Leadership Report

Dear Saltwater Families,

Dear families, welcome to Term 3 Week 6. We are now more than halfway through the term, and it’s wonderful to see the growth and progress the children have made so far. As we continue, there are several exciting events coming up, so please keep an eye out for important updates. Thank you for your ongoing support, and let’s make the remainder of the term a productive and enjoyable one!

Remembrance Day Assembly 11/11/2024

On Monday we held a Remembrance Day assembly. During the assembly, we were able to honour Remembrance Day through a special commemorative service, poetry readings and a very significant reading from our visitor Raymond Cooper, who served in the Australian Navy and is also one of our parents. 

In addition to this, our very own Australian Air force Cadets, Quin, Hunter and Michael, presented a heartfelt reading. 

We observed a minute of silence to honour the fallen soldiers. At the conclusion of our assembly, students from each year level laid wreaths. The assembly serves as an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices made by military personnel and to express gratitude for their service. WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM. LEST WE FORGET. 🥀

Transition Program Prep-Six

Our Prep Transition Program for 2025 enabled us to warmly welcome our incoming Prep students and support their smooth entry into school life.

Two transition sessions were scheduled during the previous week, with another two sessions scheduled later in November on-            

Tuesday 26 November 9am – 10.15am 

Wednesday 27 November 9am – 10:15am. 

Additionally, on Thursday, 19 December 2024, all current Prep to Year 5 students will take part in the 2025 Transition Day, where they will meet their new teachers and classmates for the next school year. Students will engage in activities within their future classrooms to build familiarity and comfort as they prepare for the new year. Parents are encouraged to discuss this exciting day with their children to foster positivity around meeting new friends and teachers. The session aims to boost students' confidence, helping them embark on the next chapter of their educational journey feeling well-prepared and supported.

Year 6 to 7 Statewide Transition Day

The Year 6 to 7 Statewide Transition Day is being conducted on Tuesday 10th December. 

On this day, all Year 6 students from government schools will be attending a transition day at their enrolled school for 2025. For the large majority of our students who will be completing Year 7 at Saltwater, we will be conducting our transition day at the Coaching Parade Campus, where our Year 7-9 students will be next year.

On the day, students are to arrive at the Coaching Parade campus in the morning at 8:30am and they will be dismissed from the Coaching Parade campus at 2:40pm. During the day, students will be placed in their Homeroom classes for 2025 and complete a series of taster sessions for different subjects throughout the day.

Alternative arrangements will be made for any additional Year 6 students who are not attending Saltwater next year, and don’t have a transition day at another school. They can attend the Kirra Place campus as normal and will be take part in an alternative program for the day.

ACE TESTING RESULTS

Thank you to all the families of our secondary students who opted in to take part in the Select Entry Tests for the 2025 ACE classes. We appreciate your support throughout this process. We are currently collecting results and organising the class placements, and we will be able to share the test outcomes with you by the end of Week Seven, Friday 22nd November.

Saltwater Community Newsletter - Recent Professional Learning OpportunityMaking The PYP Happen: Implementing Agency in the Primary Years Programme

We are excited to share with you a recent professional learning opportunity for staff that centred around the theme of "Making The PYP Happen: Implementing Agency". This engaging two-day session was designed to deepen our educators' understanding of how to empower our students through the Primary Years Programme (PYP), fostering a learning environment where students actively engage in their own learning journey.

The workshop focused on Agency, a core concept of the PYP, which encourages students to take ownership of their learning, make choices, and have a voice in the learning process. The session was led by experts in PYP implementation and brought together educators from various subject areas to explore strategies and tools for promoting student agency in the classroom.

Key Highlights from the Professional Learning Session:

Understanding Agency: The session explored what agency looks like in practice, emphasising the importance of giving students the autonomy to ask questions, make decisions, and reflect on their learning. Educators discussed how they can provide opportunities for students to drive their inquiries and develop their personal learning goals.

Strategies for Implementation: Practical strategies were shared for building a culture of agency within the classroom. These included inquiry-based approaches, setting learning intentions with students, and creating spaces where students feel safe to express their ideas, take risks, and collaborate with peers.

Real-life Applications: Teachers were encouraged to share their own experiences and challenges in fostering student agency. Collaborative discussions allowed for a rich exchange of ideas, with educators developing concrete plans to integrate these strategies into their practice.

Building a Shared Vision: A central part of the workshop was creating a unified approach to implementing agency school-wide. This involved aligning the PYP principles with Saltwater's core values and ensuring that we are continuously reflecting on how we can support each student as an active participant in their own learning.

Why This Matters for Our Students

At Saltwater, we believe that empowering students is key to developing lifelong learners who are curious, resilient, and confident. By fostering agency, we are not just teaching content, but cultivating skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and self-regulation, which will serve our students far beyond the classroom.

We are excited to continue building on these learnings as we move forward in our PYP journey, creating even more opportunities for students to take charge of their learning, collaborate with others, and explore the world around them with curiosity and purpose.

Attendance 

With only four weeks left of school until the Christmas holidays, it's important for students to stay focused and continue attending classes. These final weeks provide a valuable opportunity to consolidate learning, complete assessments, and prepare for the year ahead. Consistent attendance ensures students stay on track, reinforcing what they've learned and finishing the year strong. 

By staying engaged, students not only meet their academic goals but also develop strong habits of commitment and responsibility, setting them up for success in the future.

Term 4

Term Four is an 11 week term, which started on Monday 7 October and will conclude on Thursday 19 December 19th, 2024. We wish all our families all the best for the remainder of this term.

Thank you, 

On behalf of the Leadership team.