PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

The end of semester one has arrived and student reports have been released on Compass. We encourage you to discuss your child’s achievements and areas for improvement with them, and to assist them to plan and set their goals to ensure they achieve their best levels of progress and success in the semester to come.

Staffing Update

We have a few changes to staffing ahead of us for the next term. We will be welcoming back Robert McLeod to resume his Assistant Principal role, after enjoying a semester of long service leave and travel. Vicki Tentzoglidis and John Box will move from their Acting Assistant Principal roles and return to their Leading Teacher positions. A very big thank you to both Vicki and John for their excellent work and leadership in their assistant principal roles throughout the semester.

Frank Raneri will be returning from his leave, so we will be farewelling Kenny Ong who replaced Frank. Kenny’s contribution and dedication to his classes has been much appreciated.

Unfortunately Mayling Constantinou will be on leave for the remainder of the year.  Her replacement will be appointed this week.

Karly Adams will be taking maternity leave very early in term three, and our best wishes go with her for her new venture into family life.

Finally, David Borg will be leaving us for a full semester of leave, and Adrian Jackson has been appointed to take up his music allotment.

Footscray Learning Precinct – Ministerial Announcement

Following the recent budget allocation of $10.6 million, Minister Merlino visited Footscray City Primary on the 14th June to make an announcement in relation to the proposed Footscray Learning Precinct. A key point of this announcement was the endorsement of the whole precinct concept, and more specifically, of the feasibility study recommendation to create a three campus secondary school. This will consist of FCC as the senior campus (Years 10 – 12), and Gilmore College and a new school in Pilgrim Street (opposite VU Nicholson  St) as the junior campuses (years 7 – 9 ).

From the current budget allocation, all campuses will be master planned - FCC, Gilmore and Footscray City PS for refurbishment, and Pilgrim Street for a new school build. In addition to the master planning, Gilmore and Footscray City PS will be funded to commence renovations in 2018. We certainly hope that FCC will be a recipient of funding in the 2018 State Budget so that we can commence renovations and improvements for the benefit of our students of now, and the future. At the announcement on 14th June, the Minister did indicate that the $10 million was just the beginning and that there was a preparedness to put very substantial investment into the precinct, with the view to creating an iconic 21st Century centre of learning for students of the inner west through all stages of education.

Apart from the master planning, for the remainder of the year there is much other work to be done, particularly by the schools of the Precinct (FCC, Gilmore, Footscray City PS, Footscray PS). There is a shared curriculum and pedagogy framework to be developed, and for the secondaries, a governance (school council) model to be developed and agreed upon.

A timeline for the staged implementation of the secondary model will be developed and communicated to the community by the commencement of 2018.

For timelines and other information about the Precinct please refer to the FLP Factsheet link attached.

Staff Pasta Night - Fundraiser for Homelessness

Friday week ago, approximately 40 staff attended a pasta night at school in order to fundraise for the school's homelessness fund. This is the fund the school committed to earlier this year, following the tragic loss of the lives of three people sleeping rough in the Kinnears building opposite the school. This night was a simple but great idea of Emma Pollock, and Emma along with Adam Taylor were the pasta chefs of the evening. The dinner raised $750 for the fund. Thank you to the staff who attended and a special thanks to Emma and Adam for their generous effort to make the night a success.

As we head into the mid-year holiday, we thank parents for their support and hope our students have time to relax and return re-energised for the two remaining terms ahead.