As we come to the end of what has been an incredibly successful and energising Term 1, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the many highlights and the strong sense of purpose that continues to drive our school forward.

This term has been characterised by a clear focus on improvement, consistency, and high-quality teaching and learning. Our staff have engaged deeply in professional learning to strengthen their practice and better support every student. This has included targeted work in PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), the Berry Street Educational Model (trauma-informed practice), mathematics fact fluency, and the Orton-Gillingham approach to literacy. We know that continual professional growth is essential to achieving the best outcomes for our students, and our staff are committed to refining and strengthening their practice through evidence-based approaches.

The Orton-Gillingham approach is already enhancing our literacy instruction by providing structured, explicit, and systematic teaching of reading and spelling, ensuring all students, particularly those who require additional support, can build strong foundational skills. Our work in Berry Street and PDA is equally critical, supporting our focus on inclusive, trauma-informed practices that enable every student to feel safe, understood, and ready to learn. Importantly, this collective professional learning is closely aligned with our 2026 Annual Implementation Plan goals, ensuring a consistent and strategic approach to improving both student wellbeing and academic outcomes across the school.

Looking ahead, a key priority within our daily 20-minute whole-school Mathematics Enhancement sessions will be the continued development of maths fact fluency. This term, we engaged in a whole-school Professional Learning Community (PLC) cycle focused on fluency in mathematics, where staff worked collaboratively to develop a shared understanding and a clear developmental continuum to track student progress. Through this work, we explored the instructional hierarchy and identified that while we are highly skilled in supporting students in the acquisition phase of learning, we can at times move too quickly to generalisation. As a result, we are now placing a renewed and deliberate focus on the fluency phase, drawing on cognitive science research to support students in transferring knowledge from short-term to long-term memory through structured practice and repetition. These foundational skills are critical for students, enabling them to access more complex mathematical concepts with confidence. We encourage families to support this work at home through regular practice of basic facts in fun and engaging ways—whether that be through games, fluency cards, or everyday opportunities to use maths in real-life contexts.

Student engagement has been another highlight this term. Our Year 1/2 Kitchen Garden program has provided hands-on, meaningful learning experiences, while our Year 5/6 electives in sport, drama, and coding/robotics have allowed students to explore their interests and develop new skills. These opportunities are vital in fostering curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning.

Our commitment to a knowledge-rich and literature-rich curriculum continues to be evident across the school. This term, our Year 3/4 students have thoroughly enjoyed studying Charlotte’s Web, while our Year 5/6 students have engaged deeply with Blueback. It has been fantastic to see students developing strong comprehension skills and a genuine appreciation for quality literature.

We have also celebrated a number of wonderful whole-school events. Our first whole-school concert since pre-COVID times was a truly special occasion, showcasing the talents of our students and bringing our community together. A special shout out to Issy from Stomp Dance Company, who has been incredible in working with our students through training them and choreographing outstanding dances that truly elevated the concert experience. The sense of community throughout the event was unmistakable, with strong engagement from both students and families. The turnout was outstanding, and the joy and pride on students’ faces was something to behold. In addition, our Colour Run and Easter Bonnet Parade were fantastic community events, filled with energy, creativity, and fun, further strengthening the positive connections across our school community.

Thank you to our staff for their dedication and professionalism, to our students for their enthusiasm and effort, to our parent and community volunteers for your willingness to always help out and to our families for your ongoing support. Together, we have made Term 1 a resounding success, and we look forward to building on this momentum in Term 2.

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable break!

Warm regards,

Stephania Johnson-Turner

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