Principal's Report
By Carolyn Serpell
Last week, the school underwent a triennial review. By all accounts, the rewiewer thoroughly enjoyed the four days they spent in the school speaking with staff and students, and observing classroom practice. While we wait on the final report, the reviewer was keen to pass on lots of positive feedback about our teachers and their practice, as well as our classrooms and high level of student engagement. The report, which will be presented to school council, will highlight future areas of focus, to inform our next strategic plan.
The first day of our cross-country ski program was held last Friday, under great conditions. Many thanks to Steph, Sheepy, Mary, Bron, Kathryn, Jessica, Lucy, Belinda and Michelle for providing our students with such a great experience. After all the rain this week, we are grateful that day 2 of the program, which will be held tomorrow, also looks good. Due to our Book Week celebrations, our final day of the program, is scheduled for next Wednesday, the 6th August.
On Tuesday, students in Prep-2 travelled to Wodonga to see The Gruffalo's Child, on stage. This was a wonderful experience, and there was lots of excitement and feedback from both students and our attending adults! Many thanks to staff and volunteers Belinda, Steff, Duanne and Amanda for their assistance with this outing.
Yesterday, the Alpine Shire hosted a special events for First Nations students, called The Young Mob Collective. This event included a welcome and smoking ceremony, traditional games, an art workshop, creation stories and participation in a weaving and wellness workshop. Our students had a great time participating in the activities and getting to know other students from around the shire.
This term, our school is particiating in Jump Rope for Heart. As well as learning new skills and building their fitness and skipping stamina, our students are also encouraged to help raise vital funds to support the Heart Foundation in their ongoing research. Information about this event was sent home last week, with details on how to register. If you require further information, please visit http://www.jumprope.org.au/parents
On Thursday 7th August, students in Years 3-6 will have the opportunity to compete in the Australian Maths Competition. This is the biggest maths competition in the year and offers participants the opportunity to showcase their problem solving skills. If you have not yet registered child, but would like to, please contact the office before 10am tomorrow. The cost is $9 per entry. If you would like more information, please see Dave at school or check out the AMC website at: https://www.amt.edu.au/amc
Next Friday, we will be celebrating Book Week! Our annual Book Fair will be open from 3.20 - 4.30pm on Wednesday and 9.35 - 11am on Friday morning, with all proceeds going towards buying new books for our library. This year, our Book Quiz will be back and throughout the week, students will be delving into books, in preparation for this event. Of course, our Book Week parade is always a highlight, and students are encouraged to come dressed as a favourite story book character. Parents and carers are also welcome to join in the fun!
This week, NAPLAN results were sent home to families, so please check your child's bag if you haven't yet received an envelope. Overall, we are very pleased with our results which were above state and network schools for Year 3 Reading and Writing, and Year 3 & 5 Spelling, Numeracy, Grammar & Punctuation. If you have any questions regarding your child's results, please contact myself or Dave.
For your information:
Joey Hoppet - Entries: Individual students need to enter themselves first, and then Steph will register the team online via the Hoppet website https://www.hoppet.com.au/schools-challenge/. Early bird registrations are $25 per student for entries received before Aug 14, then a late fee applies.
Wodonga Council is exploring podcasting as a new way to connect with our community and have open conversations about the issues that matter to you when it comes to public health.
This first episode is with Sharon Torpey, who is the Founder and Director of Drug Education Australia, a leading provider of high quality, factual drug education.