Principal's Address
Graham School Celebration
My wife and I had the pleasure of attending the Graham School celebrations on Sunday 18 May. The school, now closed, is located in Hovell’s Creek and operated between 1884 and 1966. It had fallen into disrepair over the years and thanks to the efforts of some dedicated interested individuals, the school has been completely restored. The event, attended by 130 people, was a fantastic occasion with many ex-students and even an ex-teacher attending to share their fond memories of their time at Graham School.
I thank the organisers for the invitation to this special event and hope that our 155 years of Boorowa Central School Celebrations in September capture the same magic of yesteryear.
To read a full article about the event, please click on the link below
Rostrum Public Speaking
Boorowa Central School held their Rostrum Public speaking finals last week in Primary. I was thoroughly engaged and entertained as 10 students in Stage 2 followed by a similar number in Stage 3 spoke on a variety of chosen topics. The participating students pushed through their nervousness to put on a display that was enjoyed by all in attendance.
Congratulations to all who spoke and a special congratulations to Year 5 student Alice Apps who won the competition and will move onto the next round and represent our school in Yass.
Attendance and behaviour tracking in secondary
At our 3-weekly assembly this week I presented the secondary students with their cohort attendance and behaviour data for the previous 3 weeks. I have been doing this at every assembly this year to raise a sense of collective efficacy and promote a positive culture of attending everyday and making pro-learning choices.
I was pleased to see that 3 of the 6 year groups in Secondary now have an attendance rate above 80% with Year 12 and Year 7 leading the way with 89% and 88% respectively. Additionally, our behaviour data across the whole of secondary has improved with Year 8 leading the way. Their data had improved by 40% in the past 3 weeks, largely thanks to Flexible Grouping Classroom Model which the school implemented this term.
To celebrate this success, Year 8 joined me during sport on Wednesday to enjoy a picnic in the park followed by playing sports on the oval and enjoying the equipment at the park.
Year 7, the biggest improver in attendance, will be enjoying a similar celebration with me next week.
Congratulations to all students who make the effort to attend school regularly and make positive choices.
Lions Eye Health Program
Members of Lions visited the school last week to implement the Lions Eye Health Program (LEHP). This program is designed to assist the early detection of potential vision issues for students so that this information can be shared with parents and actioned where appropriate. The Lions members tested all of our kindergarten students and Primary students who are new to our school since when the tests were last conducted.
Thank you to Lions for volunteering their time to implement these tests with our students.
NSW Public Schools Survey
In Term 2, we are offering our students the opportunity to participate in the NSW Public Schools Student Survey. The survey gives students the chance to share their thoughts and feelings about life at school, including questions about their engagement, learning experiences and wellbeing at school.
Hearing directly from our students will help us understand what’s working well and where improvements can be made to our school. The survey is confidential, takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and will be conducted online during school hours.
Participation is voluntary. If you prefer your child not to participate, please complete the opt-out consent form, which can be obtained from the office, and return it to the school. Further information about the survey is available at https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/education-data-and-research/nsw-public-schools-surveys.