Principal's Message

Headlines - Please Note

We encourage you to read this entire newsletter as lots of effort has been put into its production.  Here are the most urgent and important details to read in this edition (not just on this first page):

1. Years 3-6 Camp Payments (on School Leaders' Page)
2. ICAS Results (on Learning Page)
3. Free Oral Health Packs (on Wellbeing Page)

Principal's Message

Welcome to the start of Week 7 of an 11 week term.

I had my birthday earlier this week and I wanted to thank all of the parents and children for their beautiful good wishes. The children keep me young and I owe a debt of gratitude for the spirit they bring to me each day. I appreciate it. I don't expect anything, but thanks to those who offered me a little gift. I won't be able to thank you personally, but I am grateful.

We have our annual Father's Day Drumming Workshop on Friday September 5. We very much value the efforts of fathers in the upbringing of their children and this is our way to reach out to recognise them. We hope you can come to the practice and assembly. The Junior Choir is also performing on that day. Please see a separate Newsfeed for more details. 

Each term, we have a Uniform Blitz. This is a spot check of all students' uniforms. This data gets entered into our database so we can track which students are complaint and who needs support to comply. This term, we had 93% of students in correct uniform overall. Happily, we had over 99% with correct shoes - our best percentage with shoes yet! I have said many times that our uniform is the best I have seen in any school. I am so proud and pleased that parents take uniform seriously and fully support their child to wear it. Thanks for everything you do to support our uniform policy - your kids look magnificent each and every day. They feel part of a team and can be easily recognised in our urban environment. 

Facilities - Thanks Parents

We have utilised monies from the Parent Contributions to further enhance your child’s environment at the school. I have taken a photo of the brand-new lockers (below) that are the Rolls Royce version that our children deserve. The previous lockers, purchased when the school first opened, were looking worse for wear. Clearly, we all have to operate within our means, but when we can bring wonderful enhancements to the children’s environment and experience – why wouldn’t we?

As mentioned in last fortnight’s iNewsletter, we have a contribution rate close to 80% and we used your money to help finance new lockers for all 500+ students. Thanks again to all parents who are able to pay their contributions – every child is the beneficiary!

Reflection

I was listening to some music on my old playlist that I hadn't heard for years. One of the songs I came across was from an artist called Lou Reed titled "Endless Cycle". Produced in 1989, it outlined the seemingly hopeless cycle of poverty and deprivation in New York in the '80's. Two sections of the lyrics struck my attention:

The vice of the father runs on through the son,

Leaving him bothered and bewildered.

and

The sickness of the mother runs on through the girl,

Leaving her small and helpless.

I found these lines compelling as, over the course of a very long career, I can attest them being accurate. Of course, this is a gritty song focussing on the negative aspects of parenting when things go wrong. The same could be written in reverse where mothers and fathers pass on positive traits to their children that last a lifetime.

What is indisputable are the effects of a parent's imprinting on their young.  

An ex-student (who had gone through some very challenging times as a youngster) once said to me that she had spent most of her adulthood trying to undo her childhood. This broke my heart at the time. She was a great kid, but clearly weighed down by the tough start given to her by parents who had their own significant issues to navigate.

I have great empathy for parents who have personal and psychological problems. They need all the support they can get to make it through life unscathed. I double that empathy for children exposed to circumstances they cannot control nor escape - because the impact upon their lives can be profound and prolonged.

Where possible, we need to all be aware of our impact on a child's growing mind and body. They get one shot at life and we need to make it a good one - for their sake, if not ours.