Well, the term continues to be busy and at last it looks like we may be getting some proper Spring and Summer weather. I hope you are all taking the time to enjoy it when you can.

Year 2 Sleepover

The Year 2 sleepover was a great success. The children were very excited when they arrived and they participated in some short but exciting activities before dinner. This helped to bring some of the anxiety and excitement levels down a little. They ate their pizza together, munched on their Funny Face biscuits that they had decorated previously for dessert then got into their pyjamas before settling down to watch a movie. Later there was hot chocolate, the brushing of teeth and the settling into bed. It did make my heart swell to watch them getting ready for bed; they were tired but overexcited at the same time. A huge thanks to the staff for their work overnight to make it a safe but exciting experience for the children. There were a few bags under the eyes of the teachers the next day!!

Prep Breakfast

The camping program has continued with the Preps having their Prep breakfast at school; arriving in their pyjamas, having breakfast with their friends and then getting changed at school and participating in some wonderful activities throughout the day. I think the Circus has just arrived at school to entertain them. Again, a huge thank you to our teachers who work tirelessly to make these events a success.

Buildings

As mentioned previously, we have our two 2 storey buildings currently being installed and now we have another mod 5 building which holds 2 classrooms and a specialist classroom arriving later this term. They too, will be ready for the beginning of the school year. We are still negotiating with the Department of Education for more buildings as we are still short some classrooms with the numbers we have enrolled for next year. It is exciting that we have both new staff and student toilets being installed at the same time. This will help alleviate some of the stress that the toilets have had to manage this year.

We have had a flooding issue in Balam Balam which we have just been notified will be rectified when the Mod 5 building is being installed later this year. We have been spraying for mosquitoes in the meantime and encouraging and redirecting the students to stay out of the water!!

Parent Contributions

Thank you to those families who have already paid their contributions to the school for 2023. These contributions allow us to continue to provide a varied and robust curriculum with engaging resources to assist our students in their learning.

Just a reminder that our parent contributions will be split into two parts:

Curriculum & Other Contributions (Paid directly to the school)
Educational Items for your child to own – we recommend purchasing your child’s booklist items from Paperchase Office National (http://booklist.paperchase.com.au)

Further information can be found on our website or by clicking here

Absence Data

We monitor data of all kinds at school. We monitor the progress the students make throughout the year academically using a variety of tools; the information that we receive through the Attitudes to School survey data from the middle school children and the information collated in the Staff and Parent surveys.

I am quite concerned about the absence data. On average each student has had 25 days absent this year to date- this equates to 5 weeks of absence. 40% of the students in the school have had more than 20 days absent. I know that we have been cautious round Covid and illness but I feel that it is important to stress that we need students at school every day so we can ensure that their learning is consistent and continuous.

It has been a challenging year with student and teacher absence and a shortage of CRTs available, but it will be a focus of ours next year to bring these numbers down for the benefit of our students and programs. It will require us working together to ensure that all the children are at school as much as possible.

Vaccinations

They Year 7 vaccination program has been completed but if there are any families whose child did not complete the vaccination process you can access them with the Wyndham Council through the link below:

There is no cost involved in attending the sessions, and parents can make an appointment by going to the following link: https://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/services/childrens-services/immunisation.

BYOD program

The BYOD program has been extended in 2023 to Years 5-8. The information needed is on our website and can be accessed at the link here: https://www.dohertyscreekcollege.vic.edu.au/?page_id=1853

It is important that families think about how they will provide a device for their child in these year levels in 2023. The link will let you know the specifications needed. Please contact us if you need any help or support.

Prep Transition

We have had two amazing Prep transition session with no tears! The parents have also attended sessions around Compass and its use as well as how to prepare their child for 2023. It has been wonderful to meet everyone. We look forward to seeing you on the Meet the Teacher Day on December 13th for the Teddy Bear’s Picnic.

Cohort End of Year Assemblies

Every year level will be holding an end of year cohort assembly for parents. The students will either be presenting work or performing in some way to celebrate the end of the year. Please make the time to attend. The schedule is as follows:

Thursday 8th December- Year 4- 2.10pm- Gym

Friday 9th December- Year 2- 2.10pm- Gym

Monday 12th December- Year 1- 8.50am- Gym

Monday 12th December- Year 5- 2.10pm- Gym

Tuesday 13th December- Prep- 9.40am- Gym

Wednesday 14th December- Year 7- 2.10pm- Ngarnga

Thursday 15th December- Year 3- 2.10pm- Gym

Friday 16th December- Year 6- 2.10pm- Gym

Thank you as always for your support and understanding. We are coming to a close with teachers assessing students for their end of year reports and preparing new classes for 2023. I hope you go t to enjoy a little sun the other day and that we have more sunny days coming our way.

Classroom Volunteers Needed!