Principal's Report
Parent-Teacher Conferences
We had an incredibly high percentage of families participating in parent-teacher interviews on Monday and Tuesday, which was awesome. Thanks for making the time to come in and discuss your child's learning with us.
The conversations during these meetings help us work together to ensure the best possible learning environment and outcomes for all of our students. If you have any further questions, need additional support or weren't able to attend an interview, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher.
Carers Cuppa with the Different Journeys - August 7th @ 2.15pm
Different Journeys are offering a Carers Cuppa information session at 2.15pm on Friday 7th August for our community members who are carers. The session will be very informal and offer a great deal of information about services, supports and financial assistance available to you as a carer. It will be held in our staffroom in the lead up to assembly and the end of the school day.
A carer is someone who provides unpaid care and support to family members or friends who: have a disability, experience mental illness, live with a chronic condition, are terminally ill, face challenges with alcohol or other drug-related issues, or are elderly and require help with daily activities.
You will find more information about Different Journeys by visiting Home - Different Journeys Autism
I hope many of you can benefit from this partnership with Different Journeys.
New Learning Pods
As mentioned in a seperate Compass post, thanks to our partnership with Different Journeys, we have been gifted two commercial acoustic work pods to better support our autistic and neurodivergent students. These two pods have a combined value of $32,000, and we are incredibly grateful to receive them at no cost. The school was asked to cover the delivery and installation costs.
To ensure each of our main permanent learning buildings has access to a work pod, our Parent Club has generously funded the purchase of a third pod, as well as the delivery and installation costs for all three pods. This represents an incredible contribution of $18,000 towards the project.
On behalf of our students, staff and families, I would like to sincerely thank our Parent Club for their generosity and ongoing commitment to improving learning opportunities for our students. Their support has made this project possible. Please also read Mr Smith's section to see how our Parent Club have funded another project.
We are currently developing protocols for their use. As part of this process, we will be speaking with a focus group of autistic and neurodivergent students to gather their voice and insights.
NAPLAN Results
The delivery of NAPLAN reporting packages to schools began last week. We received our package on Tuesday last week and have sent individual reports home with students. Please contact your child's teacher if you have not received this package. Included in the envelope was a printed Individual Student Report (ISR) for each student who participated in NAPLAN in 2026.
NAPLAN tests are only one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process. As they are held once every 2 years for each student, they cannot replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance. Your child’s teacher will have the best insight into your child’s educational progress. Along with other school assessment reports, NAPLAN individual student reports can be used to discuss your child’s progress with their teacher.
Book Week
This year, Book Week will be celebrated from Monday 24th to Friday 28th August, and the 2026 theme is Symphony of Stories. More details about how we will be celebrating Book Week will be available soon.
Cyber Safety Workshops
Due to today's industrial action, we have had to reschedule our Cyber Safety Workshops with Susan McLean to Tuesday, 27 October. Susan is one of Australia's leading experts in cyber safety and has extensive experience working with schools, students and families. Students in Grades 3 to 6 will participate in age-appropriate workshops focusing on respectful online behaviour, cyberbullying, online safety and making informed choices when using technology.
Shelter In Place (SIP) Project
You may recall that, more than two years ago, I shared information about planned works to our Shelter in Place (SIP) building (our BER building) and, by extension, the Junior Learning Building. These works are required to ensure the buildings meet current bushfire safety standards.
The project includes a range of improvements, such as the removal or trimming of selected trees, replacing mulch with non-combustible materials in designated areas, installing protective mesh, and replacing sections of glass with thicker, bushfire-compliant glazing.
While some tree removal and pruning were completed approximately 18 months ago, little progress occurred until the recent school holidays.
During the holidays, contractors completed some of the landscaping works. Unfortunately, a number of plants were removed that should have been retained. The company responsible has acknowledged the error and will be undertaking rectification works to restore these areas.
The installation of the new bushfire-compliant glazing is scheduled to take place next week, marking the completion the project.
Free Workshop
I thought some of our school community member might be interested in the free workshop below, aimed at supporting neurodivergent children in community sport.
