Principal's Report
We've had a busy, yet exciting time at school over the past couple of weeks. Starting with Science Week celebrations. Science week was initiated in 1997 aiming to encourage an interest in science pursuits and encourage young people to be fascinated by the world we Iive in. Kerry McCarthy and Nadine Frankel (Science teachers) organised another very successful WEPS Science Fair. We had about 80 science projects on display creating opportunities for student and adult learning (I know I learnt a few new interesting scientific facts). I also loved seeing such proud students, parents and past students showcasing their efforts and acknowledging the efforts of others. Thank you to all our chefs and servers, the sausages were delicious. What a fabulous way to bring our community together this term. We are in an extremely fortunate position to have weekly science lessons from foundation to grade 6 and continue to inspire curiosity and understanding of the natural and social worlds.
Each year (since 1945), the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) has brought children and books together across Australia through Children's Book Week. During Book Week, schools, libraries, kindergartens and child care centres spend the week celebrating books and Australian children's authors and illustrators. I recently shared at assembly how much joy book week brought to my childhood and I think back fondly on the many costumes my mum helped me create (actually she did most of the creating). The idea behind the very first Book Week (back in 1945) was to connect kids with books, I think that notion has proven to be incredibly successful. As I was watching the prep parade on Wednesday morning, a parent made the comment 'it's like stepping into a fairly land'...what a lovely way to reflect on dress up day. Thank you to all our wonderful families for supporting your children to dress up as their desired character, congratulations to our staff for embracing the day and making the effort to become their chosen book character and congratulations to our students for their excitement and enjoyment of such an iconic week in our yearly calendar.
At our last School Council meeting, I had the pleasure of sharing our 2023 NAPLAN data. School Council encouraged the opportunity to celebrate the data with the wider community, so, last week Warrnambool East Primary School was acknowledged for exceptional NAPLAN data in the Warrnambool Standard. We displayed the data for parents to view at our Science Fair last week, but we will also share in more detail at our annual parent forum next term (please save the date). I have also attached a letter from David Howes - Deputy Secretary, outlining state outcomes.
We know at Warrnambool East we still have work to do, but we are thrilled to know our way of working together is making an impact, that is 'when teachers work together, students learn more'.
On a final note, I would like to remind parents to complete the annual Parent Opinion Survey. You would've received a link on Compass (we will also resend). It is important we have one parent /carer from each family complete survey to support our ongoing improvement journey. It is important we are meeting the needs of our students and their families and working in partnership on this very important journey.