Principal Report 

Dear Families, 

It has been a busy week or two at school with staff preparing for the return of students. I can share with you that all of the work was worth it when we saw their faces on their return. They were so happy to be back at school. The children have taken the return to school in their stride. They have dropped straight back into their old routines and quickly picked up on some new ones. I could not be more proud of our little learners and their ability to be so resilient. 

Our staff have also shown amazing professionalism pulling together to make sure that our school is a welcoming place for all of the children. The tone in our classes has been exactly what was required after this unexpected absence. Teachers and staff have been tuning in to what the students have learnt while being away, reconnecting with the class and individuals and also having lots of creative fun! We will only be complete as a school when we get our older children back in grade 3-6. We are looking forward to June 9th. I would like to say a big thank you to the parents and carers of children in these year levels who are at home supporting the remote learning efforts. 

We would also like to say thank you to all the parents and carers who have been dropping off this week for helping to support our physical distancing efforts. You have made policing this really easy. It is appreciated by us all. 

Parents and Friends - P&F 

Thank you to our new P&F president Jacinta Parolo for pushing on with our Mother's Day stall and her team of fantastic helpers - Chelsea Clinton, Rachael Asbury, Julie Hays and Tara Hickman. There combined efforts helped raise over $1000. More from them on their new P&F page. You can still join P&F, email jacinta_parolo@hotmail.com for more details. Our school community is going to need our shared support more than ever in the future!

Building Work News

We have continued to beautify the school while children have been away. We will be aiming to finish some outside painting over the coming weeks as well as the new garden area for OSH Care. We will be launching our new MakerSpace area in the library in Semester 2. 

For now, our children can enjoy the LEGO wall and the new Art displays in the main corridor. 

Staffing News

Congratulations to Ms. Phillips our AUSLAN teacher who is joining Orchard Grove as a grade 5/6 teacher for the rest of the term. The children that have had Ms. Phillips have really enjoyed the learning AUSLAN as a language. Ms. Phillips has also been helping support 56L while Mrs. Boyle has been away. I would like to thank her for her support. Moving forward we welcome back Mrs. Wilson in this role until Mrs. Boyle returns to school. 

We will be covering Ms. Phillips classes with Ms. Minton and Mrs. Granger in Semester 2. They will be offering something different to their day jobs. Watch this space. 

Congratulations on the news that Mrs. Munnecke will be having a baby. She will be leaving just after the mid-year holidays to start her maternity cover. We have a 5 day a week teaching role advertised now.  

Lizzo - The Bearded Dragon

A new arrival at school is 'Lizzo'. Once Lizzo is feeling confident in her new enclosure the children will be able to come along and say hello. Right now she is scoping out her new surroundings and making her new home comfy. School pets give students responsibility and for some children something to look forward to at school each day. We hope Lizzo likes being our new school pet.