CHRISTMAS CAROLS

Next Tuesday we have our traditional end-of-year whole school celebration with our Christmas Carols evening. This term started with the production and as such it has been a furious lead-up to carols, with classes practising both in the performing arts lessons and with the teachers.

This year we have decided to add a sausage sizzle to the evening giving families the chance to buy a sausage rather than bring along their own food. We hope this makes life a bit easier for you on the evening. We will have sausages and drinks available for $2 each.

By this time next year we will have an outdoor stage adjacent to the soccer pitch, making it easier to see and hear our students perform.

CLASSES

We have now locked in the make-up of our classes for next year. In 2024 we will have 23 classes, one less than in 2023:

3 x prep

3 x grade 1

4 x grade 2

4 x grade 3

3 x all other year levels.

Each year there are alterations to which year levels teachers are in to ensure growth for them. There are 2 key ways to ensure we improve the quality of teaching at our school, employ quality people and ensure they continue to improve. One way to ensure teachers keep improving is to allow them the opportunity to work in different year levels.

Parent requests for 2024 classes were due by Friday 10th November. Please do not forward any further requests as these will not be considered.

UP sessions

Our UP sessions for this year have been planned for the following dates:

1/12 English

8/12 Maths

These sessions are an opportunity for students to meet the current teachers of their new year level and to experience the work they will do next year. The aim of the session is to help students see that going to a new year level is like doing term 5 of their current year, it is just a continuation of the current program and not something to fear.

All students will meet their new teacher and class on Tuesday 12th of December. On this day students will bring home a letter from their new teacher and also a map of the school showing where each classroom will be in the new year.

12/12 Meet new class and teacher

15/12 Session with new class and new teacher

Online Behaviour/Social Media

Each year there are incidents of children making poor choices online and these decisions having implications at school. We don’t expect our students to be mistake-free, they are children and are still learning how to manage their emotions and don’t understand the implications of their choices. It is for these reasons that many social media sites or apps have age recommendations.

As a parent I have no doubt you hear phrases such as:

How am I supposed to chat with my friends?
Everyone has ……..(Snapchat, Instagram, etc.)

The reality is that not everyone has it, in fact they don’t even all have phones or tablets. Whether or not you allow your child to use social media or have a phone should be based on what you know about your child and their maturity level and not what others are doing. Having said that, it is not an easy part of the parenting role. The link below is to a page on the e-safety commissioner's website and has information and links that might help you understand your decisions.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/are-they-old-enough

Morning Drop Off

Recently we have had quite a few students being dropped off as early as 8.15am. There are no teachers on yard duty until 8.45 am and classrooms are also not open. If you need to drop your child off at school prior to 8.45 am, there are 2 options available to you, before school care and breakfast club. For the safety of your child, please don't leave them at school alone prior to 8.45 am.

2024 CURRICULUM DAYS

In 2024 schools will continue to have access to curriculum days to help improve student outcomes. The dates below are our approved curriculum days for 2024:

Term 1: Monday 29th January (Annual Implementation Plan)
Term 1: Tuesday 30th January (Administration)

Term 1: Tuesday 12th March (Culture/School Values)
Term 2: TBA
Term 4: Monday 11th November (Reporting)

PREP 2024

As we come to the end of 2023 we have been able to better assess the beginning of next year and as such have made a slight alteration to our previously advertised start days and times. Below are the arrangements for Prep 2024 commencement dates:

Monday 29th January– Curriculum day
Tuesday 30th January – Curriculum day
Wednesday 31st January 9.00am - 12.30pm
Thursday 1st February 9.00am - 12.30pm
Friday 2nd February 9.00am-3.30pm
From Monday 5th February, preps will have full school days (9:00am — 3:30pm), with the exception of Wednesdays, until the week commencing Monday 11th March.

Adam Wight, Principal

Value Awards