Principal's Message

Dear Families,

Welcome to another edition of our newsletter. We love to share all the exciting things that have happened throughout our school over the last two weeks.

Our 'Magnify Sandhurst' journey is progressing well with a number of staff members now accessing amazing professional development opportunities.

We now have 4 staff members trained in InitiaLit: Mrs. Horg, Mrs. Grant, Mrs. D'Antonio & Mrs. Sherwill. In November, we have training scheduled for Mrs. Sinclair, Miss Craven & myself. InitiaLit training is occurring now so, first day back in 2025, we can hit the ground running with quality teaching for each and every student, giving children the best possible start. 

We, along with all the schools in Catholic Education Sandhurst, are using one very simple motto to explain our intention;

Every student

Every teacher

Every school

Every day

In addition to changes in our literacy programs we will be making in 2025, we are implementing something called a 'low variance curriculum.' This enables teachers to be direct and intentional in teaching students what they need to know. This low variance curriculum is offered through an organisation called OCHRE. This requires a change in pedagogy for all teachers here at Our Lady's as we move forward.

Staff are feeling very excited about the changes that are coming as they know the change will directly impact student success.

Staffing Update

As many of you may be aware, Mrs. Brigid Malcolm accepted a position at St. Patrick's Primary School here in Wangaratta earlier in the term. Mrs. Malcolm is currently working between the two schools but has informed me that in 2025, she will be working at St. Patrick's. Mrs. Malcolm has served our community well throughout her 12 years here through her exemplary teaching in our Performing Arts and more recently, Catholic Identity Leader. Please join me in congratulating Mrs. Malcolm as she embraced this change.

School Review

Within the last fortnight, Our Lady's underwent a full school review. This process was incredibly affirming for staff and students alike and it was great to hear many of the wonderful things we do echoed through the voices of our reviewers. There were many 'commendations' - things that our reviewers saw as particular school strengths. I will be sharing a few each fortnight as a form of celebration for us all.

•  The welcoming, inclusive environment that exists at Our Lady’s Primary School, where diversity is valued and celebrated.  
• Tailoring learning to be responsive to students’ needs and interests, based on the deep knowledge that teachers and LSOs have of each child. 
• The identification by children’s family members of the school’s commitment to meeting the needs of each student and those families’ expressions of acknowledgement and gratitude. 

I will now work with the Leadership Team and Kim Butler, my Principal consultant, to create a School Improvement Framework for the next 4 years. We will be using information from our recent review, our Catholic Identity Review and also data from our school surveys to create this plan. Once this plan is created, I will be seeking feedback from the community (students, staff & families) to ensure we have captured the essence of what we need to be working on in the future. 

This is a really exciting time for our school as we pave the way for our future work. 

Bringing Toys to School

Just a reminder to all families that we discourage children bringing personal toys to school. When a child brings along personal belongings from home, it can cause issues in the playground with friendship groups. We are also not responsible for precious items coming along to school and would much prefer they be left at home. Thank you for supporting us with this matter.

Socktober

Thank you to all community members who supported our Socktober event on Friday. We managed to raise a massive $245.60!

Blessings,

Cassie