A message from the Principal

This week has seen us throw open our classroom doors and welcome parents and carers in for our annual start-of-year information evenings.

These have been a great chance for class teachers at each year level to share some detail about the learning, routines and curriculum at their levels.

Each team went into detail about their learning programs for Literacy and Numeracy, sharing information about how we teach Reading, Writing and Maths, how SMART Spelling operates and the other classes and opportunities that your child will have this year.

Teachers discussed the ways that families can support learning at home and shared information about upcoming camps, kitchen garden programs, swimming programs and our specialist classes.

Finally parents were given the chance to ask any questions to better understand what we do.

Attending each of the sessions, I was struck by;

• How outgoing, articulate, confident and capable our teachers are. The easy way that they talked about the learning that takes place in their classrooms.

• Their familiarity with their craft and how to get the best out of learners but also a familiarity with our school, our values and culture and the way that we think learning should look.

• There was clear consistency across levels in how certain programs and learning look and progresses but, at the same time, each team had an understanding of their own learners, their developmental stages and the ways that we need to adapt, be flexible and design learning to best engage and challenge children at each stage.

• An excitement for the year ahead - getting to know their classes and setting out on a journey that will allow everyone to learn and thrive.

• How lucky we are to have such a dedicated and warm group of professionals at SKiPPS.

Whilst we were impressed by the number of parents in attendance at each session, we understand that not all families were able to make it along. Finding a time that works for everyone is sadly impossible.

If you were unable to attend (or even if you did and you want to revisit the highlights), we are happy to share the presentations from each team below. This covers the core information shared.

If parents are still unclear about any aspect of learning or life at SKiPPS, we encourage you to bring these questions to the Parent-Teacher interviews taking place next week. Please ensure you have booked an appointment time on Compass by this Sunday evening (when bookings close).

Neil Scott

Principal