A message from Tami -Jo
The term has started so well. The weather is improving, and we have had some lovely sunny days. The change in timetables has alleviated some of the issues in the playground as it has allowed both secondary and primary students their own areas to play.
Cheer Toastie Day
On Monday, the 5th of August, we held a fundraising event where a group of volunteers manned the Cheer Toastie truck and made 1054 toasties and delivered them to classrooms. We raised $2108. A huge thank you to the volunteers who gave of their time: Madiya, Ranjeeth, Srishti, Suzana, Nazish, Meenakshi, Algene, Isha, Sharland, Kelvin, Vidhi and Alhril.
Attendance and Lateness
Attendance is an issue across our school. Current figures show that over 40% of our students have had 10 or more days absent this year. This equates to a day off a fortnight. And if you add those days up over time; it means an enormous amount of time off school. If you look at the table below, 10 days absent means chronic absence at this stage of the year and we know that this usually has a negative impact on a child’s progress.
It also impacts others in the class as teachers are working to catch up those who have been away. Being late to school has similar effects. We ask that you refrain from taking holidays during term and/or think very carefully about why your child is not at school. Of course, if they are unwell, they should stay at home but please ensure that they are at school every day that they can be. We want them here so we can work with them to reach their potential in every aspect of the curriculum and school life.
House System for the Secondary Students
It has been wonderful to see the students working so well in the new House System. The partitions have gone up in Ngarnga, Waa and Wadjil which has provided specific classroom space and helped to focus the students more. They are working in House Hubs and have a select group of House teachers supporting them. There are a number of House events underway to help build pride for their particular House and encourage the students to take a little more responsibility for themselves and others now they are in secondary school.
Curriculum Day- Friday 23rd August
Our upcoming curriculum day is Friday, August 23rd. This is a student free day.
The primary school staffwill be focussing on writing of units of inquiry and the instructional practices that best support those units.
The secondary staff will be working through how to further develop their safe and orderly learning environments and how to use the new house system to support student learning and wellbeing.
The Education Support Staff will have professional learning which supports their work in classrooms with the children.
We had a blitz last week on Facebook, highlighting different events and activities within the school. We really wanted to share with you some of the amazing and exciting things that happen during the day here at DCC. We will be attempting to continue this and share more on Facebook. So, if you are not already a friend of DCC on Facebook, please sign up.
Reading with Hazel
Some students have had the opportunity to come and read with Hazel, who is training as a therapy dog here at school. The students commented on how she started to relax as they were reading to her. They took their role in supporting her to learn how to behave very seriously.
CRTS (Casual Replacement Teachers)
We just wanted to remind families that replacement teachers (CRTS) are very difficult to find, particularly in the Wyndham area. We are signed up with several agencies, but they are every limited in terms of the numbers they have available. We use the CRTs first to cover any specialist teachers who may be away because those classes give the classroom teachers their non face to face time. This is time which they are entitled to and is very important as it is the time they use to plan and assess the children. We understand the frustration parents have when the students are split, however this is the way that we can best ensure that the children receive the best program as the teachers plan and collaborate together to develop the student program. The teachers also try to keep students split to the same classes where possible so a relationship can be formed and there are comprehensive documents outlining the needs of the students so they can best cater for split students when they have them in their class. We thank you for your understanding in this area.
We wish you a lovely term and as always look forward to working with you to support your child to learn and grow.
Inclusion Steering Committee
We are putting together an inclusion steering committee within DCC. We are working to ensure that all our students feel connected to school and feel included. The committee will include our Mental Health practitioner and teachers, our Community Liaison officer, multicultural representatives, members of our disability inclusion team and leadership members.
We want to find ways to be consistent and work together rather than in isolation whilst also having a variety of perspectives. This is to combat such issues as bullying, exclusion, loneliness and anxiety.
You will receive information about some important events that the students will participate in later this term:
12th-16th August is Bullying No Way National Week of Action – theme- Everyone Belongs
20th August- Wear it Purple Day- celebrating LGBTQIA+ youth
12th September- R U OK? National Day of Action
Not all events affect all students, but learning about our points of difference just like we do on Harmony Day around race and culture, is important to create understanding and acceptance. Whilst there are differences, we are all parts of the human race and kindness should be practiced for everyone.