PRINCIPAL'S NEWS
Welcome to Murputja Staff Bulletin Number 3
Week 3
The coming weeks are likely to be a very hectic time given the recent death in the community and the impacts of 'Sorry Business'. I have been so impressed with the way that everyone has 'chipped-in' to help as we adjust to the increased student numbers. It is fantastic that we all endeavor to support each other in this way.
As you are probably aware, Matt Paterson has very kindly agreed to assist and has arranged for Mitch Vanson to come over to support for Monday and Tuesday. We will continue to monitor the situation and hopefully be able to arrange additional support if possible. In the meantime I ask that you continue to work as collegiately as possible and try to support where possible.
Site Improvement Plan Review
Thank you to everyone for their active participation in last week's Site Improvement Plan Review at staff meeting. The information provided will contribute enormously to the drafting of a revised Site Improvement Plan. I will be meeting with the Principal Consultant over coming days to draft a revised Site Improvement Plan. I hope to share this with staff at next week's staff meeting.
100 Day Plan
The Site Improvement Review discussions have also served to inform the drafting of a draft 100 Day Plan which will be shared/revised collaboratively at this week's staff meeting.
Please see the attached DRAFT 100 Day Plan.
I will be keen to hear your thoughts as we progress this work.
Dishes
As discussed at staff meeting, I will place the large tubs out on the table so that students are able to wash their own dishes. This will lighten the load on Astrid, but importantly provide another opportunity for students to take greater self responsibility. Staff are also reminded to set the example and wash their own dishes, as this is not Astrid's responsibility!
Classroom Cleaning
As we are currently unable to fill the cleaning position, I have spent a couple of hours again this weekend vacuuming and mopping the classrooms and kitchen. I am more than happy to do this as this is not teacher's work but I do ask that you work with students in developing expectations and routines for keeping the classrooms clean and tidy. At a minimum students should be cleaning 'their classroom' 2-3 times a day and certainly not leaving the room at the end of the day until it has been tidy!
Chemical Storage
Staff are reminded to please collect any chemicals from their learning space and ensure that they are stored safely in the locked cupboards in the 'kitchen hallway'.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone for the work engaging in the daily debrief process which has commenced this term. Our 'end of day debrief' is an important opportunity to discuss the day's events and to address the challenges of the day and ensure that we are supporting the learning and wellbeing needs of individual students. These brief daily discussions, whilst largely informal, enable us to work collegiately as a team to address issues as they arise as a means of also protecting our wellbeing.
Mandatory Notification Update Session
Thank you to everyone for their active participation in last week's mandatory notification update session. It is important that everyone understands their legal requirements to report any suspected abuse/neglect. As Victoria stated in the session she is happy to take a phone call at anytime to answer your questions. If you would like to contact Victoria please contact her on the details provided in the Policies, Procedures & Proformas page of the staff bulletin.
Victoria Cobb - Department for Child Protection:
Ph: 08 8672 4555
NAPLAN Testing
As discussed at last week's staff meeting NAPLAN Testing is scheduled to commence on Tuesday this week. It is important that we attempt to test as many of our students as possible over the next two weeks. Given the large influx of students over the past week, I have managed to negotiate with the Manager of NAPLAN Testing for our students to undertake all of the tests in 'paper version' rather than online. This will also provide greater flexibility with the scheduling of testing and enable us to test 'whoever shows-up' during the two week testing period.
The Testing Schedule is outlined below:
NAPLAN Week 3 | |||||
Yr 3 | Yr 5 | Yr 7 | Yr 9 | ||
| Tuesday | Writing | 40 min | 42 min | 42 min | 42 min |
| Wednesday | Reading | 45 min | 50 min | 65 min | 65 min |
| Thursday | Conventions of Language | 45 min | 45 min | 45 min | 45 min |
| Friday | Numeracy | 45 min | 50 min | 65 min | 65 min |
| |||||
NAPLAN Week 4 | |||||
| Catch-up tests for any students that missed tests | |||||
I will conduct the tests in the library on Tuesday + Wednesday. We will need to make alternative arrangements for Thursday + Friday as I will be attending the Leaders' Days.
