PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

The school value focus for the past fortnight has been on Responsibility; taking ownership of our learning, behaviour and property. The awards that were presented at last week’s assembly was a great indication of the high importance our students and teachers place on this value. As an example, the students have been busily working their way through our assessment weeks over the past 10 days which can bring with it a level of anxiety and challenge. It is pleasing to see how the vast majority of students have been able to organise their thinking, manage their feelings and lift the level of independence to complete the tasks required. We also see it in the yard where students are finding spaces and activities to occupy their time outside. During one lunchtime last week I witnessed a small group of students playing guitars and singing, students collaboratively building a hut, the skipping club engaging in a group challenge, small, modified sporting games such as soccer, football and basketball taking place, a massive sand sculpture under construction in the sandpit and a group of students taking it upon themselves to pick up rubbish. It was clear that students were taking responsibility for themselves outside and also looking after our school grounds in the process.

Well done to everyone for taking on the value of responsibility.

Phil Kalluri - Farewell and Thankyou

In this day and age, underpinning a school’s success is a strong and efficient technical support base. To do this we engage the services of a technician who oversees our Technical Support Program for Schools (TSSP). Phil Kalluri has been our TSSP at Lucas since the beginning and has done a wonderful job ensuring all aspects of our technical requirements are up to date and running on a day-to-day basis. This week is Phil’s final week with us as he changes to focus on establishing his private business. 

Over the past four years, Phil has worked to support school staff to set up and manage the iPad/Chromebook device program, managed the staff laptop program and ensured our technical infrastructure remained up to date to cater for our growing needs. We thank Phil for all the work he has done over the past four years, and we wish him well for what lies ahead. We hope Phil will return for a visit from time to time in the future. 

We are currently working through a process to replace Phil and are hoping to have a replacement TSSP in the coming days.

Evacuation Practice

Last week we conducted an emergency lockdown practice. We run an emergency practice every term to ensure we know what to do should it be required at some stage in the future. The lockdown practice included students moving to a safe location in each building, remaining calm and staying out of sight of the windows. We also ensure our communication during such events is efficient so that all students, staff and visitors are accounted for at the time. We are pleased to report that the students were fantastic during the session. 

Winter Weather

The winter weather has set in across the region and, as such, it is a timely reminder to ensure students are attending school wearing appropriate clothing to stay warm and comfortable during the day. We continue to try and provide outside play opportunities when it is not raining so having a coat to put on during such times is important. 

As students are continually changing in and out of coats and beanies, it is an important reminder to please label everything so that lost items have the best possible chance of being returned,

Some reminders we provide students as we lead into winter:

• Please wear a coat to school but it doesn’t replace a jumper. 
• Coats and hats off inside and they go on when we go out for a break.
• Please label everything!
• Stay out of the puddles, wet feet mean you are uncomfortable for the rest of the day.
• Keeping our uniform clean means that our carpets, chairs and internal spaces remain free of dirt.
• Wipe your feet before entering the building.

3 Way Conversations

Coming up on Tuesday June 25 and Wednesday June 26, we have our 3 Way Conversations. These sessions are designed to complement the mid-year report and help explain the learning journey of your child this year. The 3 Way Conversations are 15-minute sessions where parents, teachers and students all have a voice to share in the progress that has been made. 

On the Friday before the 3 Way Conversations, you will receive your child’s portfolio of work, a digital copy of the Semester 1 Report and a digital copy of your child’s Individual Education Plan (If applicable). 

Bookings for the 3 Way Conversations will open on Tuesday June 11 via the Compass parent portal. Keep an eye on Compass for notification of booking times.

Safe Traffic Behaviours

The safety of our students is paramount in and around the school, especially at drop off and pick up times where traffic can become quite congested. We regularly have traffic officers out and about in our area issuing fines to families who are using unsafe behaviours. We would like to ensure our school precinct remains safe for all and therefore offer some suggestions to assist. 

In the diagram below, there are some reminders for everyone.

Some other strategies that can be used to assist with the congestion around the school at drop off and pick up times includes:

• Park and walk - we are lucky to have lots of parks and wide pathways around the school. Please consider parking away from the school and enjoy a stroll in the morning and in the afternoon. (This could calm some nerves)
• Ride your bike: The wide pathways are conducive to safe riding to and from school. The bike shed has lots of space and bikes are secured during the day. 
• Use the Children’s Crossing - Please ensure you use the school crossing when crossing O’Shannassy Pde. This street is very busy before and after school as cars are parked on both sides of the street. As adults, we must also model safe pedestrian behaviour. Braden, our school crossing supervisor will be pleased to see you. 
• Use the bus service - There is a ‘student only’ bus service that drops off and picks up at Lucas PS. It has many stops between the school and Cardigan Village. Please contact the office for a schedule. Please note, a Myki card will be required.
• Have a pickup plan - discuss with your child where to meet you after school away from the school gates.

The bus stop at the front of the school is a no parking zone between 7.30am - 9am in the morning and 3.00pm - 4.30pm in the afternoon. Outside of these times, parking is permitted in the white marking zones. The parking officers are regularly in and around Lucas issuing fines for people parking illegally. They are targeting school zones.

School Council Update

This week we held the May School Council meeting. During the meeting the following was discussed:

• An update was provided on our current school enrolment numbers and staffing organisation.
• We discussed and looked at some school facility issues, including school storage, possible new classroom plans and the air conditioning work.
• We had a student learning update and heard about the assessment and reporting plan for the term.
• Our wellbeing work was celebrated as the school received an SWPBS Blue Award for work on the SWPBS matrix.
• A disability inclusion funding update was provided.
• Our confirmed cash budget was discussed and approved.
• We approved a raft of Lucas Leap policies and had an update from this service.
• Three school policies were updated and approved; Camps and Excursions, School Values and Philosophy and Duty of Care.
• Upcoming excursions were approved.

Thanks again to our hard-working school council team.

JSC MOVIE FUNDRAISER