Principal's Report
Angela Dawson
Curriculum Day
Each year, schools councils are permitted to schedule up to 5 student-free days (when student instruction does not occur) for professional development, school planning and administration, curriculum development and student assessment and reporting.
At the School Council meeting last night, the date of MONDAY 5th JUNE was approved for a Curriculum Day to be used by staff for assessment of reporting. There were a large number of considerations taken into account, including avoiding clashes with Year 6 Interschool Sport and the numerous incursions and excursions happening during Term 2. It was also important to for this date to be during the reporting cycle, when teachers are reading/editing reports prior to them being sent out to parents at the end of the term.
We thank you for your support of our staff in order for them to be able to provide you with timely, relevant and accurate information on your child and their achievements this semester.
Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) will be available to registered families on this date, and information regarding bookings will be sent out early next week.`
Maggie the Wellbeing Dog
What a fabulous start Maggie has had to her time at Valkstone!
She has settled in well to her permanent classroom (1C) and the students are loving having her in there with them. As se is still little, Maggie spends a large amount of her day asleep, but she is doing very well sleeping through announcements and even the bell!
Maggie has already had a very positive impact on many children around the school. Two highlights for me have been a anxious student who has become worried in the mornings knowing that saying hi to Maggie is part of their morning routine now, and a very reluctant writer proudly showed me the 9 page book they had written about "Maggie the Dog".
Wellbeing Dog Survey
While we know that the Wellbeing Dog Program will have huge benefits to our school community, we do acknowledge that there are a wide range of experiences and comfort levels around dogs amongst our students, staff and wider community.
To ensure the best possible start to our Wellbeing Dog Program, I ask that all families please complete the survey that can be found at the address below. This survey will help us get to know your child's experiences with dogs, so that we can help everyone get the best possible outcomes from the program. If you could complete this as soon as possible, that would be greatly appreciated.
If the link does not work, please copy and paste the address above into your web browser.