceeding speed limits significantly increases the risk of accidents. Therefore I urge all families to take a little extra time to exercise safe and legal driving behaviours at all times.

Earlier this week, a student was struck while riding to school. Thankfully, the student was unharmed, but the incident served as a frightening reminder of the risks we face.

As our school community continues to grow, especially with the addition of Siena PS, traffic during drop-off and pick-up is becoming increasingly busy. To help ensure the safety of everyone, please consider the following:

• Create a pick-up and drop-off plan with your child.
• Drop off and pick up your child away from the front of the school.
• Encourage your child to walk or ride on the wide footpaths to and from school.
• Only cross the road at the Children's Crossing or intersection.
• Always follow road rules and park legally.
• Be mindful of local residents and avoid parking in or across driveways.

We appreciate that most of our community drives responsibly and adheres to road laws, and for that, we are truly grateful. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our children safe.

Farewell Kaiah

We were saddened to hear that Kaiah McCahon, our Lucas LEAP Coordinator, is moving on to follow her passions in the Wellbeing space as of Thursday this week.

Kaiah has been an integral part of the development of Lucas LEAP at Lucas Primary School as she has held the position of Program Coordinator from the start of 2024. Kaiah worked hard to establish routines and rituals within the program, assisted to recruit and induct staff and establish many of the structures currently in place that make Lucas LEAP the success it is.

We wish Kaiah all the best for the future.

Preparing for 2025

As we head into the final term of 2024, our attention turns to preparations for 2025. Over the coming month, we will be working to confirm staffing and class arrangements for 2025.

If you know that your child will be leaving Lucas PS in 2025, please contact the office to let us know.

If you have not enrolled your child for 2025, please contact the office for enrolment forms.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Important Dates for 2025

As we look forward to the end of 2024, there are a few key dates that will be required to ensure those holiday adventures are finished before school returns.

School Council

Our October School Council meeting was held on Monday October 21 with the following agenda items discussed:

• School financial reports and Lucas LEAP profit and loss statements.
• Review of the 2025 Parent Contributions plan.
• School staffing movements.
• Updates on school enrolments and projections for 2025.
• Facility upgrade reports including progress update on the portables and toilets.
• Teaching and learning reports to outline the assessment and reporting plan for Term 4.
• Staff professional learning updates to outline school improvement plans including the inclusion of the Berry Street model for 2025.
• A disability inclusion update outlining funding for 2025.
• Policy updates including ChildSafe Code of Conduct, ChildSafe and the Responding to Incidents ChildSafe Policy.
• Updates to a raft of Lucs LEAP policies including the Fees Policy.
• School canteen feedback and plans to move forward with further investigation.
• Approving Term 4 excursions.
• Organising meetings for School Council Working parties: (if you would like to be a part of the following committees, please contact the school office)
  • Curriculum - TBC
  • Buildings and Grounds - 20/11 at 11.30am
  • Fundraising - 1/11 at 11am

We have just two meetings left for the school year and would like to thank our hard-working school counsellors for their time and energy in paving the way forward for the school. 

Christmas Carols Organising Committee

Please lock in, Thursday December 12 for our annual Christmas Carols evening at Lucas PS. The evening will begin at 5pm and conclude at approx. 7pm with an opportunity to bring a picnic and watch the students perform their songs. 

The Christmas Carols night does require considerable preparation and therefore, we are looking for a few parents to join the organising committee which will meet in the weeks leading up to the event. Our next meeting is at 8am on Tuesday the 12th of November. If you are interested, please contact the office for more details. 

This night is a great way to finish off the year and one last opportunity for our wonderful community to come together before the Christmas holidays.

World Teacher's Day

Last week, we celebrated our talented and dedicated teachers as part of World Teacher's Day.  We acknowledge the impact our teachers have on the academic and social-emotional learning of each and every student they teach.

As part of the day all staff joined our studet award winners with a special All Values Award at assembly.