Dear Families,

A very warm welcome to all in our community as we start the 2023 school year. It was wonderful to welcome all our year 1-6 students. We look forward to our prep students joining us next Tuesday 7th of February. We wish all our prep students the very best for their first day and the coming year and extend a very warm welcome to all our preps and their families.

Curriculum Days – 27/1 and 30/1: Last Friday and Monday our staff undertook extensive professional learning in preparation for the 2023 school year. On Friday 27/1/23 our staff took time to reflect on the hopes and dreams that parents have for their children once they send them off to school. Please see below a snippet of staff responses. The process of putting ourselves in the shoes of the parent enabled our teachers to reflect on the common goal teachers and parents share in terms of wanting the very best outcomes for our children.

Please see below a snippet of staff responses to statements.

I believed the teachers would…

Allow my child to meet their full potential

Enable my child to thrive

Do everything to keep my child safe and happy

Take an interest into who my child is

Teach them to read and write

Care

Listen to my child and act on his needs

Always do what is best for my child

Make them feel welcome

Would educate my child so that she has some tools to be a successful learner and positive person

I saw school as…

A place to help my child with learning life experiences

A place to make friends and learn

Exciting next step

Safe

A positive social, emotional safe space

Welcoming

A place of learning and growth

My hope for my child was…

They would love school

To form good friendships

To feel happy and safe

To be successful

To make friends

That they are challenged, their interests are known, they are safe and they have fun

They would be nurtured and opportunities available

Moving forward our focus is on continuing to strengthen our home/school partnership through working closely with all our families to ensure our students are receiving the very best outcomes.

Monday 30th January of the Curriculum Day our Assistant Principals presented to teachers our Start Up programs for literacy, numeracy and well-being (our social and emotional learning). All teachers had time to set up classrooms and to meet in teams in preparation for the start of the new school year. We thank all our families for your support of our Curriculum Days.

School Assemblies: Our school assemblies will be held on a Friday every fortnight in our school gym from 2:30pm. We welcome all our families to our assemblies to celebrate the week and the learning our students have experienced.

School Council Elections: The school council election process for all government schools must be completed on or before 31st of March for the parent, school employee and student categories (for secondary schools re student categories). Please look out for more information in the coming week regarding these nominations.

Student Support Group Meetings: Further information regarding Student Support Group Meetings will be posted in the coming week. Parents/carers will be contacted by the school where SSG’s need to occur and appointments will be scheduled.

Meet the Teacher ‘Getting to Know your Child’: Further information re bookings for our initial Parent/Teacher “Getting To Know Your Child” will come out early next week re bookings. These will take place over two nights 14/2/23 and 15/2/23 between 3:30pm and 6:30pm. These are short meet and greet with your child’s class teacher – 10 minute time slots. Please look out for further details in the coming days.

Thank-you to all our families, students and staff for your cooperation regarding the decrease in number of parking spaces in and around our school. Your cooperation with this is greatly appreciated down our end.

Children are like Kites: Adapted from an original poem by Erma Bombeck

"You spend years trying to get them off the ground. You run with them until you are both breathless. They crash...they hit the rooftop. You patch, comfort, adjust and teach. Finally, they are airborne. They need more string, and you keep letting it out. They tug, and with each twist of the twine, there is a sadness that goes with joy. The kite becomes more distant, and you know it won't be long before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that binds you together and will soar...free. Only then, will you know that you have done your part."

https://www.wowministries.org/blog/children-are-like-kites

Warmest Regards,

Kathy Cvitkovic

Principal (Acting)

‘Building the foundations for success and happiness’.

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