Principals' message
We take the opportunity to pause and reflect on another successful term here at Fitzroy PS. At the beginning we worked with staff to set ambitious, yet realistic goals that really elevated the connectedness between student learning and wellbeing, whilst strengthening the way in which teachers use data to inform their planning and practice. We did this through a goal setting exercise where staff were challenged to identify in our Annual Implementation Plan, two areas to focus on in term three - (1) high impact teaching strategies and (2) collaborative team planning. This set the scene for the term by mapping out teacher professional development and sharpened the use of data to differentiate learning, in order to cater for the broad range of abilities in every class.
Throughout the term we have also embedded Sarah's work in the wellbeing space so that students are working with her either individually or in small groups on Tuesdays and teachers are supported on Wednesdays through classrooms observations/feedback and professional development. We have noticed how much students like seeing Sarah to learn more about themselves and their peers, whilst learning new strategies to manage emotions, self-reflect, strengthen friendships and build their confidence.
The Foundation team has been supported by our external consultants in Literacy and Numeracy, which has had an uplifting effect on how our students are catered for through differentiated learning. This term we ran weekly school tours with prospective parents who have commented on how impressive the classrooms are because students are so engaged in their learning. It has also been fantastic to see so many parent volunteers in the Foundation classrooms for both English and French and we thank you for your time.
Student voice and agency has also been a strong focus this term. We know that when our students reflect on their learning and are supported by the teacher to identify the next steps in their journey, a deeper connection to the purpose and outcome is achieved. It has been wonderful to see goal books rolled out across all classes, with teacher professional development really focusing in on effective feedback so goal setting is at students' point of need, with just the right amount of challenge. Goals are now routinely used in Literacy and Numeracy, and wellbeing goals will be introduced in term four.
By having a clear, precise focus at the beginning of the term, teachers have really risen to the challenge and have enjoyed seeing their students make significant progress as a result.
Looking ahead to term four, we will be planning and preparing for the following:
- Moving across to Napier St
- Welcoming new families through our Foundation transition program
- 2023 planning - classes and teacher allocations
- F-6 swimming program
- Fitzroy Arts Festival
- Grade six graduation
On behalf of all staff, we thank our School Council and parents for their endless positivity and ongoing support. It is an absolute pleasure to be a part of the the Fitzroy PS community and we are incredibly proud of our students and their achievements.
We hope that staff and families have a safe, restful break and we look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday 3rd October.
-Angela Richmond, Andrea Hennessey and Sormeh Afkari