Principal's Report
Welcome to Term 2
Welcome Back to Term 2! I certainly hope that all staff, students and families were able to have some relaxation and down time over the holidays and Easter break in general.
Parent-Teacher Conferences & Community Connections
As a starting point, I wanted to thank all of the staff, students and families who were in attendance for last week’s Parent-Teacher conferences.
Throughout the Thursday evening and Friday day session, I was able to walk around the school speaking with a range of people from our school community. I was incredibly proud of the work being done by staff to support our students, but also grateful for the rich connections between our families and the school.
These family-school partnerships are critical in supporting students to achieve their very best and I would like to encourage all parents and carers to actively engage in the upcoming school activities and events, as we work collaboratively to ensure that students progress and achieve their very best.
General Assembly & Family Involvement
Building on from this point, last term for our General Assembly, we invited a range of parents to attend. I wanted to personally thank those parents for attending, for their warm welcome and also for the honest and open feedback that I was able to receive, as we discussed general aspects of the school and what is occurring. Those parents in attendance were very positive about the opportunity to attend our Assemblies, so moving ahead we will certainly be welcoming parents and family members to be a part of these events. It is wonderful that we can actively acknowledge and recognise the terrific work that our students and staff produce throughout the year.
For this term, we have two General Assemblies (Friday May 22nd and Tuesday June 23rd), and where possible we will be contacting relevant families to be part of these Assemblies when their children are performing or being recognised for their progress and achievement.
As Principal, I have always valued the opportunity for families to share in the celebrations and recognition of student achievement, so we will be looking at further events and activities to be more inclusive to our school community.
GAT – Important Information for Senior Students
This term will also see other important events ocurring such as the GAT (Tuesday 16th June), which is an important assessment measure for our Senior students to undertake, but also a valuable tool for the school to use to help us track student learning and progress over time. There will be further details provided to all students and families in general over the coming weeks, including what the arrangements will be for all other students on that day.
Curriculum Day – Thursday 14th May
Families should also be aware that there is a whole school Curriculum Day planned for Thursday 14th May. No classes will run on this day as all staff will be involved in professional learning workshops and priorities, which link to our overall goals of whole school improvement. This is also part of our commitment to support the development of building professional capacity for our staff, so that student learning outcomes are maximised over time.
Industrial Action Update
Families should also be aware that due to the current impasse regarding the industrial agreement for staff (both teachers and our educational support staff) and the State government, there will be further rolling strike actions occurring this term. Details will be provided to me via the AEU and we will then notify the school community, given there is likely to be some disruption to our learning program on the scheduled day/s of action. While I can appreciate some community based frustration regarding these stop-work measures, the negotiations have been on-going for approximately 9 months without an agreement being reached. I can certainly say that all staff would like to see things resolved at some point soon. Further details will be provided, regarding other industrial action measures, if a new industrial agreement cannot be reached.
ANZAC Day Assembly Reflection
To finish off, I would like to acknowledge and thank all of the student leaders and staff who led our recent ANZAC Day Assembly which was really pleasing and a wonderful opportunity for all of our school community to take some time to pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many before us. The opportunity to come together and listen to some of the stories, poems and anecdotes shared and to see all of the students actively listening and being respectful was certainly a highlight for me as Principal. Lest we forget!
Warren Dawson
Principal