Principal's Report

Dear parents, carers and kin,

The end of term is fast approaching.  There has been so much going on so I thought I'd give you an update on some of the new projects this year that have been a major focus for the school.

Concert and Awards Night

After a break due to the pandemic, our Concert and Awards Night returns this year. Please see important information in this newsletter regarding the evening and how to purchase tickets.

Disability Inclusion

As part of the Bayside Peninsula Area, Naranga is in the first year of the implementation of these reforms.  Disability Inclusion is increasing support for students with disabilities in all Victorian schools.  At Naranga, it has transformed our Individual Education Plans and Student Support Group meetings.  All of this information is now used to create Disability Inclusion Profiles for our students. These Profiles are then used by the Department to provide educational funding for students similar to the Program for Students with Disabilities.  The Disability Inclusion Profile is a strengths-based process to help schools and families identify the student's strengths and needs, and outline the adjustments schools can make to help the student make progress.  A facilitator helps bring school staff and families together to complete the Profile.   Naranga has put an enormous amount of work into this initiative this year.

Building Works Update

Earlier this term we secured the services of Maddison Architects for our school building project.  Surveyors have been on-site this week.  Next week we have the first project meeting to start the design process.  It's an exciting time and I will keep you updated on our progress.  

Curriculum Day and Professional Practice Day

A reminder that next Tuesday 30th August is a Curriculum Day.  

The following Wednesday 7th September is also a student free day for assessment, reporting and Student Support Group meetings.

Kai Pukarinen

Principal

Other important messages you may have missed...

Changes to transport

We sometimes have changes made to transport arrangements for students.  This can result in some last minute changes so that students access the correct bus, or are at the back gate for parent pick up.  The office staff does a great job of managing student transport.  Please help us keep transport operations running smoothly by contacting the main office by 2:45pm each day if there are any changes to how your  son or daughter is getting home from school.

Teacher communication

Communication channels between home and school became much more open and regular over the past two years.  This is a direct result of the pandemic and the periods of remote learning that required close contact between teachers and parents.  Good communication between home and school and strong relationships between parents and teachers is key to positive student outcomes.  Current email and other electronic communication can blur the lines between our working lives and home lives.  As a staff, we've discussed having boundaries and limiting parent communication after hours unless it is an emergency or a critical matter.  Please support us by communicating with teachers between 8:00am and 5:30pm.  Or if you are emailing outside of those hours, please accept that you may not get a reply until the next day.