News From Mr Smith

Dear School Community Members,

At our Leadership meeting earlier this week and our School Council meeting on Monday night, we were reflecting on the climate and wellbeing of our school community as we come to the last four weeks of the school year. While we stressed the importance of supporting and maintaining the wellbeing of everyone, we discussed the positivity, optimism, alignment and good will of our school community. This positive climate doesn’t just emanate from the ground or occur through good fortune – it is the hard work, effort, commitment, dedication and passion from our students, our families and our staff. Our recent whole school events such as the Colour Run, and the way our community has welcomed new families into our community, speaks volumes of the healthy community spirit within our school. Thank you and congratulations to all members of our school for your contribution to making our school a great place to be!

Grade 6 Students: As previously mentioned, this last month of the school year becomes incredibly busy. For our Grade 6’s, it is the last month of their primary school education and a step closer to their next phase of life – secondary school. The current cohort of Grade 6 students have made a lasting impression and a fabulous contribution to our school. In fact, each of the Grade 6 students have set a high standard in regards to student leadership, behaviour and application to their learning. Each Grade 6 student should be proud of their achievements at our school – their teachers certainly are! This term, we have continued to remind them of this and their responsibilities as a student of Mano.

I ask parents and families to support and remind their Grade 6 child the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and behaviour over the last four weeks. I acknowledge and realise Grade 6 students become excited about becoming secondary students and the opportunities this presents. Along with the Grade 6 teachers, I will ensure our Grade 6’s are well aware of their responsibilities and our expectations of them as they draw closer to completing their primary education. Your support with this is much appreciated.

Parent Opinion Survey: The results of our 2024 Parent Opinion Survey are back! A huge thank you to the 98 families who completed the survey. The Parent Opinion Survey is an annual survey conducted by an independent research company on behalf of the Department of Education. The purpose of the survey is to seek the opinions and views of our community, and these opinions and views are used as part of developing our annual School Improvement Plan. The aspects of the survey that indicates a high level of satisfaction are:

General satisfaction - High expectation for success
Physical environment - Effective Teaching
School pride and confidence - Student voice and agency
School communication - Confidence and resiliency skills of students
My child feels safe at school - Promoting positive behaviour
The school treats my child with respect - Student wellbeing and support

The survey indicates that the following areas are an opportunity for reflection, review and improvement:

Teacher communication - Teachers providing feedback
I understand how my child is assessed - Organisation skills of my child
My child has skills to address bullying

School Council: Our School Council met again Monday night where key agenda items included:

Discussing the increased enrolment pressure Mano is experiencing and that it has been confirmed that we have been allocated two additional classrooms for 2025, along with an additional toilet block – more information about this in the coming days.
Our 2024 Parent Opinion Survey data was tabled and discussed – we celebrated the improvements in the high majority of variables
School Council discussed the huge success of the Colour Run. This includes the incredible support from our community and the outstanding dedication of our Parents & Friends Committee
The following Pupil Free Days were approved for 2025:

Tuesday, 28th January: Curriculum Day 1

Wednesday, 29th January: Curriculum Day 2

Friday, 30th May: Curriculum Day 3

Friday, 21st November: Curriculum Day 4

We have one further Pupil Free Day available – this will be confirmed early next year.

It was discussed that our Canteen Menu is currently being reviewed by a committee of parents and staff
A proposal for a ‘Farmers Market’ was tabled and discussed. This discussion will continue at our next meeting.

Each of our School Councillors are deeply committed and invested in our school. Please contact them if you have any feedback or concerns (details available from our school website).

Key Dates in November & December

Friday, 22nd November Curriculum Day – Pupil Free Day
Tuesday, 10th December Mano Transition Day – students meet their 2025 teacher
Thursday, 12th December Grade 6 Graduation ceremony
Thursday, 19th December Christmas Concert and End of Year Celebration – 9:15am
Friday, 20th December Last day of school year – 1:30pm dismissal

Thank you for supporting our school and have a great week.

Christian Smith