Principal's Report
From Christian's desk....
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
For information relevant to DET and our school’s responses to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) please log on to Compass and review the daily updates.
Further to these messages I would like to acknowledge our students, staff and families for their level-headedness in the way our school community is navigating this event.
To the community, your ongoing messages of support have been uplifting and provided a great sense of confidence in our staff and school-based decisions.
To our staff, on behalf of our families and the Leadership Team, I would like to acknowledge your professionalism and positivity. You are at the coal face and haven’t waivered in your delivery of education to both those students that are attending school and those that are learning from home via our Home Learning Website.
To our students, as Dr Seuss so wonderfully puts it:
“If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.”
Sometimes things start to happen and we didn’t plan for them, or we weren’t expecting them. But it’s times like these that you just have to get moving as well, move with those things so that you can ride them out rather than having them run you over. Grow to the situation, don’t let the situation grow out of control. Spending time worrying about it, or pouting about it isn’t going to make matters any better. This is perhaps Dr Seuss’s way of saying go with the flow rather than against it.
School Council
Please head to the School Council page of this newsletter for an update on last night’s AGM and last night’s March meeting. You will see a list of School Councillors and their elected office positions as well as a summary of policies passed. A reminder that our school based policies and links to DET policies are available via our school’s global website.
Learning Walks
A highlight of my week is our Thursday Learning Walks.
In our Learning Walks members of our Leadership Team walk through the school and, with an Annual Implementation Plan outcome in mind, reflect on our progress.
This term we have focused on ‘co-creating and facilitating ongoing student interaction with displays and anchor charts to make thinking visible’ and ‘facilitating a program of peer capacity-building via videos of professional practice, demonstration lessons, collegiate observations, coaching, learning walks and professional learning pertaining to 'using a Growth Mindset'.
This week Assistant Principal Amy Prior shared our celebrations and recommended next steps with our staff:
Celebrations:
- Happy students engaged in their learning
- Consistent displays including growth mindset and school values posters in each classroom
- Students interacting with their displays - sticky notes on the displays which celebrated when students were demonstrating behaviours, character strengths and a growth mindset
- Anchor charts which have clearly been co-created with students
Next Steps:
- Create a ‘must see – might see’ instructional document with agreed classroom displays for Positive Education, English and Numeracy. NB: maintaining teacher style.
Facilities
Wow!
Kim is almost there with the Gaga Pit! On behalf of the students that have been lobbying for this sporting arena, a HUGE THANK-YOU!
Maroondah Wellbeing Survey
I am yet to receive further correspondence regarding the Maroondah Wellbeing Survey. There is a suggestion that it will be postponed. I will keep you informed.
Christian Holdsworth - Principal