Principal's Report
Calendar Dates
When writing my newsletter items, I begin by looking at the calendar to see what has been, and what is ahead. It is exciting to look forward to the following events which are now locked in:
Friday 20th May – National Walk Safely to School Day
- Please see the details in this newsletter regarding this event. The weather's looking clear for our walkers!
Saturday 21st May – FPS Trivia Night
- Time to sharpen that music knowledge, flex those dancing legs and create your costume for one of our biggest social events of the year.
Tuesday 24th May – District Cross Country
- I am regularly seeing our students ‘cross countrying’ around the playground. Class 4A even received a round of applause from one of our groups on a school tour!
Friday 27th May – Friday 3rd June – National Reconciliation Week
- Please see the details in this newsletter regarding this event. This year’s theme is “Be Brave. Make Change.”
Week beginning Monday 30th May – Year 4 Berthe Mouchette Poetry Competition
- Students are given the opportunity to record their poems for this annual French Poetry Competition, run by the Alliance Française.
Tuesday 31 May – Year 5 Sovereign Hill Excursion
- This excursion focuses on colonial Australia in the 1800s. Students will explore the Red Hill Mine, learn about our country’s democratic growth and even pan for gold!
Thursday 2nd June – Year 4 Science Incursion
- Students are following in the footsteps of the great astronomers to learn about the Earth and Milky Way. This incursion is sure to be out of this world!
Friday 3rd June – Year 3 Scienceworks Excursion
- An old favourite – everyone enjoys a visit to Scienceworks. The students will participate in an educational session involving liquid nitrogen… cool!
Monday 6th June – Year 2 Edendale Excursion
- At long last, our Year 2 students will be able to experience their first school excursion!
School Review in Term Three
Every four years a school undertakes a School Review. This is a rigorous process where the school and selected panel analyse the school’s performance across the last four years and set goals for a new School Strategic Plan.
We have been informed that the dates of our School Review are 5th, 6th and 12th September.
Leading up to our review, FPS will work with students, staff, and parents to conduct a Pre-Review Self-Evaluation which involves:
- Identifying highlights of the last four years.
- Collating and analysing data.
- Evaluating the school’s performance against the Department of Education and Training’s FISO Model (Framework for Improving Student Outcomes).
On the days of the Review, the panel will observe lessons, meet with students, staff, and parents, and analyse data. These records will then form the basis of our next four year School Strategic Plan.
This is exciting work as we continually strive for improvement. We will keep you informed of the process along the way.
NAPLAN
Congratulations to our Year 3 and 5 students for how well they applied themselves to NAPLAN. It was the first time that either of these cohorts had completed NAPLAN tests due to its cancellation two years ago. Whilst there were some technical challenges that needed to be navigated through the online format, all the teachers were proud of how well the students tried.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
~ Paul Wallace, Principal