Principal's Report
Dear Parents and Carers,
A special thanks to all families who took the time to provide feedback regarding my message about our sad road incident last week. I am very pleased that people agreed with the seriousness of the situation and took the time to let me know that they wholeheartedly agreed.
I believe that the traffic flow and road rule compliance outside of our school has improved this week. Please continue to discuss the issues and always think what you can do to improve the safety of our community on the roads.
Start of Term 2
With the new Industrial Agreement, each year every teacher is granted two days to work on aspects of their teaching and learning practice. These days are called Professional Practice Days. In the past they were spread throughout the year and caused regular disruption across the school and different year levels. In addition, with the significant teacher shortage it is becoming increasingly difficult to find casual relief teachers to cover the continual teacher absences. For this reason, the Department of Education permits schools to release all teachers on one day so that classes do not need to covered and casual relief teachers do not have to be sought.
At the start of Term 2, students are expected to return to school on 24 April, the day before the ANZAC Day public holiday. This would mean that children would be back at school for a day and then away for a day before starting again on Wednesday 26 April. This would be disruptive for families, especially those on holidays, and would create discontinuity at school.
To minimise disruption later in the term, the school has decided that all teaching staff will take their professional practice day on the same day in Term 2. We have chosen Monday 24 April because we predict that it could be a day of higher than normal absenteeism and it allows families the time to extend holidays or perhaps to make an extra-long weekend leading into the start of Term 2.
Therefore, on Monday 24 April children will not be required at school. Staff will be working on their aspect of professional practice, in line with our school goals and priorities for Term 2.
The OSHC program will be running a full day program on that day. Please book if required.
Approaching professional practice days in this way will give children greater continuity in their learning, less disruptions during the term and more productive days at school.
We look forward to seeing our students back at school on Wednesday 26 April for Term 2.
New School Strategic Plan 2023 -2026
In the last issue of Contact, I provided you with our excellent NAPLAN results for 2022. These results highlighted the excellent work that the children have done as well as a fitting recognition for the successful implementation of our school’s Literacy and Numeracy priorities.
In November last year, the school and the Department of Education completed a Triennial Review of our school. In preparation for the three day review, the school completed a very comprehensive self-evaluation of all aspects of the school programs and outcomes. On the review days, panel members visited classrooms, talked with students and staff and thoroughly examined student outcomes
The results of the review were excellent. The review highlighted:
- The school’s strong school focus on the professional development of staff, especially in Literacy and Numeracy, which had resulted in the excellent student outcomes.
- The embedded practices which enhanced student wellbeing as well as social and emotional learning
- The continued strong focus on engagement with the community, particularly through the difficult COVID period.
In summary, our school continued to show very strong academic outcomes, especially keeping in mind that COVID lockdowns significantly impacted two of the three years of that School Strategic Plan. As well, the children were safe and happy at school because their wellbeing was being carefully monitored and supported.
For the next four years, 2023 to 2026, our new Strategic Plan will focus on the following goals:
- Optimising student learning growth
With an emphasis on:- Oral Language – Post COVID developing the children’s speaking and listening skills.
- Further extending our above benchmark Reading growth.
- Maintaining and extending our excellent Top 2 Band numeracy results.
- Use of student feedback.
- Develop student curiosity and creativity by engaging student voice and agency
With an emphasis on:- Further developing a whole school approach to student voice and agency.
- Building a culture of curiosity and creativity in students.
- Creating greater independence in students by building their capacity to set challenging learning goals and monitor their own growth.
- Improve students’ understanding of self and strengthen their social awareness
With an emphasis on:- Embedding a school wide strategy to support students’ sense of hope, confidence and connectedness.
- Further strengthening the established partnership between the school and families to improve the wellbeing of all.
The overall direction for the next four years is to continue the excellent academic progress of the children, while at the same time prioritising the elements that makes them inquisitive learners as well as healthy and happy children.
Happy Holi 2023
Last week our Hindu community celebrated the Holi festival. This year the date for Holi was Wednesday 8 March.
In the Hindu calendar, The Holi festival signals the beginning of Spring and the end of Winter. It is also known as the festival of colours. Holi celebrates the triumph of good versus evil.
On the first night of Holi, people light bonfires, which symbolise cleansing and they pray sing and dance. On the next day, people head into the streets to celebrate further by throwing coloured paint around. The fun continues by smearing one another with paint and throwing coloured water, until everyone is painted in bright colours. Many people wear white clothes deliberately, to allow the paint to have the most colourful effects and keep the clothes afterwards as a bright memento of the celebration.
The Story of Holi
Holi has its origins in the story of the Hindu god Krishna and the legend of Holika and Prahlad. Hiranyakashyapu was an immoral king with special powers that made him nearly invincible. He was vain and wanted everyone in his kingdom to worship him, using his powers to punish anyone who opposed him, setting himself up as a god. His son, Prahlad, began to rebel by worshipping the god Vishnu instead of his father.
Hiranyakashyapu convinced his sister, Holika, to help him kill Prahlad by giving her an enchanted cloak that would protect her from fire. Holika planned to lead Prahlad into the flames but, because she was acting for evil reasons, the god Vishnu came to Prahlad’s rescue and the cloak switched alliances and protected Prahlad instead.
In this way, Vishnu triumphed over Hiranyakashyapu and Hindus today light bonfires to remember and celebrate this victory of good over evil.
Holi is celebrated around the world, but most often in places with strong Hindu communities.
We hope that all those in our Essex Heights community that celebrated Holi last week had a joyful celebration with family and friends.
Year 6 Camp
On Wednesday last week, I visited the Year 6 Camp at Forest Lodge Farm Camp at Jack River. At this great adventure camp, the children participated in team building activities, such as, the giant swing, flying fox, the mud run, canoeing and an excursion to Wilson’s Promontory including a walk to Squeaky Beach. The children and staff had a wonderful time and have great memories to share for many years to come.
Students that are unwell
I would like to remind all families that children who are unwell should not be sent to school. Even though the COVID restrictions have eased, sick children cannot perform well at school and they often pass on their sickness to other children and staff. This only makes managing the learning for all children, even more difficult.
Please do not give children medication in the morning to mask symptoms, because those same symptoms will reappear within a few hours. The children are often so unwell that they are miserable at school and are not learning anyway. If this occurs, you will be contacted to collect your child. Schools are charged to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all children and staff. Please help us to do this by carefully monitoring our child’s symptoms. If unwell, keep them at home!!!
JSC Badge Presentation
We are pleased that Mr Matt Fregon MP, State Member for Ashwood, is able to visit EHPS for our whole school assembly on Monday to present the Junior School Councillors with their badges. All welcome.
I look forward to seeing you around the school.
Kindest regards,
George Perini
Principal