PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

There’s a lot happening around the school right now, and it’s truly an exciting time. From student learning to community connections and infrastructure development, there’s plenty to keep everyone engaged.

This week, we received confirmation of new buildings that will be delivered and installed over the next ten weeks. We’re getting two Mod 10 portables, which are double-story versions of the portables we already have on site. The School Council has carefully considered their placement to maximise benefits for our school. These portables will be located along the oval side edge of the basketball court. While this may seem like an unusual choice given the open grass area in the northeastern corner of the school, this location offers several advantages:

• It will provide much-needed shelter from the strong south-westerly winds that can make outdoor play uncomfortable.
• It will cover a wet and boggy section of the school grounds that is often off-limits during the wetter months.
• The taller buildings will blend in better with the existing gym, maintaining the aesthetic of the school’s landscape.
• It preserves space in the eastern part of the school for a potential all-weather sporting area (artificial turf) in the future.

Once approval was granted, things moved quickly, and we’ve already seen the work site fenced off and drainage work begin. The project includes modifications to our drainage system, extensive footings for the double-story buildings, placement of the classrooms, and final fit-out. The new buildings will provide eight additional classrooms, ready for use at the start of 2025.

In addition to the classrooms, two new toilet facilities are also being installed. Each facility will have four female cubicles, two male cubicles, and a urinal. One will be located at the end of the Specialist Pavilion, and the other at the western end of the current Year 5/6 portable.

You can find images of these new additions below.

Curriculum Day - This Thursday

This Thursday, August 29, is a Curriculum Day for all students, providing an opportunity for our staff to engage in valuable professional learning together. On this day, the entire staff will be heading out to visit and learn from other schools that have been carefully selected to help us enhance our practices in Literacy, Numeracy, and Wellbeing. In the afternoon, everyone will return to Lucas PS to reflect on the day’s experiences and collaborate on plans for the future.

We appreciate the alternative support families are providing to allow the Curriculum Day to go ahead.

Students do notattend school on this day. 

School Council - August Meeting

We sincerely appreciate the dedication our School Council members show in supporting the growth and operations of our school. At the August meeting, the following items were on the agenda:

• Canteen Proposal: A proposal to operate our own canteen was discussed, and it was agreed that a survey will be sent to all families to assess the viability of a long-term, school-operated canteen service.
• Staffing Update: Details about our new leadership structure and recruitment plans were provided.
• New Buildings and Toilets: The proposed placement of new school buildings and toilet facilities was discussed and approved.
• NAPLAN Results: The NAPLAN results were presented and reviewed.
• Lucas LEAP Update: An update on the Lucas LEAP program was presented, including progress on helping families access government rebates.
• Community Engagement Activities: A variety of community engagement events were discussed, including Grandparents Day, Fathers Day, Book Week, the school disco, and partnerships with Lucas Little Athletics and Integra.
• Social Media: Progress on expanding our social media presence was presented.
• Term 4 Curriculum Day: Approval was granted for a curriculum day during the Melbourne Cup weekend in Term 4.
• Working Party Reports:
  • Buildings and Grounds: A proposal was made for a long-term landscape master plan with input from the school community.
  • Curriculum: A proposal to develop a student attendance policy was discussed.
  • Fundraising: A yearly fundraising schedule was outlined to ensure events are appropriately targeted and spread equitably across the year.
• Policy Approvals: The Visitor, Volunteer, and Yard Duty policies were approved.
• Lucas LEAP Policy Updates: Updates to the Lucas LEAP policies were presented.

NAPLAN Results

Over the past few weeks, we have begun our analysis of the NAPLAN results for our Year 3 and 5 students. Although these results do not define us, they do provide some interesting data that can highlight some areas of strength and areas for future development. Some observations from the 2024 NAPLAN results included:

• Maintaining a high percentage of Year 3 students achieving strong and exceeding levels in Writing.
• Maintaining scores at or above Similar Schools and the state average in Year 3 Reading, Grammar and Punctuation and Spelling.
• Reducing the number of students requiring additional assistance in Year 3 Numeracy despite doubling the number of students completing the assessments since 2023.
• Maintaining the number of students achieving strong or exceeding results in Year 5 Reading, Writing and Spelling which was at or well above our network school results.
• Areas for development in 2025 include:
  • The percentage of students achieving exceeding results. How can we continue to challenge those students who are continually performing well above expected level?
  • Continue to refine the support for students in the areas of Numeracy and Grammar/Punctuation through the middle years.

Overall, we were very pleased with the NAPLAN results this year given our ever growing status. Thanks to all our extremely dedicated staff and families who supported students through this testing period way back in March.

Father’s Day - August 30

This coming Friday we will celebrate Father’s Day with a special lunch and activity for all the dads and father figures in our student’s lives. 

At 1.30pm we will be inviting our special visitors to join their children for a sausage in bread before participating in some fun activities at lunchtime. Vegetarian options will be available.

We still require a few helpers to cook the sausages. If you are able to help out on Friday, please add your name to the roster below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A59W2wHQz0_JbfpUvosxkIFj8wAv0CR6zhffpuc3WZA/edit

School Disco - Thursday September 5

We are all looking forward to the school disco on September 5. This year, there will be two separate discos to cater for the developmental needs of the students at Lucas PS. The P-2 students will conduct their disco from 4.45 - 5.45pm and the Year 3-6 students from 6 - 7pm. Please see details on the poster below for booking details.

Mitchell - Saving Goals on a World Stage

One of our Year 3/4 students Mitchell M represented his club and Australia at the world’s biggest futsal tournament in the USA.

Mitch’s team made it to the final of his division but unfortunately went down to New York’s Alianza football club 5-1.

Mitch plays as the goalkeeper in his side and really enjoyed the experience stating, "Winning silver meant a lot to me,", "I reckon we could have done better but we definitely tried our hardest."

Well done to Mitch and his Warrior teammates.