Principal's Message

Good afternoon all,

The term is well underway, and our students and staff have settled into the routine of term 1. The students are starting to see the work that has commenced (albeit a little behind with the recent rain) on our courts. It will be great to see this refurbishment happen and for our play spaces to be significantly improved. I am very grateful for the contributions from families through fundraising efforts which occurred in 2024 and 2025 which help helped to make this project possible.

Amidst this season of Lent, will be the celebration of Harmony Day on Tuesday March 24th. Harmony day is officially on Saturday 21st but we will celebrate this on Tuesday 24th. On this day, students will be invited to wear clothing which represents their country of origin or their cultural background. At school our students will commence the day with a parade where they will have the opportunity to showcase their clothing. Parents will be very welcome to see the parade (and join in) which will be in the quadrangle from 9.10am. Harmony Day is an important way for us to teach inclusion to our students and to encourage all in our community to celebrate the culture of their family. We are very much looking forward to celebrating the cultural mix which will be represented on this day. More details will be made available regarding Harmony Day in the next week.

Our Open day is also coming up on Thursday March 26. We will hold tours at 9.30am and 5.30pm. Families are welcome to make another time which will suit them better if they prefer. Tour bookings can be made available online using the QR from our advertising which is out the front of this school and in this newsletter on the following pages.

In our last newsletter I reiterated the new programs that our school has rolled out this year. One of these is SpellEx. This program has been developed by MultiLit who developed the literacy programs we use in the Foundation to Year 2 area. Our current year 3s will hopefully see some continuity by using SpellEx this year, which does provide a flow on from some of the literacy instruction used in Year 2. Some may wonder why we use an explicit spelling program instead of integrating this into writing instruction? “Contrary to popular belief, English spelling is more logical and regular than we think. Nearly 50% of English words are spelled based on regular letter⁠–⁠sound relationships. About 34% are regular except for one sound and 12% can be spelled using word origin and meaning.

This means that spelling can be learned by understanding the patterns and conventions that govern the English language.” https://info.multilit.com/spellex We also know that when a young person is able to spell well, their writing improves and they are more likely to use more complex language. At home you might like to ask your child what

spelling rules they are learning in SpellEx? It is a great way to reinforce their learning at school.

Bookings for parent teacher conversations will be open from tomorrow (Kathy O’Sullivan’s class are open now). Please make a booking for these interviews as they provide a valuable opportunity to support your child’s learning. The dates for the interviews are March 17th and 18th .

The season of Lent brings with it a change in our weather. The leaves on our trees will start to develop the beautiful colours of autumn. This change reminds us that during Lent transformation is possible. Enjoy all that this season brings.

Blessings

Carolyn