PRINCIPAL UPDATE 

Good afternoon,

The grade 4 students enjoyed their excursion to Narana Cultural Centre last week enhancing their Inquiry investigation ‘Our Place, Our People’.  I hear that Bunjil’s Nest playground was a huge hit where they enjoyed a picnic lunch.

School Council is currently in the process of reviewing the Pets in School Policy. Along with Shelley the turtle in prep and Cocoa (info below), Willow my Labrador, attends Chilwell on a Monday and Friday morning, and engages with students within specific classrooms or activities and is always with myself or an identified staff member. She does not engage with students who are fearful or have allergies and we continually monitor this.  Whilst we understand that many families in our school community keep dogs as pets, to ensure that our school remains a safe and inclusive place for everyone, we will continue to ask that pet dogs are not permitted on school grounds at this time.  Our school community is diverse and includes people that are allergic or uncomfortable around dogs. We ask that families please leave their pet dogs at home or safely tether them outside school grounds when attending our school or school events. We can review this again in the coming year, but at this time the policy will be reviewed to continue as it has been in previous years.  We ask that all families adhere to the policy associated with this.

I would like to introduce Cocoa (the Bernese Mountain dog) and Jeanette to Chilwell, more specifically grade 2.  Cocoa loves listening to children read and will be attending school each Tuesday morning to listen to selected students read stories and engage in conversations about the text read. Students will spend approximately 20 minutes with the Story Dog Team once per week reading books which are appropriate to their reading level. During the session, the dog will be on its lead, wearing a Story Dogs vest and the volunteer will be with the dog and student at all times.

Can all families please ensure that students are not arriving at school without parent supervision prior to 8:45am each morning.  The yard is not supervised until this time, and as a matter of Occupational Health and Safety, we cannot have students in the yard without direct supervision.  In addition to this our day concludes at 3:30pm, whereby students are to be collected at this time or where students are walking home, they are to leave upon the bell at 3:30. No child is to remain onsite without direct parent/carer supervision as we are having an increased number of students staying behind unsupervised.   Although our grounds are open to the public, students are to head home, check in with parents/carers and able to return after 4pm as a matter of parental choice.

Don’t forget the Junior School Council initiative of Nude Food Wednesdays.  Students will go into the draw to win a voucher for Newtown Grocer at assembly if bringing food without packaging each Wednesday.

Thank you to Jason Cole arranging students to share learning undertaken regarding Reconciliation Week in assembly last week. It was lovely to hear student reflection and to hear the preps sing using AUSLAN.

Kind regards,

Meg