Leadership Report

How incredible was this week’s assembly!  We have had 8 teachers and principals from the Northern Territory this week visiting our school. Yirrkala School and Homeland are bilingual schools teaching English and the native language. It has been incredible learning about each other’s program and we look forward for our relationship to continue in the years to come. Last night, Sonya, Simon and I were invited to the Narrm Oration. Professor Yalmay Yunupinju, the senior Australian of the year, spoke about her life, the triumphs and tragedies and how this has led to her being known as the Bilingual Warrior who has received the teacher excellence award on multiple occasions. Yalmay reiterated the importance of knowing our history, learning about the culture and the connection to country. 

No goggles were lost this week! A massive effort as our students have began their lessons at the pools this week. I want to thank Raul again for his organisation and know the students will enjoy the next two weeks in the water. 

Foundation 

I jumped into the foundation morning session where our visitors from Yirrkala School showed Paula and Katherine’s class where their school is using Google Maps. The students asked lots of great questions and learnt about the similarities and differences from the school. Yirrkala is so close to the water but unfortunately the students can’t use the waters during school hours. I spoke to a few of the students at recess who told me that they had such a blast at the Foundation Activity Evening last night. Jumping castle obstacle course, magician and pizza - what more could a six year old ask for!

1/2s

I sat with Gus during Thursday’s soft start and listened to him read Diary of the Wimpy Kid. Gus has read a few of the books before. He likes reading books because they are funny and the drawings are cool. He was telling me that he likes starting the day with a soft start because he really likes reading. 

• I asked the other students their favourite things of the week:
• I loved PE because we played Octopus – Mei
• I like that we are doing Poetry. We have been reading and learning about Dr Seuss – Mossy
• I loved the competition we did in PE that was based on Soccer skills – Oliver
• I liked Steam because we learnt about water and the journey from river to tap – Lucy
• I liked Inquiry because we are learning about bugs and nature – Theo
• I liked in music that we got to share our singing and shaking skills in front of the whole class.
• Chilling with Mossy and Bracken at recess – Patrick
• I love the new library it is so cosy – Dom

3/4s 

I sat with Bonnie, Bonnie and Djuna and they were telling me that this week they have been reading writing poetry. They have really enjoyed writing Limericks. Bonnie’s limerick was about a very fat loud cow. Djuna’s limerick was about a turtle named Murtle famous for its yellow vest. She read two others which has caused some concern about what Mel is feeding the students! Bonnie and Violet read their colourful poems which were fantastic. The vocabulary and flow of the poems were excellent!

5/6

A big congratulations to all the Grade 5s who nominated themselves as our 2025 School Leaders. Regardless of the results, I want to say every single speech demonstrates the leadership capacity at Newlands Primary School. They all confidently spoke in front of our school demonstrating our school values and showcasing to the rest of the school what leadership looks like. 

Next Week is very exciting as our 2025 teams plan together for the first time as they prepare for our 2025 transition day on Tuesday the 10th of December. Classes will have Specialist classes all day, to provide an opportunity for teachers to plan together for 2025. Please note the following changes.

Have a great weekend!

Thanks, 

Luke