2019... Farewell and Thank You!

Dear Parents and Caregivers

As we approach the end of another fantastic and exciting year, I would like to acknowledge the dedication and passion of our wonderful staff at LNPS. Their "above and beyond" mindset and commitments ensure our students have the best learning opportunities presented to them on a daily basis.

In saying this, I would like to share some thinking and research with our LNPS community.

Just this morning I heard a media report that Australian schools need to "go back to teaching the basics". This comment was based on a global assessment, Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), indicating that more than half a million 15-year-old Australian students lag 3.5 years behind their Chinese counterparts in Maths. Whilst that's is an alarming statistic, numerous evidence is presented by research of Global and National Universities, which indicates that individuals need competence that requires the abilities and skills to apply knowledge to accomplish tasks and solve problems.

As more and more jobs will become automated by technology, ‘soft’ skills such as problem solving, communication, and decision-making are becoming more critical with the rise of artificial intelligence in the workforce and the rapid evolving of technology.

“Now, technical skills are out of date so quickly, the other skills are more important. A person can have all sorts of degrees, qualifications, bits of paper, but if they can’t talk to people, build trust, form those relationships, then the bits of paper are irrelevant.”

At Lockleys North we strive to provide world class education for our students, in a safe and positive environment, that prepares our students for the future. Our drive stems from our belief that all learners can and will be successful. Through a process of collective inquiry, we have determined what quality teaching and learning looks like in our endeavour to provide continuity and consistency for our learners and to meet their individual needs.

As intrinsic motivation is becoming a larger problem for schools, LNPS commits to "reformulating" approaches to teaching and learning in terms of skills and abilities, not just delivering chunks of knowledge. As Primary education curricula around the world are focussing more on skills and values, as well as individualised learning paths, LNPS prides itself on being a dynamic learning community, in which learner agency and collaboration are highly valued. Whilst opportunity, local and global events, curriculum and resourcing may vary and direct learner experiences over time, LNPS consistently employs key pedagogies and strategies to affect the quality of that learning. This ensures our students are guided towards relevant sources of acquiring knowledge and acquisition of skills, with skill mastery as our primary goal.

"Any knowledge an individual has only manifests in the world through the skills that individual has."

As we empower our students, we also encourage them to embrace their curiosity and live life purposefully and passionately. That is why we design learning experiences to captivate and delight developing minds. If we give students the opportunity to engage in meaningful experiences at school, they can make connections and begin making a difference. Our purpose is to develop students’ ability to manage themselves and support each other as learners, while actively supporting their development of a positive self concept as a learner.

The big thing about this type of learning approach is that it is not easy and takes a lot of time, support and feedback to develop. Through a process of collective inquiry, students and staff continue to engage in learning experiences that continuously promote social interaction and inquiry learning.

With all this in mind, LNPS will continue to strive for the highest quality of education for our students, which is both exciting and meaningful. We want our learners to have the abilities in sourcing information to broaden their knowledge, develop and learn new cognitive and practical skills and apply competences to develop themselves and reach their own personal goals, and achieve skill mastery, which will makes education more relevant and hopefully increases our learners’ intrinsic motivation.

End of Year Farewell

We hope that you have already marked 9am December 13th into your diary for the 2019 Whole School and Farewell Assembly. This is a great way to celebrate and finish off the year. We will be saying goodbye to our Year 7 Graduates and some staff who are retiring.

Cate Berden and Maria Paladino are retiring at the end of this year. Cate begun at LNPS in 2011 and Maria in 2002. They are both highly respected educators who will be missed by the whole school community. We will be acknowledging and farewelling them at this assembly, so please come along to celebrate their time at LNPS.

I hope everyone one has a great holiday period and the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Tyson

Graduation

Tomorrow night, the 2019 Year 7 Graduation Ceremony will be held in the Gym. This is a showcase event that celebrates student achievement and farewells our graduating Class of 2019. This is also an opportunity to congratulate all the students who achieved High Flyers with Honours.

The celebration is an excellent opportunity to reflect back on the positive impact all Year 7 students have had on the school and to wish them well as they move on to the exciting challenge of high school.

Thank you to all the teachers and parents for the support and direction they have provided to enable this achievement to occur.

To finish the evening a disco will be held for the Graduates in the Gym. There is sure to be a large amount of quality dance from students and staff. The disco will be featuring our Year 7 students as DJs and even some special guest DJs.

Finally, a huge well done to the teachers involved with the planning of this event.

Governing Council

Nominations for Governing Council have now closed. We will not be holding elections as we have filled all vacancies via nominations.

We would like to congratulate the following parents for volunteering to join our Governing Council:

New Members

Annalisa Williams, Silvana Guglielmucci, Julie Luu, Rhianan Strangways, Pauline Robinson, Michele D'Aloia, Lilbel Rivas, Russell Eaton, Tracey Noblet, Zoe Hooft and John Desyllas

Continuing Members

Sarah Gibson, Kiara Cannizzaro and Melissa Maida

Thank you to all members who didn't renominate for volunteering their time to support the school.

Finally, the LNPS community would like to say thank you to George Constantinides who is retiring form Governing Council after being a member for the past 9 years. George has been Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Grounds and Buildings Chairperson and Head BBQ Chef during this time. He is a highly valued member of Governing Council and the school community, and has helped place the school in such a great position for the future. Thanks George for your support, dedication and commitment.

Lockleys North Primary School

Issue 20 · 04 Dec 2019

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