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This week our value focus shifted to “Be beside the people who help you be your best”. I was reading a Forbes article and they had this to say: “It’s widely known that one of the best ways to improve on a skill is to practice it with someone who’s better than you (think: tennis, skiing, poker, yoga, Boggle…) Yes, you will have to work harder, think faster and learn more fundamentals. You’ll sweat and have sore muscles, but after a while, your skills will improve and, eventually, you might even be good enough to teach someone else a thing or two. This idea of playing with someone better than you translates nicely to your personal and career successes as well, and that’s why it’s important to surround yourself with people who are winners”. I read winners as successful people and think this analogy is a good way to explain our focus value. A good friend of mine has a few quotes about this that you may have read before: “Surround yourself with fountains, not drains,” and my favourite, “How can I soar like an eagle, when I’m surrounded by turkeys?” This weekend have a chat with your children and see if they can identify who helps them be their best. Encourage them to soar with those eagles.

On Monday we welcomed our Foundation 2023 pupils. I spent some time with the parents and then in the classroom with our new learning friends. I thought the cohort were competent and confident learners who easily and independently got out their snack and ate. They joined in the story telling, packed up and then went back to investigating the room. They came to the mat when called and we sang while we waited for our parents. It was exciting to see how ready for learning they were. I look forward to partnering with our new families and continuing to partner with our existing ones whose next child is joining our community.

Preparations are all but finalised for the Year 6 camp next week. We have two groups, one off to Canberra and one staying here in Alice. Both are looking forward to immersive learning experiences about government, science and the history that has shaped our Australian culture. We wish them safe travels and know they will be amazing ambassadors for our school. Thank you to Mrs Clark and Ms Moloney for the huge amount of work it has taken to get this first Canberra trip off the ground. I’m sure they, like a lot of Year 6 parents, are still struggling to get the sausage aroma out of their clothes. Similarly Year 1 will have their first school camping experience this Friday night with their sleepover. Thanks to the Year 1 team for putting this together. I promise to bring coffee when I arrive on Saturday morning!

Next Friday, Remembrance Day commemorations will replace assembly. We welcome families to join us. Please let us know if any past or present serving members would like to speak or lay a wreath. Assembly will commence at 8.30am and should finish at 9.00am. Some Year 6 representatives and myself will lay a wreath at ANZAC Hill at the 11.00am service.

Preparations are well under way for 2023 staffing and budgeting. Please remember that the notice period for departing at the end of term has passed and charges for Term 1 will be applied to accounts from here on.

Mrs Lisa Goldsworthy

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