Message from Liz 

Dear Parents and Friends

We've had a great few weeks. Lots of learning and opportunities to assess student progress. We will celebrate this over the next few weeks as teachers are writing reports in preparation for Learning Conversations.

Learning Beyond the Classroom: Extended Family Holidays 

Extended family holidays during the school term provide valuable opportunities for connection, shared experiences, and personal growth. While taking extended leave during term time is not our preference, we respect each family’s decision to prioritise this time together.  

During these periods, learning looks different—with a focus on relationships, communication, and real-life skills, often in new or more confined environments. 

As our model of explicit teaching is grounded in classroom-based teacher–student engagement teachers are unable to set work for students on extended leave. Instead, families are encouraged to embrace experience over output, recognising that meaningful learning continues beyond the classroom. 

Simple Ways to Support Learning 

Families may choose to incorporate light, flexible learning through everyday activities such as: 

• Journalling (writing, drawing, or voice notes) 
• Mapping routes and distances travelled 
• Budgeting for activities and comparing prices 
• Reading or summarising books and movies 
• Exploring history of places visited 
• Creating a digital travel diary (e.g. Polar steps) 
• Cooking local or family recipes 
• Planning a stopover activity 

• Playing card games or jigsaw puzzles 

   

These experiences support curiosity, independence, and real-world understanding—ensuring learning continues beyond the classroom. 

Crossing the road before and after school  

Using the school crossing is a simple but important way we can help keep students safe. It’s there for any student who needs to cross the road before and after school, providing a clear and supervised place to do so.  

Recently, we’ve noticed more students crossing the road with their parents away from the crossing and moving in between parked cars, which can put them at greater risk.  

While using the crossing might sometimes feel a little inconvenient or take an extra minute, it’s a small step that makes a big difference. Looking out for our students is a shared responsibility, and encouraging everyone to use the crossing helps ensure they get to and from school as safely as possible. 

We have observed a couple of near misses over the last few weeks and ask for your support in using the school crossing.

Website

We are currently developing a new website, which will also introduce a refreshed format for our newsletter.

The Week 8 newsletter will be shared with families via PAM and posted on our Facebook and Instagram pages. We hope you find the new format easy to read on any device.

We thank you for your support and cooperation.