Principal's Report

August Report

The office has been a very busy place of late. It is the time of year when the focus of much of the work is on planning for the following year and yet the current business doesn’t just go away. We are beginning to sort out roles and responsibilities and the separation of duties with our new Assistant Principal, Elaine Lesuik now on board. Elaine has jumped into the role with enthusiasm and, already, she is showing that she will be a valuable addition to our leadership team.

Enrolment Update

Prep 2017 enrolment offers have been sent out to families with our designated enrolment neighbourhood. We have had many applications for special consideration and some issues determining actual residential addresses but, at this stage, we are holding steadfast on our zone and see no need to enrol beyond our boundaries. Already though, it appears that we will have up to 8 Prep grades in 2017, more than we would have liked. An enrolment zone is sometimes a double-edged sword.

Swimming Program

I hope all of the Year 1, 2 and 4 students are enjoying their swimming program. It’s such an important skill for our children. I wish that more of our students would get the opportunity to participate in the swimming. I know that some children attend water safety classes outside of school and that’s a great thing, I’m most concerned about those children who get no water safety program at all. If you haven’t sent your child this time, I hope you reconsider at the next opportunity.

Book Week, Dress Up and Book Fair

Keep an eye out for the upcoming Book Week celebrations with a Dress Up Day and, of course, our annual Book Fair! This year, we are celebrating the Australian Story and Australian Literature and this will be the focus of our Dress Up Day. More details to follow!

Civic Dinner

I was privileged to be asked to attend the City of Casey Civic Reception last week at the new Lynbrook Community Centre. I was invited by our local councilor, Amanda Stapledon. At the reception, the mayor presented some details of the new Casey Arts and Entertainment Complex. It is an exciting and ambitious project for the City and it will provide a magnificent facility for families and, I am sure, will get plenty of patronage from schools.

ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) Testing

A number of children have been participating in the ICAS assessments in recent weeks. These are an optional program for families. The assessments are conducted by the University of NSW in Australia. We have focused on assessments in numeracy and literacy, although other areas are available.

EYE (Early Years Evaluation) Testing

EYE testing on our 2017 Preps will begin soon. The evaluation is a “readiness tool” that is based on the Early Years Developmental Framework and gives us valuable data about our new students prior to their entry to our school.

Staffing update

There will soon be several changes to staffing over coming weeks with the return of three of our teachers from family leave. Mansi Vadera is returning part time and will return to her former Leading Teacher role. Meagan Walker, who has been acting in that leadership role, will recommence as full time in her own classroom. Lyshae Powell also returns part time and will take on the vacant classroom teacher role in 1A following the departure of Elise Wilson to a new position at Whittlesea PS. Lyshae will partner with Kate Caldow, who is currently grade sharing with Meagan in Prep. In the meantime, we will need a short term replacement in 1A to fill a small gap between teacher changeovers. Madi Sheather will also return from leave, 2 days a week and will take a place in the reading intervention team for term 4.

Trivia Night

Don't forget Trivia Night next week! I hope you can all bring along a team and support this great event. It was a lot of fun last year and this year, the PFA have accumulated some great prizes! Let’s get along and support it!

Greg Lacey

Principal