Principal's Report

Year 6 in Canberra

It was with much excitement and relief that we were able to farewell our Year 6 students on Monday morning, as they headed off to Melbourne Airport for their flight to Canberra. The Year 6 camp is such an important part of FPS life, and it is fantastic that we have been able to proceed with the camp during recent COVID affected years.

It is fair to say that it meant even more to our current Year 6 students, as their Year 4 and 5 camps had to be cancelled due to COVID. It wasn’t a straightforward process to get the camp to happen – there was lots of consultation with the Department of Education and Training to ensure that all our safety measures were approved. Whilst all school camps now involve the risk of a positive COVID case occurring whilst away, as the Year 6 students explained, ‘It’s a calculated risk, and one worth taking.’

We thank the accompanying staff – Daniel, Jess, Mariah, Anna, Tom E and Elly, and the parents Allison O’Connell, Tash Voller, Chris Gillard and Elise Coughlin – for their commitment and support. Put simply, with no staff and parents, there is no camp.

We look forward to hearing from Year 6 about their adventures upon their return.

Welcome Picnic & Working Bee

As well as the Year 6 camp being a sign of things returning to normal, we were delighted to host a Welcome Picnic and Working Bee over the weekend.

On Friday night there was the sight of people gathering, the sounds of Double Denim and the smell of the sausage sizzle. It was great to welcome our new families to a first social event at the school, as well as seeing people catching up with each other on the array of picnic blankets that were on display. Thank you to everyone involved – a special mention to our parent band Double Denim, and to parents Ian ten Seldam and Mark Sandiford for their coordination.

On Sunday we held our first Working Bee of the year. Thank you to all parents that were able to attend, and to Andrew Vance for convening. The school grounds look terrific.

Harmony Day & Lots of Socks Day

I was unable to be at school for last Thursday’s Harmony Day, as I was on a School Review Panel. However, I heard great reports of how well the day went, with so many compliments for the Year 6 students for their organisation of the day. We raised $727.70 for Save the Children Fund. Thank you to Emily, our French teacher, for coordinating this event.

Yesterday the school celebrated World Down Syndrome Day by hosting Lots of Socks Day. At FPS we acknowledge the day as a step towards empowering people around the world to advocate for full inclusion in society for people with Down syndrome. It was lovely to see students embrace this day, with ankle to knee high patterns, colours and pictures on display.

Staffing

As with all organisations, schools need to manage workforce absences. This term has been more challenging than most due to the impact of COVID on staff absences along with the shortage of available replacement teachers. This situation is not unique to FPS, with other principals equally expressing challenges to replace absences at their schools.

Our preference is to always replace an absent teacher. However, when this is not possible, we need to consider alternative arrangements. There may be days when your child has told you that they have been taught by different teachers throughout the day – we will do this when there are no replacements available and when the timetable allows. There will also be occasions when we have no alternative other than to split grades, which we do as little as possible.

Students are to be acknowledged for how they have adapted to these changes, as unfortunately the staffing dilemma will probably be with us for a little while longer.

Social Club, Buildings and Grounds Meeting & the AGM

We have some meetings that you may be interested in attending this week. 

Buildings and Grounds: Tuesday 22 March, 5:30 – 6:30pm 

We will be discussing a range of items in relation to the school’s facilities, including taking a look at our Building Masterplan.

Social Club: Thursday 24 March, 3:45 – 4:45pm

We will review Friday’s picnic, discuss the upcoming Foundation Social Evening and a plan for our annual Trivia Night.

Environment and Sustainability Working Group: Monday 28 March, 3:45 – 4:45pm

We will discuss a whole range of sustainability initiatives around the school, with staff and parents both in attendance.

Annual General Meeting: Monday 28 March, 6 – 6.30pm

I will present the 2021 Annual Report, commenting on the progress that the school has made.

All parents are welcome to attend any of these meetings. Please sign in at the office, and you will be directed you to where the meeting is being held.

Farewell Ginger

Next week, we say say a fond farewell to Ginger, who will be going on family leave. Ginger has been running the Tutor Learning Initiative (with Tom Edwards) across this term and her calm, patient manner and friendly smile will be missed. 

We wish Ginger and her partner Dan all the very best at this most exciting of times!

Have a great week everyone.

~ Paul Wallace, Principal