Principal's Message

6 weeks in and we're off and running!

Students have been working so hard over the past 6 weeks - establishing relationships and routines and getting in to the hard work of learning. Specialised Guided Reading has started in every class across the school; maths work and writing happen every day; students have all begun their Inquiry learning; sport programs have started and lots of rich talk, art, collaborating and fun has been had!

Staff have been delivering learning programs and noticing very carefully how students are responding, which students require extra support and which may need further extending. Teachers get time to plan detailed lessons and to collaborate with their colleagues so that the learning is addressing important content and catering to each and every student in our school.

Thank you to families for supporting such a smooth start to our school year. We've hosted a community welcome BBQ, an open classroom for 3/2 Navigators, a formal assembly as well as weekly GEPS-fests, a swimming carnival, 3-6 PSSA sport, school photo day and a Kindy sports clinic!

Instructional Rounds

This week we are hosting 15 visitors from public schools - principals and teachers - to come and see the learning happening at GEPS. Our theme for this visit is Learning that Matters - for all of our students, highlighting the value of important content for students and being skillful to tailor that learning for all of our diverse learners. We think we're doing that pretty well here - our colleagues will listen to our school's journey and then go into classrooms and give us some feedback on what we can celebrate and where we can improve. 

Here are our Captains and Vice Captains, in my office, planning to welcome visitors and start the day off with a warm-in!

We have been part of this Instructional Rounds network for over 15 years - and it's been a great way to ensure that GEPS is using cutting-edge research and top-quality teaching to bring out the most in students. 

NAPLAN

These national tests are happening for Year 3 and 5 students (and Year 7 and 9) this week. 

1. Wednesday 11/3 is Writing at 9am (Year 3 write on paper, Year 5 write on a laptop).
2. Thursday 12/3 is Reading & Language at 9am (grammar, spelling, punctuation) - these are all using a laptop.
3. Friday 13/3 is Numeracy (online) at 11:30 - after PSSA.

All of the tests are about a snapshot in time and students should not be nervous - just do the best they can. Our teachers have made sure students are comfortable with the testing style, can use the laptops and are ready to show off their skills!

Harmony Day

Harmony Day is coming up - we'll celebrate on Tuesday 17 March. This is a great way to showcase the cultural diversity at GEPS and the harmony that we work hard to create every day. This is a place where everyone belongs.

Data from Years 3-6 students last year showed:

Sense of belonging – students were asked if their teacher knows them, cares about them, do the adults believe in them and do they feel like they belong at school. Our GEPS students, 88% agreed that was true, compared with 76% similar schools. This is telling us that students here have a strong feeling of belonging and support.

On Harmony Day students can wear orange or their national dress.