From the Principal

Who can believe that it is already the end of term 2 and half way through the year! It has been great to have so many different things happening as we navigate the new normal. We have so much more planned for the coming semester and we can't wait to have you all along! 

Thanks to everyone who was able to make the time to discuss their child's learning on Wednesday. It was a busy afternoon and was such a great opportunity for us to reflect on your child's learning and how we can support them moving forward. We hope you had the opportunity to celebrate the effort that your children are putting in to their learning through viewing their reports and the conferences.

Term 3 is super exciting!

Our teachers have been fortunate to participate in DUET music learning program. We have a mentor music teacher and we have received $5000 worth of new music equipment to support our teaching of music. This starts in each class in term 3!

Production is on it's way with STOMP once again providing our fabulous production dances! Stay tuned for more about "The Great Upper Gully Primary Mystery!"

Science starts in Term 3. We will have all of our students bubbling away with 'Chemical Science'. The kids are excited and so are we.

School Review

This year was our review year. This is undertaken every 4 years for every school in Victoria. This leads to us developing a plan for the next four years. We had fantastic feedback from staff, parents and the school community. In spite of the last two years of challenge our staff have continued to do their best for our school community and students. It is always wonderful to have a chance to celebrate our successes and set goals for the future. The celebrated highlights of our review included:

Community Pride and Connection

The Panel agreed that school and community pride and connection was a highlight during the period of the previous School Strategic Plan (SSP). The Panel found that the school had:

• sought student, staff and parent feedback about school improvement. Parents highlighted the school size and unique setting as an enabler to build and strengthen communication and relationships between staff, students, families, and the community
• established relationship with students and families. Staff knew the students, and that this was an expectation which was modelled throughout the school. Students were confident that the school cared for them
• embraced the community. The presentation of the school, the environment, the design of the school buildings, and the welcoming of students and families into the school had built school pride and a sense of inclusion in the school’s educational setting
• increased leadership opportunities for students including running assemblies, student representative council, and the school’s environmental program 
• implemented an online system to communicate with families and track student data
• redefined school values that guided the school’s approach to wellbeing
• consolidated and increased the provision of student support services officers (SSSOs), allied health staff and support personnel to work with the school, students and families to improve the health, wellbeing, and education of students
• provided for student and families during remote learning including check ins with all students with a focus on education and wellbeing
• introduced School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) to develop an orderly learning environment where students felt supported, safe, and ready to learn

Staff Professional Learning

The evolving provision of staff professional development to enhance teaching and learning was a second highlight during the School Strategic Plan period. The school had:

• implemented the Department of Education and Training (DET) education initiative of Professional Learning Communities (PLC). The school had become a PLC link leader to share its practices and build the capacity of other schools and their staff

Remote Learning

The Panel agreed that a third school highlight was the school’s approach to remote learning. The school had:

• solidified and increased the community’s pride in and connection to the unique, small school setting through the strategies and process of remote learning and check ins with students, families and staff
• increased the school capacity to provide for the health and wellbeing of staff, students, and the community
• developed teacher capacity to pivot and use technology to meet student learning needs over the two years of remote learning
• increased staff and community resilience and flexibility 
• built teacher capacity to provide for student learning and support to ensure that all students had the opportunity to continue to learn
• increased the community’s involvement, awareness and appreciation of the complexities of both teaching and learning
• increased the communication and methods of communication between the school and the community.

Thank you all for your support during term 2. We hope your break is a great time with family and that you all stay safe and well.

Tabitha