Governing Council Meeting - Wednesday Week 2
Unfortunately the Governing Council scheduled for last Wednesday afternoon, May 5th. was unable to be held due to insufficient numbers. It is hoped that the meeting can proceed in coming weeks when community members return.
Please find attached a draft agenda for the meeting.
Classroom Storage/Organisation
Teachers are asked to continue to de-clutter and organise their classroom learning environment. Please organise the classroom so that students are set-up to engage in the learning activities. It is important that as professionals we model to students pride in our learning environment.
Please ensure that any learning materials are either stored appropriately, put away or thrown away if appropriate. As you can probably guess... I hate clutter!
Creating an inviting, organised classroom learning environment is an important part of our role as teachers.
On Monday (week 4) I will conduct a walk-through of your classroom (with you) and provide feedback and suggestions regarding how you might enhance your classroom learning environment. Please spend time regularly focussed on improving the appearance of your classroom. This means that you may need to grab catalogues and purchase containers etc!
Hopefully the attached images provide inspiration...
Monitor Charts
Class Libraries
Student Photos Promote Ownership
Student Work Attractively Displayed
Materials Organised
Word Walls
Materials Organised
Equipment at Hand
Labels on Resources
Organised Materials
Materials Stored
Visuals/Routines
Learning Goals
Student Photos Promote Ownership
Monitor Charts
Class Libraries
Student Photos Promote Ownership
Student Work Attractively Displayed
Materials Organised
Word Walls
Materials Organised
Equipment at Hand
Labels on Resources
Organised Materials
Materials Stored
Visuals/Routines
Learning Goals
Student Photos Promote Ownership
Recruitment Process
Teachers are reminded that Stage 1 of the 2022 recruitment process is now open with teachers invited to apply for secondary teaching positions, ahead of vacancies being advertised in week 2.
This includes positions arising from the year 7 to high school move and positions in our new DfE schools.
Applying for secondary teaching positions involves 2–stages:
- stage 1: build your profile on the dedicated recruitment portal , which is now open
- stage 2: apply on Edujobs when secondary vacancies are advertised on 6 May.
Use this checklist to ensure you complete every component of your application.
It is important that teachers start early and build their profile now on the dedicated recruitment portal.
If you are interested in these positions please visit the teacher recruitment for 2022 page on the DfE website to learn about the 2-stage process.
Staff with further questions regarding the process are invited to contact: Workforce Management, phone 8226 1356 or visit the
Performance & Development Plan Conversations
Education Department policy requires that Performance and Development Plans are reviewed with staff at least every 6 months. It is also recommended that new PDP plans are established with school based employees by week 5, term 2.
These regular conversations are important to align people's goals to their site improvement plan, celebrate achievements, plan development and check-in on staff wellbeing.
I will be asking staff to meet with me during week 4 for our initial PDP conversation. In the meantime, I ask that staff consider the attached PDP proforma and familiarise themselves with both the format and the PDP process.
Please remember that as a staff we will be reviewing the current Site Improvement Plan, with changes expected to be made in the coming weeks. Obviously, PDP plans are expected to be closely aligned to the Site Improvement Plan priorities, so please hold-off on documenting your PDP plan until the Site Improvement Plan priorities and Challenge of Practice become clearer and are updated.
If you have any questions regarding PDP process please feel free to speak with me.
The I WORK FOR SA – Your Voice Survey
The I WORK FOR SA – Your Voice Survey is an opportunity for public sector employees to have their say about working in the South Australian Government.
All public sector employees are encouraged to complete the survey at work. It takes just 15 minutes and can be completed on any device. Rest assured your privacy is our highest priority and responses will remain anonymous, so we encourage you to be honest in the survey.
The survey provides an opportunity for site base staff to shape whole of department and public sector workforce initiatives.
In the 2018 I WORK FOR SA – Your Voice survey, you told us that our department needed to do better in 2 key areas:
- supporting employee health and wellbeing
- providing recognition to celebrate employees.
As a result the department launched new initiatives, including:
- the myWellbeing program – providing practical tools and resources to support and prioritise employee wellbeing
- ThankED – enabling staff, students and the local community to send a thank you note to celebrate employees.
It’s time to check in again. The 2021 survey is now open and will close on 28 May. To complete the survey please click here.