I would like to welcome new and current families back from the Autumn holiday break. There were several public holidays and I hope that you were able to enjoy time with families, rest and recharge for the term ahead.

ANZAC Day

Thank you to students and families who were available on ANZAC Day to join our school staff to march and attend the ceremony at Mawson Park. Our students set an outstanding example with their participation, respect, and behaviour on the day.

We held an ANZAC Day assembly at school on Thursday April 27 organised by Mrs Stephens. We were fortunate to have Mr Raymond Quigg attend on behalf of the Ingleburn RSL sub-branch. A few community members also attended to support us to recognise such an important day.

Our leaders led the assembly, and our students were highly respectful. Mr Quigg commented on the quality of the service and was very keen to attend future events.

Staffing change

Mr David Mitchell began as the General Assistant at LPS in 2019 and was a great asset and support from his appointment. Fortunately for Mr Mitchell, he was successful in Term 1 in obtaining a temporary position at another school for the remainder of 2023 and possible extension for 2024.

I convened an Expression of Interest process and Mr Craig Sherwood was successful in gaining the General Assistant position replacing Mr Mitchell. Mr Sherwood has resided in the local community for many years and his children attended LPS.

I would like to congratulate Mr Sherwood and welcome him to LPS!

Autism class

The population of school age children at LPS and within the community has decreased over the last few years and as a result there are two spare classrooms. To support the diversity of students in the Campbelltown/Macarthur area, LPS has been allocated two support classes one to open later in Term 2 or Term 3 in 2023 and another one in 2024.

The first class to be established in 2023 will be an Autism class and in 2024 a class for students who have Autism and an intellectual disability (AU/IO).

LPS has several processes in place already to support students with additional needs in a mainstream setting. It is exciting to be able to apply these processes and refine them further with the new classes to the school. The provision of the support class will additionally help students in the local area to access educational opportunities in a setting that is appropriate for them.

The department convenes a process which is undertaken to place students into support classes. This is not something that happens at the school. If school staff believe that your child would benefit from placement in a support class, they will contact you to explain the process.

Air conditioning update

Our community will be excited to hear that all learning spaces at LPS are now equipped with functioning air conditioners. Over the holidays the power to the school was switched to the substation at the front, ensuring that the school can adequately operate all required technology and the air conditioners.

All gas heaters have been removed from the learning spaces too, so air conditioners will heat and cool rooms in response to the weather.

This change will ensure that all learning spaces are acclimatised for full engagement in learning for students.

I would like to acknowledge the determination of our previous principal Mrs Kerry Wood and the support of community members, like our P&C president at the time, Mrs Melissa Plummer. Their submissions ensured that LPS was included in the Cooler Classrooms Program.

P&C Office Bearers

Our P&C held their Annual General Meeting on the evening of Tuesday March 14. During the meeting all Office Bearing positions were declared vacant and voted upon. I would like to congratulate and thank the following 2023 Office Bearers of the LPS P&C.

President	Mrs Tracey Oates
Vice President - Fundraising	Mrs Christine Fitzpatrick
Vice President	Mrs Rachel Dutton
Secretary	Ms Tenielle Symington
Treasurer	Ms Rosemary Badger

Our P&C group is small, but eager to make a difference for the students of LPS. If you think that you can support the endeavours of our P&C, they meet twice per term at 7pm in the school library in Weeks 3 and 8.

If you are unable to help the P&C at planned events, you can still attend meetings and learn about what is happening at the school.

Annual report

Each year LPS produces an Annual Report detailing our achievements towards our goals with our School Improvement Plan and our expenditure for the year. This Annual Report is then made available to our community via the school website. The 2022 Annual Report is now available to be read. Please contact the school if you have any questions about the Annual Report.

Leumeah P&C Association