2020

A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER

Thankyou to our 2020 Belmore School staff

In the final newsletter for this year I would like to acknowledge the hard work, initiative and flexibility of our staff over the course of this year and also express my deep gratitude, respect and appreciation for them. I thank them for their ingenuity, resilience, passion and strength, as we navigated the unprecedented challenges in 2020. I thank all of our staff for giving above and beyond, stepping up and supporting each other, our leadership team and me personally. I acknowledge the extra hours they commit each week spent focused on our school. Many of which are hours well outside the normal school day at home of an evening and over weekends. Our State system relies on the good will of our staff to do this and it is one of the elements as to why our system is continuing to move from strength to strength.

Thank you to our teachers: Kelly, Megan, Lydia, Catherine, Amanda, Rose, Emily and Hazel
Thankyou to our therapists: Leo, Lydia, Margherita, Sarah and Stephanie
Thankyou to our education support staff: Armanda, Renee, Jenny, Hassie, Laura, Stewart, Charlotte, Sarah, Prue and Zoe
Thankyou to our administration team: Julie and Kim
Thankyou to our school technician and maintenance officer: Nick and Simon
Thankyou to our school nurses: Marcia and Carmel who proved themselves to be invaluable as they valiantly led our school through implementation of an evolving health model under the most stressful of conditions.
And finally a special thank you to our leadership team. They do so many things each day that the school relies on, many of which go unseen. The leadership team has been vital in developing, managing and leading all of our improvements and key actions this year right across the whole school. Thank you Anet, Rose and Julie.

Thankyou to our Belmore School families

I wish to pay special tribute and thanks to our parents and carers. Your dedication, involvement and support this year has been incredible. You stepped into very unfamiliar shoes and walked beside our staff team to ensure that your child was able to continue with their learning with as little interruption as was possible in the circumstances. You went beyond what was thought possible and for much longer than expected. While we have all been challenged throughout this year, we are gratified by the improved connection we have developed with our families.

Congratulations to our students

Thank you and well done to all of our students. To sustain motivation, interest and engagement in learning this year has been a real achievement. To see how our students managed to engage in their home learning program was impressive and then it was capped off by the outstanding way in which they returned to school on both occasions. The smiles on their faces, their growing willingness to have a go and their constant effort to demonstrate our values helps to make this school so special. Our students are the drivers of our school culture and we are so proud of every one of them.

Thankyou to our Mee's bus drivers and chaperones

Sadly this year we could not hold our annual breakfast to recognise our bus drivers and chaperones who are extremely important members of the Belmore School community. Instead a gathering in the front entry had to suffice, where on your behalf I thanked them for the exemplary service they provide in transporting your children and our students safely between home and school each day.

Farewells

I take this opportunity to thank and farewell our staff members who are leaving us at the end of the year:

Anet Elbaz
Hazel Murdoch
Stewart Stevenson

Hazel is moving to teach a foundation class in a mainstream primary school, Stewart is moving on to undertake tertiary studies and as Anet informed you last week she is moving interstate to Port Macquarie.

On behalf of the Belmore School community I would like to thank these staff for their contribution to Belmore School and wish them well. I would particularly like to acknowledge Anet who has worked closely with me and our families over the last four years, particularly through the transition to NDIS when we finalised the Yooralla association to employ our own team of therapists and supported our families to maximise their connection with private practitioners. Anet has always placed our students at the centre of her work and has supported their enrichment through the important role she has undertaken.

Transition Program

On Wednesday morning, all our students moved to their new classroom and worked with their 2021 teacher and classroom support ES. There was a real buzz in the air as we all got to know each other and talk about the wonderful learning opportunities which are planned for next year.

Capital Building Project

Thankyou so much to all members of our school community who completed our capital building project survey. The information you provided along with the input of our school staff and school council will greatly assist the development of our initial asset management plan which establishes the foundation for this significant capital building project.

Looking forward to a bright future

With the end to the 2020 school year here, we look forward to next year with a new sense of optimism, appreciation, energy and excitement. With class numbers increasing to eight and our therapy and education support teams expanding, our refreshed staff team will be introduced at the start of next year.

School will resume for students on Thursday 28 January

Foundation students will commence on Monday 1st February

On behalf of the Belmore School staff I would like to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas, a happy new year and most importantly a safe and restful holiday.

Until we meet again in 2021, take care and stay safe…Karen

Belmore School Newsletter

Issue 13 · 17 Dec 2020

In this issue