From the Principal's Desk 

End of Term 1 2022

We have made it! Term 1 2022 is the longest stretch of time our students have been given the opportunity to have face to face lessons in the past two years. While some students have been self-isolating because of a COVID infection or being a close contact, most students have been able to attend school. We have had many teachers and support staff absent for similar reasons and have had to get creative at times with how we cover classes, but overall, we have been able to provide opportunities for learning as well as cultural and sporting opportunities. I would like to say thank you to all our staff and thank our casual teachers who we have relied upon in Term 1 to assist us with our staffing.

There was a week where Mr Taprell and I worked with Stage 3 students, which we both thoroughly enjoyed. PDHPE and Science are our specialities, so we chose to give the students an opportunity to experience a secondary lesson in PE and Science. Below are some photos of our students conducting a science experiment with Mr Taprell.

I was also fortunate to have Ms Simpson's Kindergarten class last Friday and wow, what a lot of energy it takes to be a Kindergarten teacher! I was exhausted at the end of the day and thankful to be supported by Mrs Betts, but I had the most amazing time. So much learning occurs in Kindergarten and our Kindergarten teachers have done an amazing job transitioning our students. I was fortunate to get to know this group of students a little better.

Moving into Term 2

We expect similar operating conditions for schools in Term 2. Families will continue to be provided with Rapid Antigen Tests and we ask that our families continue to monitor for symptoms. These two strategies are key to us being able to remain as COVID safe as possible and I would like to send a huge thank you out to our families who have assisted us in Term 1. Picking up your children when they present with symptoms can be very hard when you must leave a workplace to do so, and we are fortunate to work with a respectful and understanding community. More information will be provided regarding Term 2 operations, and I will communicate with you as this information comes to hand from the Department of Education.

Check In Assessments

Our students have been completing check in assessments which the department provides for teachers to determine gaps in student learning. The assessments take 40 minutes and are made up of 40 multiple choice questions to determine progress in numeracy and literacy. As a result of deficits that may have occurred due to remote learning in 2021, we will focus on the areas identified in the assessments to build skills and remedy learning issues moving into the rest of 2022. These assessments give us access to immediate results and this is appreciated by teachers as they don’t need to wait months for marking to occur. There are opportunities provided for students who miss out on these tests, and we will do our best to ensure students who were absent have an opportunity to complete the tests.

Secondary Athletics Carnival

Some fantastic results were evident at our Secondary Athletics Carnival with the Junior High Jump record being broken by Paul McGaw who jumped 1.64 metres. The record was held previously by Matthew Fanning in 1998. Yuranigh House won the overall point score on the day with high levels of participation and outstanding results. It has been great to see our students enjoying themselves at our sports carnivals this year. We certainly are looking forward to the Rural Cup in Term 2.

Primary will be having their Athletics Carnival on the first Friday of Term 2, but the highlight of last week was the Cross Country Carnival! We are fortunate to have access to the most amazing course directly across the road from the school and with most our students competing there was a great mix of fun and competition. Many students will be participating at the District Carnival in Cudal on the 2nd of May. We look forward to hearing about our student’s success at the next meet.

Happy Holidays!

I would like to wish all our families a fun and safe holiday while we look forward to Term 2. Exciting learning, sporting, and cultural opportunities on the Term 2 Calendar will ensure our students are provided with opportunities to thrive and grow. Again, a huge thank you for all the support our families have given to our students and staff in Term 1.