Principal's Message

Dear Families

Welcome back to school after what I hope was a relaxing term vacation for you all.  Term three is already shaping up to be a busy term and I trust that you and your child/ren enjoy the opportunities we are able to provide.

Student reports

Student reports summarising your child’s achievements and next steps in learning have been released via COMPASS today.  You will have the opportunity to discuss the contents of these with your child’s teacher at the parent teacher interviews which are scheduled for Monday and Thursday next week (July 17 and 20).  You have been given the opportunity to book this interview at a time of your choosing via COMPASS – as this notification went out on last day of term two.  

Naplan

The individual student reports for Naplan are expected to arrive back at school in the first half of this term.  Once they do we will send them home to parents in a sealed envelope.  A reminder that Naplan is but one measure of your child’s progress, and is an indication of how your child was performing on the day of the test earlier in the year.  For a more accurate indication – or to discuss what the Naplan means for your child when it arrives – make an appointment to see your son or daughter’s teacher, or the leading teacher attached to their year level.   

Welcome back..... to John Pickett who returned from a stint as acting principal at Forrest Primary School.  John is returning to us as the principal of Forrest is returning from his own period of leave.  John will resume responsibility for students in years three and four, and Michael Laird will continue to have oversight of our year two cohort.  Our pupils are very lucky to have such experienced educators overseeing their teaching and learning program.  I am sure you join me in welcoming                                                             John back to our school.  

School Photos

We are also anticipating that these will be back in school in the next few weeks at which time they will be sent home with children.  We will be asking pupils to carry them, not shove them in their bag – but maybe you could reinforce this with your son or daughter as well to minimise the chance of creases, etc.  

School Athletics

Next week students in years 3-6 will  participate in our school athletics day – whereby they demonstrate skills in high jump, long jump, hurdles, sprinting, to name but a few.  Thanks to the PE department for their organisation of this day for our students. 

Support for student learning

Parents regularly ask us what they can do to further assist their children’s academic achievement and there is one clear answer.  Reading.  Ensure your child reads every single night – both with and to you , and independently.  Reading with an adult develops decoding and comprehension skills whilst reading independently helps to foster a love of reading – and is extra practice that will further progress their literacy skills.  Similarly it is important that children are at school on time – and enter the classroom at 8.35am as they then have the opportunity to take advantage of a further ten minutes of reading each and every morning.  

Why are we having so many split classes?

Wyndham is one of the hardest hit areas in terms of the teacher shortage. Most schools in our area are working without a full complement of teaching staff. The larger schools have been affected the most. We have been advertising positions weekly since June 2022 for 2023, and as a consequence HR has become a very important and time-consuming part of our job. Many of the advertised positions have been no appointments because there haven’t been people to apply for them. Many teachers in the Wyndham area have traditionally lived in Geelong where it has always been difficult to obtain positions as there is only a limited number advertised each year. The teacher shortage has changed this and many teachers are now in a position to gain a post closer to home, both in Geelong and other areas in the west.

The teacher shortage has also flowed onto the CRT (replacement) teacher availability (i.e. the teacher who will cover the class when the regular teacher is absent) and whilst we are booking CRTS, more often than not, there are not enough available, if any. Split classes are the best way we can cater for the needs of our students when a CRT is unavailable. The staff have worked to try and ensure that students are being split to the same teacher and students if possible, meaning they can form a relationship with the teacher and learn the class routine. Our teachers have always worked as a year level team and use whole of cohort data regularly so they are well placed to cater for children who are visiting their room, as they are able to locate information about a student’s learning needs.  Consistent classroom routines across all classes also assist in supporting visiting students.  

I hope this first week of term has been a positive one for you.  Enjoy your upcoming weekend everyone.

Sue Seneviratne

Principal