Principal's Report 

Time in Lieu

We all know that teachers work many hours over and above their scheduled working week, but over time - we have held an increasing number of school events after hours for the convenience of our working parents. For example, soirees, parent-teacher interviews, school council meetings etc. With the new Agreement, schools now have two options when planning extra-curricular events: they either re-arrange the events to occur within the teachers’ working hours (between 8:45 and 4:45pm) or the teacher must be given ‘time in lieu’. We are all endeavouring to maintain a better work-life balance, so for our teachers, following the new agreement is very important for staff health and wellbeing. 

It does not seem that any time has passed since we first mentioned the secondary school applications and we are in August already. The application process is coming to an end as far as the primary school’s involvement is concerned. Parents of Year 6 students who have applied for a Government School place should have received their confirmation letters. If your circumstances have changed and you no longer need the Government secondary school place, please notify Ms. Amy Jones and also inform the secondary school. We will continue to support your children, in the best way we can, to enable them to make a smooth transition to their secondary schools. Thank you to the Year 6 parents and teachers who are facilitating this process.

Playground Update

We continue to work with local suppliers in facilitating updates to our playground spaces. As we wait for the soft mulch to arrive, we have closed the dome playground to all students. We anticipate the playground spaces to be available in the coming weeks. 

Our P&F have been very busy coordinating multiple improvements to our school playgrounds. While there is much happening behind the scenes, I hope to be able to provide our school community with an update once the current works in progress have been finalised with firm dates. 

Parent Opinion Survey

Each year the school conducts an opinion survey amongst a sample of the school community. This year, a sample of approximately 30 per cent of parents/caregivers/guardians will be randomly selected and invited to participate. Results will be used to inform and direct our future school planning and improvement. 

Online Safety Reminder

There are tips available on the e-safety government website and parts of this will be shared in our newsletter to assist you in keeping your child safe. It’s not possible to be at your child’s side every second of the day, so it’s important to talk with them about online safety issues to help develop their critical thinking and ability to make good choices. It’s also good to let them know they can come to you for help. You may feel they know more about the latest technology than you do, but you have more life experience to guide them. 

• Take the opportunity to set some boundaries around when and where they can use devices like tablets, smart TVs and gaming consoles, to help limit potential tech tantrums. 

• When at home, it’s a great time to co-view and co-play with your kids, so you can understand what they are doing and experiencing online. 

• Learn about the games, apps, social media and platforms they are using at the E-Safety Guide, including how to protect their information and report inappropriate content or conduct. 

• Encourage them to explore E-Safety’s targeted advice for kids (primary school) and young people (secondary school). 

• Check E-Safety’s tips for talking with your child about tricky personal subjects like online pornography.

Enrol Now for 2024

We are open for 2024 enrolments and forms are available on the school website. If you have a child turning 5 by April 30, 2024, please complete an enrolment form and supply a copy of your child’s birth certificate and immunisation record and we will process the enrolment immediately. These documents can be emailed or posted to the school. It helps us enormously with planning, if we have a clear indication of enrolments as early as possible. 

Health and Wellbeing 

Just as we set aside time to do physical exercise, it is important we all make time each day to check in on mental health and wellbeing. 

Here are some links to support family wellbeing that you may find helpful: 

Smiling Minds

https://www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app

“Being a principal is a balancing act of driving educational improvement, wellbeing for students, staff and parents, advocacy, improving student learning, personal and professional learning, networking, meeting with parents, managing facilities, budgeting… but most importantly it's about the students. Every decision I make, I ask 'how will this affect the students?'"

Lunch Requirements for Growing Children

While we understand that all children are different, please speak with your child regarding their daily food requirements. We have seen an increase in the number of students who say they do not have enough food and are hungry. As children grow and develop, so too does their appetite and requirements for food. Often hunger is an ebb and flow situation, so please be mindful of what your child is or isn't eating on any given day.

Hot Food at School

As the weather is cooler, we understand that children might enjoy a warm lunch at school. Please note the following guidelines:

• Bringing hot water in a thermos to school is not allowed. If a student has noodles, they must be made at home and brought to school in a thermos with the hot fluid drained. This is of particular importance due to health and safety of all at school.
• There is no facility to warm food for students. We recommend that hot lunches are brought to school in a thermos.
• If your child requires utensils to eat their recess or lunch, please ensure these are packed and can be taken home for cleaning and reuse. This encourages our sustainable practices.

Kerri McLeod

Principal