From the Principal's Desk
Education and NAIDOC Week
What a solid effort over the last two weeks to participate in so many events! Students have been in a number of workshops both at school and in Armidale, extending our learning on environmental science, creative arts, music, gymnastics and cultural events. We trust all students have enjoyed these opportunities. Due to the PSSA Zone Athletics Carnival being postponed, we were unable to hold out planned Education Week Activities Day. We will re-schedule this and let you know when this will occur. We apologise for the changes.
PSSA Zone Athletics Carnival
Congratulations to all students who competed in the PSSA Zone Athletics Carnival last Friday. After many postponements the day was able to go ahead. We are still waiting to receive the final results to see if we have any students who have qualified to attend the North West Carnival in Tamworth on Friday 2nd September.
Welcome Miss Statham
We have Miss Chloe Statham working with our students in Upper Division. Miss Statham is a pre service teacher from UNE. Chloe has been learning about our school programs and has had the opportunity to produce her own lessons and take classes as part of her practicum. She will finish her prac on Friday and we wish her all the best for the rest of her degree! Thanks for your great work Chloe!
Spelling Bee Regional Finals
Recently we held our own school spelling bee finals for stage 2 (years 3 and 4) and stage 3 (years 5 and 6) students. Congratulations to Charlotte (Year 3) and Dominic (Year 6) on winning their divisions. Both students will compete in the regional finals on Tuesday 30th August in the online event.
Kindergarten 2023 Orientation Days
At the current time we have a number of students who will commence kindergarten at our school next year. We are currently planning our kindergarten orientation days and will communicate further information to families next week.
The dates for this year's orientation program as as follows:
Monday 24th October (9.00-11.30am)
Monday 31st October (9.00-11.30am)
Monday 7th November (9.00-1.30pm)
Monday 14th November (9.00-1.30pm)
Monday 21st November (9.00-3.00pm)
Lost Property
We have a large number of jumpers, hats and jackets which "no-one owns". We are reminding students on a daily basis to place their items back into their bags when not being worn to try and reduce the number of items lost. Can I please also ask parents to label every hat, jumper and jacket with your child's name on it (and if you have an older jacket with the incorrect name on it, please change it)? This way we can return items to the correct person. Thanks for your help.
New School Sign-In System and Attendance
All public and high schools will be moving towards using a new digital sign in system between now and the end of term. This will involve all visitors to the school, signing in using an iPad provided at the office.
I would like to remind parents and carers that all students arriving after 9.00 am must be signed in by a parent or carer at the office, this is a Department of Education legal requirement as well as a safety precaution to protect our students.
If your child is absent from school for any reason please contact the office via phone, email or submit an absentee form via the skoolbag app as soon as possible, this ensures we can enter a reason and the absence won't remain as unexplained. Thank you for your assistance with this.
Also, please see below a graphic provided to schools by the Department of Education this week regarding attendance. An interesting read!
Book Week - Monday 12th September (Week 9)
We will hold our 2022 Book Week celebrations commencing Monday 12th September (week 9). We are inviting all students and staff to dress up as a book character. We will also hold an assembly on the day, here at school. Parents and the community are invited to attend. We will provide more information soon.
CPR/First Aid Training for Years 3-6
I have been able to access some training in first aid and CPR for our students in Upper Division. We believe this is a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn about skills in first aid and saving lives in emergency situations. The program also teaches students how to be safe in such events. The training will be conducted here at school next Friday after our zoom assembly, by a qualified instructor using a program designed for students in Years 3 to 6. Previously the program was only available to students in Years 5 and 6 but we have been able to include all of our Upper Division students which is great news!
Zoom Assembly on Friday @ 12.00pm
I apologise for the delay in assemblies being held this term. We have scheduled these twice... and both times we had to cancel them due to PSSA Zone Athletics changes (and sudden cases of COVID 19). We will hold our assembly this Friday via the Zoom link below at 12.00pm. Please note we will not be able to invite parents and visitors to come on-site but as mentioned above, we should be able to invite you all for the Book Week Assembly in week 9. Thanks for your patience.
https://nsweducation.zoom.us/j/2656786702?pwd=b05HcDN2RURQZHlKV1FnNEtHOFRJUT09
Meeting ID: 265 678 6702
Password: 251202
PLEASE NOTE: You will need your child’s school username and password to log in.
New Power Generator
You may have noticed a new generator at the front of the school. This is to provide three phase power to the school so we can use all heating and electrical devices in our new rooms. The new demountables require more power than the old building. The generator is a temporary measure and will be replaced once work has been completed in upgrading outside power access for the school.
Construction Work Update
Engineers will brace the old school building on Monday to allow inspectors to go inside and fully assess the building. I hope to receive a plan outlining what steps will be taken next. I will keep communicating all updates through the school newsletter and at P&C meetings. Once again, I sincerely thank you all for your patience while we work through the logistics of fixing the old building.
Foyer Presentation
For those who have come into our new admin building, you may have noticed a television screen as you enter. I have tried to create a more welcoming approach to our school by showing short pieces of information about our school. Click the link below to have a look:
Have a great week!
Brad Hunt
Principal