Principal's Report

2024 Principal Network Awards

Each year Principals are asked to nominate people from their school for excellence in their 'field'. These awards are presented at the Cowpasture Principal Network level and/or Metropolitan South and West Directorate Principal Network Awards.

Mrs McCammond received the School Executive Award and was presented her award at the Metropolitan South and West Directorate Principal Network Awards held on 28 October. 

Our school's recipients for 2024 are:

Olimpia Miceli - Administrative and Support Staff

Kim-Hoang Nguyen - Classroom Teacher

Sarah Huynh - Early Career Teacher

Donna McCammond - Teacher in an Executive Role.

They will be presented their awards the Cowpasture Principal Network ceremony on Monday 11 November.

School Vision Feedback

I am including this section again for this fortnight as we are keen to have parents and carers voices represented in our School Vision. We will be having focused conversations with students, families and staff to determine our next steps for the School Excellence Plan. If you would like to be part of this process, please email or phone the office and I will make contact with you in the coming weeks.

Below is the School Vision which was created for the current Strategic Improvement Plan.

"We, the community of St Johns Park Public School, are committed to nurturing happy, respectful, lifelong learners within an inclusive, safe and collaborative environment.  With a focus on continuous improvement, we strive for excellence in learning, teaching and leading where all individuals are valued and achieve their full potential."

If you have thoughts or ideas about this vision, please contact me or any of our staff to provide suggestions or changes. You may wish to email if that is more convenient, or click on the following Google Form:

https://forms.gle/YxEsSRSSTv8SfeaM6

Changes to the application process for selective high school and opportunity classes

From 2025, the placement tests for selective high schools and opportunity classes will move from single version paper-based tests to computer-based tests.

There will also be changes to the application process for 2026 entry to selective high schools and opportunity classes. Applications for selective high school and opportunity class entry in 2026 will be open from 7 November 2024 to 21 February 2025. There will be no late applications due to the longer application period, and the application closing date being closer to the test dates and logistical constraints around organising test centres and devices.

The placement tests in 2025 will be held at scheduled times over multiple days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and conducted mostly in external test centres (i.e. not in schools). Students will be allocated an external test centre within the local area of their current school.

The 2025 selective high school and opportunity class placement test dates are 2-4 May 2025.

For more information on selective high schools and opportunity classes, parents and carers should use the link below.

Selective high schools and opportunity classes

Students may like to visit the link below to access and gain an understanding of the placement process, including practice tests.

Selective high schools and opportunity classes – information for students

If you need support or would like to ask questions, please come to the office. We can provide translated resources.

Recognising our school counsellor/school psychologist: Little Moments, Lasting Change

Friday 8 November 2024 is School Counsellor and School Psychologist Recognition Day. We will be celebrating Toni Brown, Helen McPake and Jenny Huynh.

This year’s theme, 'Little Moments, Lasting Change,' captures the essence of the invaluable work our counsellors/psychologists do every day. They have provided little moments of listening, understanding, and connecting to support students, families, and staff to notice their needs and strengths, and to persevere and grow.

Toni, Helen and Jenny, we are grateful for your skills, professionalism, and dedication. Thank you for your hard work this year.

Quote for Week 4

"Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well."

John W Gardner